I was hoping to make contact with Josh Taylor, who wrote the original article from 2012 about Genesis Gardens (see https://www.wdwradio.com/2012/08/the-world-that-never-was-genesis-gardens/), but it appears he works for Disney now (and doesn’t use his previous email addresses. Animal Kingdom was the fourth (and most recent) theme park designed for Walt Disney World. The chief imagineer who was responsible for Animal Kingdom is Joe Rohde, who recently retired from Disney Imagineering. Rohde was very focused on the entrance area of the park. He wanted something that would set the tone from the initial moment the guests are at the park. One of the entrance ways that was considered was “Genesis Gardens.” Ultimately , Disney chose “Oasis” (which is still the same today). The article writer says that this is because it was less “offensive” than “Genesis Gardens.” To me, “offensive” sounds rather negative; admittedly not all WDW park goers see the Book of Genesis as God’s Word, but that does not mean that they would necessarily be turned-off (or worse, avoid the park altogether) by such a name or theme. Genesis Gardens would have had a large Noah’s Ark with animal displays inside of it (to show how animals were saved once and still need to be saved). Interestingly, that’s basically what Ark Encounter in Kentucky decided to do for their park. The land would also have helped to reveal the other lands that lay behind. Genesis Gardens would have been a very lush and tropical land like the Garden of Eden that is described in Genesis. The music for the land would have been songs from the band Genesis as well as their singer/drummer Phil Collins. Okay maybe I made-up that last point! As it stands, Oasis is not all that exciting of an entrance land. The three times I have been to Animal Kingdom, I have basically walked right through it to get to the “wienie” (basically a park landmark that beckons guests to come to it) of the Tree of Life. Genesis Gardens will be used in my Bible World project as sort of a testament as to what Disney could have brought to Animal Kingdom.
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There have been a lot of headlines the last few weeks about companies mandating employees to be fully vaccinated. Some private colleges are also requiring students to be vaccinated before the fall semester, although a few I saw allow exceptions for health or religious reasons. Due to all of these developments, it’s not big news that Disney is requiring all of its salaried and non-unionized hourly cast members to be vaccinated (https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/07/30/disney-to-require-all-non-union-cast-members-to-be-vaccinated/). This post will explore the ethics of such requirements.
In a December 2020 document from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), it was stated that vaccination against COVID can promote the common good. On the flip side, “the vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore it must be voluntary.” Some people think that everyone should get the vaccine. After all, it appears that those who are vaccinated and then come down with the virus do not get as sick, However, there have been some blood clotting issues identified with the various vaccines. In addition, although the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were not developed from aborted fetal lines (unlike Johnson & Johnson), they were tested with some problematic lines. It is morally licit for Catholics to take Pfizer and Moderna, although they should avoid Johnson & Johnson if they have other options. Some people, in forming their conscience, believe that even the remote connection to evil makes them want to avoid Pfizer and Moderna altogether (and perhaps wait for a vaccine that is even more removed from ties to abortion). Some Catholic bishops, like Cardinal Dolan, have said that priests should not sign requests from people requesting a “religious exemption” from getting the vaccine. Other bishops, such as those in Colorado, have argued for the rights of people to refuse a vaccine on the grounds of conscience. People have a duty to follow their conscience (even if it is not properly formed). So it is morally problematic that employers are forcing some employees with the decision to either keep their job (and therefore get vaccinated against their conscience) or to be fired from their job. I’m not an economist, but such a policy also seems economically untenable right now due to the difficulty of many employers to hire enough workers. Ark Encounter in Kentucky is known for its full scale model of Noah’s Ark. In the next few years, they will have their first major addition—a Tower of Babel (found in Genesis 11:1-9). A release from the Ark Encounter said the new attraction will “tackle the racism issue” by helping visitors “understand how genetics research and the Bible confirm the origin of all people groups around the world.” Speaking of a Babel diorama to be used at the Ark Encounter park about 5 years ago, the Answers in Genesis group stated, “We will use Babel to explain the origin of the different languages and people groups.” No concept art was given for the newly-announced project, although the diorama indicates that it will probably look like an ancient ziggurat. It is expected to take 3 years of research and development.
Although I am not all that versed in human anthropology theories, perhaps they are trying to win over those who support the theory of polygenism (which is proposed by traditional evolutionary theory). Personally I find their creationist beliefs (i.e. that the world is only 6000 years old) to be the most difficult to reconcile with modern science. I am guessing that the Ark Encounter’s Tower of Babel will be another museum-style exhibit. That would not interest me too much to see in real life. As I have mentioned before, the Ark Encounter’s greatest potential for gaining interest in their park would be to add immersive rides (something that they seemed to want to do when they were first building the park). I think the Tower of Babel story lends itself well to a drop tower style ride. I don’t plan to include the Tower of Babel in my first Bible World project. |
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