Ark Encounter: A showcase for US creationists in rural Kentucky

The Ark Encounter is an evangelical theme park located near Williamstown, Kentucky, which has reportedly welcomed at least five million people since its opening in July 2016.

The theme park reportedly boasts about its replica of Noah's Ark from the Bible with its supposed Biblical measurements which is 150 meters (510 feet) long, 15 meters (51 feet) high, and 25 meters (85 feet) wide. 

This ark's companion site Creation Museum, in Petersburg, Kentucky which opened in 2007 is reportedly financed and supported by a group called Answers in Genesis that strictly believes in creationism.

According to whom, the Earth is 6000 years old and was created by God in six days. Meanwhile, scientists have estimated that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old. 

In an interview with AFP, Suzanne Swindle, a 37-year-old executive from Atlanta, Georgia said that she was visiting the museum to show her four-year-old daughter that the Bible "is more than just a story," while also indicating that she and her husband believe that Earth was created 6,000 years ago. However, she reportedly did not deny that the species "adapt to their environment." 

Citing data from a 2019 Gallup poll the report also shows that at least 40% of Americans believe that God created man less than 10,000 years ago. 

On the other hand, according to the author of the book titled, "Creationism USA", Adam Laats, other surveys have also shown that at least 15% reject the theory of evolution.

The historian Binghamton University in New York also explains how identifying oneself as a "creationist" in the US is more "an identifying mark of a much broader cultural divide," said the report. 

The author has attributed this to decades of conflict over which US institutions including justice and politics to science and media are reliable which has created these "radically different ideas about truth and reality."

According to reports, the Answers in Genesis group have also asserted that the catastrophic flood created all geological formations which make the Earth look ancient.

On the other hand, speaking to AFP Mark Looy, co-founder of the ark and museum also said how "Dinosaurs are often used by evolutionists to proclaim their worldview." Whereas the site offers a different view about dinosaurs which is that, "most of them perished during the flood about 4,500 years ago," Looy reportedly claimed.  

The image shows the Garden of Eden displayed at the Creation Museum.

According to Laats, there is "a correlation between the most archetypal MAGA (Donald Trump) conservatives and the most ardent museum-type creationists." Referring to former US president Donald Trump's campaign 'Make America Great Again'.

The themes at the two sites which according to Looy visited by "mostly Republicans", show some of the themes which are reportedly at the centre of the upcoming midterm elections on November 8. 

However, the co-founder has clarified that the attractions have to avoid endorsing candidates they do address "some of the hot button issues of the day."

The image shows a dummy video game displayed at the museum which the report by AFP says 'reflects a binary reading of the world'.

There are two sides seen in the photo supposedly confronting each other "Man's word" which is associated with "gay marriage" and "abortion" as opposed to "God's word" which was reportedly synonymous with "marriage" and "sanctity of life."