Bible theme park wins charity status

[emad]

The Holy Land Experience, a bible-based theme park that is more about Moses than Mickey Mouse, has won its four-year fight to avoid paying taxes.

Set up in 1991, the $16m park tries to take visitors 3,000 years back in time, creating an authentic Holy Land full of sand, centurions and the Bible's biggest names.

Visitors to the site in Orlando, Florida, can watch a musical version of the crucifixion, examine a 45 foot model of Jerusalem in AD66, or browse texts and tablets in the Scriptorium.

Other attractions include a recreation of Herod's Temple, Jesus's garden tomb, a street-market complete with costume-clad traders, and a Bedouin tent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4678897.stm

[oneold1-4u]

1. This need to be taken to court by every tax payer!

Guess a lot more churches are needed with a lot more land and toys!

[Squatch]

2. It already has been, hence the ruling.

"In her ruling, the judge said that it had not been proved that the Holy Land Experience was using its profits for anything other than "evangelising and worshipping"."

[AllegroRondo]

6. Interesting precedent set with that ruling

Could I set up a store, and claim tax free status if I only use the profits for 'evangelizing and worshipping'? Of course, my own salary would be tax free as 'minister'.

[TlalocW]

3. A musical version of the crucifixion?

Why, I think I might have seen some comics dealing with that very thing...

http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp03042002.shtml

Story goes through March 29, 2002 with a few comics in between being about something else.

TlalocW

[AllegroRondo]

4. Will Andrew Lloyd Weber sue?

he wrote "Superstar" over 30 years ago.

[JHB]

5. It's been done.

Monty Python's "Life of Brian"

The cheery song sung by the men on the crosses:

"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"

Some things in life are bad,
They can really make you mad,
Other things just make you swear and curse,
When you're chewing life's gristle,
Don't grumble,
Give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best.
And...

Always look on the bright side of life.

Always look on the light side of life.


If life seems jolly rotten,
There's something you've forgotten,
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps,
Don't be silly chumps.
Just purse your lips and whistle.
That's the thing.
And...

Always look on the bright side of life.

Always look on the right side of life,


For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word.
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin.
Give the audience a grin.
Enjoy it. It's your last chance, anyhow.
So,...

Always look on the bright side of death,

Just before you draw your terminal breath.


Life's a piece of shit,
When you look at it.
Life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true.
You'll see it's all a show.
Keep 'em laughing as you go.
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.
And...

Always look on the bright side of life.
Always look on the right side of life.


Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!


Repeat to fade...

[insane_cratic_gal]

7. That's it! I'm offically declaring

My body as a church. Can I get tax-free status too?

Give me a break. They are charging people to enter the "theme park"

[bryant69]

8. That's my question.

If they are charging people to attend they should pay.

Unless it's like the "church of the holy theme park" and paying for admission is a sort of tithing.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[insane_cratic_gal]

10. Yes they are charging $35 bucks

She also ruled the park's roughly $35 admission cost didn't preclude it being a nonprofit because museums charge admission and at least one other church has for holiday events.

The Holy Land Experience in Orlando is operated by a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian ministry called Zion's Hope, which is devoted to converting Jews to Christianity.

http://www.local6.com/news/4709584/detail.html

[GiovanniC]

9. A Musical Version of the Crucifixion?

JESUS:
Beaten and blo-od-ied
With a crown of thorns on my he-ad
Nailed to a lowercase 't'
In three days
I'll join the undead!

Crowd:
He'll join the undead!

JESUS:
I'm a holy man!

Crowd:
Now you're a holey man!
With nails in your feet
And nails in your hands!

JESUS:
This is blas-phem-y!
Father, why have you for-sak-en me!

Crowd (upbeat):
Don't worry Jesus
In two thousand and five
They'll display crosses
On everything that they drive!
On big gold chains
Loaded with bling
Above their mantles
And on little earrings

JESUS:
That's fucking stupid
Straight down to the core
I was about feeding the hungry
And loving your neighbor
My lesson was never about
What makes me die
It's about the things I did
When I was alive

Crowd:
Jesus, please
We don't need your mor-al-it-y
We'll kill people in your name
But won't care
What
You
Had
To
Say!


Man in Crowd (shouted):
Nail him to the lowercase 't'!

Crowd (in harmony):
We nailed him to the lowercase 't'!