[custom_adv] A $102 million replica of Noah's Ark - complete with it's own pair of model T-Rex - is finally ready to open at a Christian themed amusement park next week.Ken Ham, a devout Christian and president of Answers in Genesis, has spent the past six years planning and building the 510-foot long ark which is believed to be the largest timber-framed building in the world. [custom_adv] The ship, which will features an animatronic Noah and lifelike models of animals including bears, giraffes and even dinosaurs, will be the center piece of the Ark Encounter theme park, which is scheduled to open July 7 in Williamstown. [custom_adv] It was constructed by Amish woodworkers with donations, junk bonds and tax rebates from the state of Kentucky. Kentucky later tried to claw back its rebates after learning that Ham would require employees at the park to sign a 'statement of faith' that would exclude people who were gay or did not accept his particular Christian creed. [custom_adv] Creationists believe in the literal word of the Bible, that the world was created by God in seven days 6,000 years ago. As an answer to the fossil record, they believe that dinosaurs and humans - who lived millions of years apart - existed at the same time.Bill Nye, best known as 'the science guy' on television and in books, has mocked the multi-million dollar endeavor which puts humans and T-Rex together on the same boat. [custom_adv] Ham, originally from Australia, took the state to court and in January, he won.Today, Ham is preparing to unveil his Creationist masterpiece which stretches across the length of one and a half football fields long and stands seven stories high. [custom_adv] It was modeled on the measurements of the ark mentioned in the Bible.He told the New York Times that it will become an international pilgrimage site for Christians from all over the world. [custom_adv] 'The reason we are building the ark is not as an entertainment center,' Ham said in an interview in a cabin overlooking the construction site. 'I mean it's not like a Disney or Universal, just for anyone to go and have fun. It's a religious purpose. [custom_adv] It's because we're Christians and we want to get the Christian message out.Ham hopes that it will serve as a reminder of the biblical story of Noah and the Ark. The Christian believes in the Old Testament tale which tells of God sending a worldwide flood to destroy all living creatures except for the ones which were taken, two-by-two onto a giant ark built by Noah.
