Posted on 03/30/2006 7:46:16 AM PST by narby
Dutchman Johan Huibers is building a working replica of Noah's Ark as a testament to his Christian faith.
The 47-year-old from Schagen, 45km (30 miles) north of Amsterdam, plans to set sail in September through the interior waters of the Netherlands.
Johan's Ark is a fifth of the size of Noah's and will carry farmyard animals.
Mr Huibers, who plans to open the vessel as a religious monument and zoo, hopes the project will renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands.
Although Mr Huibers has tried to remain true to the ark described in the Bible, Johan's Ark is constructed with American cedar and Norwegian pine, rather than "gopher wood".
'Smell of dung'
According to Genesis, Noah kept seven pairs of most domesticated animals, and one breeding pair of all other creatures.
Noah's wife, three sons and three daughters-in-law lived together on the boat for almost a year while the world was flooded.
Mr Huibers' vision is more modest - he said he plans to stock his ark with horses, lambs, chickens and rabbits - mostly baby animals to save space.
"This will speak very much to children, because it will give them something tangible to see that Noah's Ark really existed," Mr Huibers told the Associated Press news agency.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be just under 1m euros (£0.7m; US$1.2m) and was funded with bank loans.
Mr Huibers plans to charge people to tour the boat and said a drink and religious pamphlet will be included in the admission price. At least 100,000 people will need to visit for the project to break-even financially.
Mr Huibers said his wife was not very keen on the idea.
"She always says: 'Why don't you go dig wells in Ethiopia?'," he said. "I've been involved in projects there before but she understands this is my dream."
Mr Huibers said his wife was not very keen on the idea.
"She always says: 'Why don't you go dig wells in Ethiopia?',"
Good morning;
She must have misunderstood when he said he was taking two oars.......
This is awesome!
Some guy out in Western Maryland is doing the same thing, except his ark is made with giant steel beams. I think he wants it to be a church.
Ethiopians seem to think it is. But there never seems to be a shortage of guilt ridden westerners who keep coming to their country to dig more wells.
Can't be more useless, however, than building this ark.
Why don't Ethiopians dig their own wells?
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There's a failed restaurant here in MO that is shaped like Noah's Ark--and its huge. I have no idea how long its been vacant....
Hmmm, nine thousand species of birds on Earth, several thousand mammals, a thousand or so reptiles and amphibians, hundreds of thousands of insects and other arthropods. He builds are ark one fifth of the biblical size, and he can only get four species on board.
Well, I'm convinced!
I think I saw a made-for-TV movie about this...
Considering all the immigrants invading the Netherlands, not to mention euthanasia, it might not be such a "crazy" idea if he can make a getaway in an emergency.
Your numbers are actually a little low: as of 2004 there are around 8,163 reptilian species, 4,629 known mammalian species, 5,699 Amphibian species, and 10,000 species of birds.
What can I say? I'm a conservative :-)
LOL!
My thought exactly. As a Christian he will need it to sail out of the Netherlands when the Moslems take over.
By length, deck area, or volume?
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