Well, Yahoo! News blogger Liz Goodwin recently posted a similar observation. Noting what we did, that AIG has delayed groundbreaking on Ark Encounter because of lousy fundraising results, Goodwin offers this additional fact, surely disturbing to all linked to AIG:
We've made the observation before (in person, not on this blog) that the issue the Creation Museum faces is not getting people to come once but getting them to come twice. That's true of most museums, which typically schedule special exhibits and events to induce patrons to return. After all, unless a museum houses a particularly impressive collection of artifacts and displays, why would people travel and pay for a rerun?
We therefore suggest gently that Mr. Ham's enterprise is in the inevitable decline faced by enterprises like his. There is a reason why the circus travels from city to city, and promotes new and better acts when it returns to town the following year.
Not that we expect the museum to close next week. We expect that AIG has banked a lot of boodle, that Ham has a number of donors who will offer rescue funds when they're needed.
But we do expect a long, slow, noticeable decline in influence. Ham has already been disinvited to a major homeschooling convention for his bitterly divisive rhetoric. We expect that in the future, he will not be excluded so much as ignored.
To add to the bad news, the Creation Museum is having its lowest attendance year yet. Last fiscal year, 280,000 people visited, compared to 404,000 the first year it opened in 2007. [Ark Encounter Vice President Michael] Zovath thinks that potential visitors have been less willing to travel to the museum because of the poor economy.
We've made the observation before (in person, not on this blog) that the issue the Creation Museum faces is not getting people to come once but getting them to come twice. That's true of most museums, which typically schedule special exhibits and events to induce patrons to return. After all, unless a museum houses a particularly impressive collection of artifacts and displays, why would people travel and pay for a rerun?
We therefore suggest gently that Mr. Ham's enterprise is in the inevitable decline faced by enterprises like his. There is a reason why the circus travels from city to city, and promotes new and better acts when it returns to town the following year.
Not that we expect the museum to close next week. We expect that AIG has banked a lot of boodle, that Ham has a number of donors who will offer rescue funds when they're needed.
But we do expect a long, slow, noticeable decline in influence. Ham has already been disinvited to a major homeschooling convention for his bitterly divisive rhetoric. We expect that in the future, he will not be excluded so much as ignored.
3 comments:
I am curious as to SWNIDs views on genesis and origins. This question of origins and literal interpretation does have theological implications for the Bible as a whole it seems.
Anon, we urge you to use the search feature of the blog to find relevant stuff. One can hardly repeat oneself on demand these days.
We will repeat ourself to say that we doubt that you are using the world "literal" in its literal sense. Likewise, we urge you not to assume that particular views of origins that people style as not "literal" somehow alter the theological message of the Bible as a whole.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I attended a homeschool seminar presented by Mr. Ham. During the cheese-n-crackers reception that followed he was rather condescending and aloof and seemed very uncomfortable dealing with people. I remember thinking there wasn't much in the way of Christian love in the guy.
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