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Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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We all are aware how suspect the Ken Ham monstrosity, his Ark Encounter, is from a financial perspective. But let's focus on another christian theme park, the Holy Land Experience. It has one huge advantage over Ham's folly, and that is Location, Location, Location. It is only 3 miles (2.9 to be exact) from Universal's Orlando Resort and 10 miles from Disneyworld. In Orlando, where 62 million, read that again, 62 MILLION tourist visited in 2014.
The ONLY reason it had continued viability is because the owners of TBN fed it money from that network.
Holy Land's Form 990 financial disclosures to the IRS show that TBN and other companies contributed $42.7 million to the theme park in 2010. That dropped to $23 million in 2011. After that, the contributions plummeted to $2.2 million in 2012, $2.6 million in 2013 and $2.5 million in 2014. The organization's 2015 form is not available.
Program revenue from tickets and other sales hovered around $8 million and $9 million annually during that period.
Now, the owners of the Holy Land Experience were able to convince the Florida lawmakers that it was a "ministry" and as such, exempt from taxation. That is a subject for another debate. Due to the failing revenues, they are now having a garage sale of various artifacts, including a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Can anyone explain why a ministry needs a tricked out HD?
So, if the Holy Land Experience can't make it where 62 MILLION people visit annually, in metro Orlando, what the heck makes anyone think Ham's pig sty (and other critter holding pens) will float?
Oh, BTW, for those who will invariably state that once again I am spreading bad news and exaggeration, just take a look in detail the backup I provide from various independent sources. Perhaps you should try it some time, rather than depending on scribbles from tales passed down from itinerant desert goat herders, goat herders who were suspicious as all get out, and retold their tales around campfires. You know, goat herders from over 2000 years ago.
We all are aware how suspect the Ken Ham monstrosity, his Ark Encounter, is from a financial perspective. But let's focus on another christian theme park, the Holy Land Experience. It has one huge advantage over Ham's folly, and that is Location, Location, Location. It is only 3 miles (2.9 to be exact) from Universal's Orlando Resort and 10 miles from Disneyworld. In Orlando, where 62 million, read that again, 62 MILLION tourist visited in 2014.
The ONLY reason it had continued viability is because the owners of TBN fed it money from that network.
Holy Land's Form 990 financial disclosures to the IRS show that TBN and other companies contributed $42.7 million to the theme park in 2010. That dropped to $23 million in 2011. After that, the contributions plummeted to $2.2 million in 2012, $2.6 million in 2013 and $2.5 million in 2014. The organization's 2015 form is not available.
Program revenue from tickets and other sales hovered around $8 million and $9 million annually during that period.
Now, the owners of the Holy Land Experience were able to convince the Florida lawmakers that it was a "ministry" and as such, exempt from taxation. That is a subject for another debate. Due to the failing revenues, they are now having a garage sale of various artifacts, including a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Can anyone explain why a ministry needs a tricked out HD?
So, if the Holy Land Experience can't make it where 62 MILLION people visit annually, in metro Orlando, what the heck makes anyone think Ham's pig sty (and other critter holding pens) will float?
Oh, BTW, for those who will invariably state that once again I am spreading bad news and exaggeration, just take a look in detail the backup I provide from various independent sources. Perhaps you should try it some time, rather than depending on scribbles from tales passed down from itinerant desert goat herders, goat herders who were suspicious as all get out, and retold their tales around campfires. You know, goat herders from over 2000 years ago.
Wasn't that Paul and Jan Crouch's baby? I'm not surprised it's failing--it never seemed like anything I wanted to see.
You nailed it. But, are they not appealing to the same cohort as Ham?
No. They really aren't. Sure, there is some overlap...but honestly, the TBN crowd is more of a pentecostal, charismatic, non-thinking, prosperity-gospel-focused group. Ham's ministry is not geared toward that. At least in my experience.
No. They really aren't. Sure, there is some overlap...but honestly, the TBN crowd is more of a pentecostal, charismatic, non-thinking, prosperity-gospel-focused group. Ham's ministry is not geared toward that. At least in my experience.
An evangelical bible-believer is like most any other evangelical bible-believer. Just look at how all the far right cultists find a commonality in Trump & Pence.
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