I have spoken with Dr. Hovind on many occasions (and by the way, if his title of ‘Doctor’ bothers you so much, he just tells people to call him ‘Mister’ or ‘Kent.’) His son, Eric, has made yearly trips to the school where I currently work as a teacher to explain creation science to our students.

I know them well enough to say that with this family what you see is what you get.

Dr. Hovind is not some conniving tax dodger. He is someone sick of having the government push people around and is taking the stand he feels is right.

I suppose one could argue that we must always work within the confines of acceptable law and jurisprudence, but when those behind the laws are also corrupt sometimes there isn’t much choice.

I wish him well. Today was the big court day and as of yet I don’t know how things turned out. But I’m praying he still has his freedom. I’m also praying about a million Christian leaders develop his dino-sized back-bone.

I would like to share Dr. Hovind’s Travel update:

“It is 5 am Feb. 12, 06 (Darwin’s Birthday) and I just finished reading some of my huge pile of letters and articles that get sent to me every day. I often sleep hard for 4-5 hours then wake up in the night to work a few hours, read and pray before going back to sleep for another hour or so. I know it is a strange schedule but the phone never rings and I never get interrupted so I get lots done! I’m staying in a beautiful home in the snow covered country in Tennessee where I have been preaching for the last two days. I head home this afternoon. Yea! Then on to Texas Wednesday to tape with Dr. Baugh on TBN.

Three days ago was my 37th spiritual birthday. As I was talking with the Lord tonight about all the great needs in the world I said, “Lord, there is only one of me! And sometimes that is too many!” I know that I often get in the way of God doing His work. At the seminar earlier today (or yesterday-what do you call it in the middle of the night?) I was talking with one of the dozens of kids that always swarm about me before and after each service. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. I wonder how many times I have asked kids that question.

Then I thought, what do I want to be when I grow up? Many years ago I asked one of my science students what I should be when I grow up. She said, “You don’t need to worry about that Mr. Hovind. That will never happen to you!”

I will probable always be a kid but what should I be if I ever grow up? I could easily spend my life reading and learning. I love to read! I could also spend my life teaching and preaching. I do that over 900 times every year now. I could spend my life building and developing Dinosaur Adventure Land. I love to build and think up new ways to teach spiritual truths using science and God’s creation. I could spend my life answering letters, calls and questions. I love to help people understand God’s Word and appreciate His creation! I could spend my life debating evolutionists at universities. I have done that 100 times now and really love it! The more hostile the environment (like at Berkeley twice now) the better I like it! Well over 3,000 professors have refused to debate me. I can understand there reluctance. Would you want to defend the idea that we all came from a rock? I love debating evolutionists to help the poor students they try to brainwash!

I could easily spend my life with my family. My three children and their spouses all live around me and work in our ministry. We love each other and get along marvelously. My four grandchildren (ages 3 and under) are even more fun than their parents! I really love reading them books, taking naps with them, teaching them things, watching their excited faces as we go “feed the critters” every night that I am home. We have lots of “critters” like turtles, snakes, hamsters, chinchillas, peacocks, a dove, lizards etc at DAL. I wish I had grown up in a place like DAL! You should come visit this amazing place!

I could spend my life touring the world. I love to travel and see new places. I have been to all 50 states and 37 counties with 4 more coming this year! (Come join me for the 9 day Holy Land cruise this November- see the web site for details) I could also spend my life riding my Suzuki 650 scooter. Of the 80 plus motorcycles I have owned since I was 12 this one is the best! If you have never had motorcycle fever you will not understand!

I could spend my life complaining. My back hurts nearly every moment of my life from 3 whiplash accidents 30 years ago. My son in law has very serious cancer and is in pain every day as well. My wife has had debilitating pain every day for 6 years now from her bruised tail bone. There is always an endless list of things to fix in one of the 20 buildings our ministry owns or one of the many vehicles and machines we use. There is never enough money to do all the things we want to do to expand our outreach for the Lord. There are now nearly 2,000 anti-Hovind web sites where dozens of lies circulate about me. Even a few fellow creationists misrepresent me on their sites. I could spend my life defending myself against their lies.

I could spend my life thinking of the past and regretting all the missed opportunities. If only I had …… I could spend my life worrying about the future. The New World Order is fast approaching and “perilous times” (2 Timothy 3:1) are coming soon for the world.

It is now 6 am and I think I will go back to sleep for an hour. Then I will get up to go preach about creation on Darwin’s birthday, make airplanes for the kids, tell corny jokes, make some child feel important, build the faith of some college student struggling with evolution and win someone to Christ. I think I will just keep doing what I have been doing for 37 years now- try to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and obey Him day by day. I think I will spend my life doing that. It is really rewarding! You should try it.”

Kent Hovind

Yup, that’s Dr. Hovind: just wants to bring people to Christ.

No wonder they want him locked up.

You can see Kent Hovind’s upcoming court case here:
http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/Ustc.....o=05011894

I just wanted to make sure you understood that charges *are* being filed after the IRS raid. You were wrong about that.

Best regards

In San Diego? It appears there’s a summary judgement pending. Do you know what this case is in regard to? -ds

No, I really do dislike big gov’t. It’s out of control. Hovind is taking a stand on principle. Good for him. You act like he’s trying to murder unborn babies without a license or something. He’s harming no one and minding his own business. -ds

First, you claim that theme park is being persecuted for religious reasons. In order to make this claim, you’d have to produce counterexamples of profit making, public facilities, religious or otherwise, that are allowed to operate without proper building permits. Otherwise, all I see is Florida officials enforcing Florida law.

Second, you seem to think that not falling down or catching fire for four years is ample evidence of a building’s safety. There are lots of places in the world that operate on this principle. I recommend you visit some of them and decide whether that’s really how you want the US to operate.

As for your example of the Pennsylvania Dutch, there are three problems with your argument: (1) The Pennsylvania law is ridiculous to begin with. It’s the same reasoning that allows them to employ child labor in unsafe workplaces and has no place in the First World. (2) That aside, they actually *can* point to an aspect of their religious faith that dictates their building style; Hovind’s only “deeply held religious belief” is that he doesn’t believe in paying for things. (3) While the Pennsylvania law might grant waivers in the case of homes and places of worship, the *public* buildings where they sell there goods are absolutely subject to the law, and that’s closer to the mark, just as the public restaurants are subject to health codes.

Are you really trying to claim that religion should be carte blanche for
completely ignoring the law?

-jc

Are you really trying to claim that religion should be carte blanche for
completely ignoring the law?

No dear, in this case just building codes and income taxes. I would remind you (or instruct you as the case may be) that the United States got along just fine without building codes or income taxes for *anyone* for a very long time. I would be on Hovind’s side even if his claim had nothing to do with religion. The fact that he is a minister just adds insult to injury. I’m very much a libertarian and the best bit of advice I ever heard when it comes to gov’t is to make a rule that for every new law and new bureaucratic position made two old ones have to be unmade. -ds

If that were the issue, I’d agree with the post on principle, too. But of course, that’s not the issue. Hovind believes that his being a Christian means he can refuse to pay building permit fees and federal income tax. If he ponies up the building permit fee, Dinoland will live on in all its hilarious young-earth creationist glory.

AiG has some points of disagreement with Kent Hovind, but in the essencials they are in agreement:

http://www.answersingenesis.or.....alysis.asp

I repeat, that is a far cry from being “discredited”.

States can provide waivers if they wish, but they’re not forced to as long as there’s a legitimate purpose served by the permitting process, etc. Building codes are enforced for churches in Oregon.

2. The Brits started transporting felons to Australia after the United States won its independence. Care to guess where they transported them to while we were still a set of British colonies?

I’m going to make an educated guess and say “Yo mama’s house” -ds

Well, no. The South, primarily. The part of the future United States which eventually settled in the state you live in, Dave.

Yeah, I was just kidding about yo mama. Even felons have standards. -ds

But some of the graduate schools don’t bother to list their accreditation status, because it’s just assumed that an Ivy League university will be accredited. My alma mater HLS, for instance, doesn’t bother to mention that it is ABA-accredited.* It’s sort of ridiculous that they wouldn’t be, and I suppose no one has ever bothered to mention it on the web site (at least that I can see).

Can some schools be worthwhile but unaccredited? Sure. But Hovind is pretending to some sort of basic scientific understanding, and the idea that he got a serious scientific education from a school that can’t scrape up accreditation from a serious board is fairly silly.

* It is, of course; see http://www.abanet.org/legaled/.....alpha.html

I will agree with the post on principle. As much as it frustrates me seeing children being taught that kind of “science” there is nothing unconstitutional about it in a private park, and such a park has every right to exist. I will, however, disagree that the fantasies at Disney Land and at Dinosaur Adventure Land are comparable. Disney is understood fantasy while DAL purports to be telling scientific truths about Earth when it does quite the opposite.

Disney is understood fantasy

Not really. Their future themes are supposed to be plausible futures. Pirates of the Carribean – there really were pirates in the Carribean. The Haunted House – plenty of people believe in ghosts. Not Disney but Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy are real for a lot of kids. If people want to believe these things (Dinosaur Land included) that’s their business and I don’t see any particular harm in it. Believing this stuff isn’t a cause of anything, it’s a symptom of something if you know what I mean. -ds

No, it is not bunk. Religious institutions are subject to neutrally applicable regulations, and are not given an automatic waiver simply because they want one. Hovind might have been able to argue that he should be able to use nonstandard techniques or materials, but that is not his claim. He is arguing that he is not subject to secular regulations at all, which is clearly not the case. A church can’t exempt itself from the law simply because it doesn’t want to pay the fees associated with compulsory inspections or licensing.

Hovind’s claims are frivolous and dishonest, and as other commentors have said, it reflects poorly on DaveScott to be leaping to his defense.