Creationist Fail

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Matt Osborne
Dinosaur Adventure Land, the creationist theme park in Florida where you can take your family to be indoctrinated into a Flintstones-based belief system, is being seized by the IRS after its founder-owners were convicted of tax fraud. Apparently, they thought belief could protect them from, you know, laws:
Kent Hovind, who founded the park and a ministry, Creation Science Evangelism, is serving 10 years in federal prison for failing to pay the Internal Revenue Service more than $470,000 in employee taxes.

He was found guilty in November 2006 on 58 counts, including failure to pay employee taxes and making threats against investigators.

The conviction culminated 17 years of Hovind sparring with the IRS. Saying he was employed by God and his ministers were not subject to payroll taxes, he claimed no income or property.

No word yet on whether the IRS will go after these media darlings, who also claim their home and business as church properties:


Wingnuts are smart! With taxes!

H/t Crooks & Liars




About Matt Osborne

Veteran blogging the culture wars from Alabama. Video journalist, mash-up artist, aspiring novelist, and metalhead. Expect bunnies, geekery, dark humor, and snarky empirical analysis to annoy idealists of all stripes. You can follow me on Twitter, but be ready 'cause it might get loud.
This entry was posted in Wingnuts Are Smart, creationism, hostile birth movement, taxes. Bookmark the permalink.
  • ZIRGAR

    I sorta remember Jesus taking the Roman coin from the Pharisees and saying to them about taxation, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

  • GeoSolus

    When I hear or read God loves all children I get flashbacks. Picture this: It's the 80's, I'm a young lad living in Scotland and my primary school teacher is a Roman Catholic. I'm instructed about Jesus, God and the Bible. Told how God is love and is the almighty and so on and so on. Meanwhile in between children's TV I see Ethiopia on the news. Semi naked children, my age and younger, starving to death. This brought the question forward to my young mind: If God has power over everything and he loves children so much then why is this happening? I never got an answer from the big people.
    Now when I see sweetly bible thumpers preaching their doctrine I get more than irritated. This kind of projection which is obviously done to show a moralistic and righteous image. Is merely an advert for religious industry. If they had really believed that we are all God's children then they would of practiced abstinence and dedicated their lives to those poor children who are the innocent victims of evil men.
    However they must of found a section in the bible that says: 'Go forth and multiply like rabbits, ignore the downtrodden and build a big house. Smile alot at the media to promote your book sales and micro industry. Keep that money for it belongs to God and you are God's rep.. We shall all do our banking in Heaven.

  • Matt Osborne

    ZIRGAR, it is a constant source of amusement to me that the most publicly pious are the least familiar with their own scripture. My dearest wish is that the religious would quietly follow their laws by themselves. If the religious life is superior, then it will win in the "marketplace" of society. In other words, let them lead by example instead of pretending to exemplify.

  • Matt Osborne

    GeoSolus, I get irritated at public displays of piety too. That's why I'm always ready to remind them Jesus said something about praying in your closet.

    In fact, the only Republican I've ever respected — and I did respect him so much that I worked on his campaign — won that respect when he denounced religious politics after a city council session. He said that calling on the cross in politics was a violation of the commandment against taking the Lord's name in vain.

    He's dead now, and I miss him.

  • GeoSolus

    Quite agree. Any form of religious practice has no place within the running of a country.