Christian theme park Holy Land Experience will lay off 118 workers

[Zorro]

The Holy Land Experience, an Orlando Christian attraction best known for its daily crucifixion performances and a campus that replicates ancient Jerusalem and a Roman coliseum, will lay off most of its employees.

On Friday, the attraction filed a layoff notice with city and state officials that it plans to eliminate 118 jobs, representing most of its employees, as of April 18. Those losing their jobs include 43 actors and musicians, plus dancers, media specialists, prop handlers, food service workers and support staff.

The Holy Land Experience “has established a severance package plan to assist employees during this difficult time,” the notice said.

For nearly 20 years, the land was set up as living museum experience that included live re-enactments of Biblical scenes. It also housed the Scriptorium, a center with one of the world’s largest collections of antique Bibles and Judeo-Christian artifacts.

https://www.tampabay.com/arts-entertainment/2020/02/18/christian-theme-park-holy-land-experience-will-lay-off-118-workers/

Looks like those daily crucifixion performances just weren't bringin' 'em in the way they used to back in the good ol' days.

[bitterross]

1. Thoughts and prayers for them.

Yep, that's all I got.

[TheBlackAdder]

45. God is their Co-Pilot.

[TheBlackAdder]

58. I remember watching Bill Maher's Religilous, when he visited there and spoke to Fake Jesus.

[jberryhill]

2. They have their own Coliseum...

...they should get some lions, increase the ticket price, and put on one spectacular final show.

[AllyCat]

4. Perfect!

[jberryhill]

12. Maybe Sea World has some leftover killer whales they aren't using anymore

Throwing Christians to Orcas would be a cool update.

[AllyCat]

29. Can we start with that scam artist on his staff?

[CaptYossarian]

3. They didn't have a prayer.

Are these people seriously going to put this place on their resume?

One of the things HR looks for is chemistry among workers--trying to find a perfect fit. "Oh yeah, I was Jesus Christ for three years."

Maybe John the Baptist can use his experience washing dishes.

[exboyfil]

6. Moving en masse to Hamm's Ark and Creation Museum?

[CaptYossarian]

7. How many of these dumbass places are out there?

[jberryhill]

13. Experience being a theme park performer in Orlando?

Of course they would put that on a resumé relevant to the entertainment industry.

[rzemanfl]

26. I was thinking the same thing. n/t

[klook]

34. "I was crucified 125 times!

Producing quarterly reports will be a piece of cake.”

[NurseJackie]

5. Apparently the "Noah's Ark Experience" is also on hard times as well.

Oh well.

[JHB]

31. Not exactly a mystery for the cause of that one...

It's located about halfway between Cincinnati, OH and Lexington, KY, about an hour away from each. It's doesn't exactly get any "as long as we're in the area, let's visit the Ark" traffic, the way the other one tried to benefit from proximity to Disneyworld.

Unless your whole plan was to visit the Ark, there's no particular reason to go there, and there's not enough people willing to do that to support it.

[NurseJackie]

33. Poor planning. The town got screwed, though.

[Cartoonist]

8. Why doesn't Jesus save them?

He can turn ten dollar bills into one hundred dollar bills, just like water into wine.

[A HERETIC I AM]

47. WWJD?

File for unemployment, is my guess

[NurseJackie]

9. Here's their home page and link to a promotional video

https://holylandexperience.com/

I couldn't help but recall Mel Brooks and wondering if he could have come up with a song-and-dance stage-show number that may have helped...

[hatrack]

10. Bring the kids! Family fun!! Crucifixions Daily!!!

[jberryhill]

14. You know, that sort of entertainment used to draw a crowd back in the day

[hatrack]

15. See also: Branson, Oberammergau

[jberryhill]

19. No, I meant the real thing

[hatrack]

20. True! Wasn't sure if you mean tthe 1800s or the -1800s . . .

[A HERETIC I AM]

48. "Are there any *****WOMEN***** here today?"

That was apparently the first scene they filmed.

“You’re only making it worse for yourself.”

“WORSE? How could it be worse? JEHOVAH! JEHOVAH! JEHOVAH!

A fucking masterpiece, and the fact that it pissed off so many Christians who watched the point fly RIGHT over their heads, is immensely satisfying.

[msongs]

50. just another sunday at the baptist church I went to nt

[Nature Man]

18. so did lynchings

[peacefreak2.0]

11. Oh, dear.

It really IS the End Times.

[Lars39]

16. Maybe Mike Huckabee will make room for them on his show

[nobuddy]

17. They prefer the term, Raptured, thank you

[jcgoldie]

21. Dammit

There goes summer vacation 😟

[vlyons]

22. Sorry folks are losing their pay checks

But really? I'm so tired of the RW fundies using religion to acquire wealth. Selling tickets to see crucifixion and gladiator re-enactments. I guess wrestling ain't enough for them.

[gibraltar72]

23. Holy shit.

[MineralMan]

24. Soon to be yet another shut-down theme park.

Rotting away slowly.

Good!

[TreadSoftly]

25. Interesting stuff at Wikipedia

The display of antiques was due to a fight over taxes -- display makes the place a museum so tax problem vanished.

They broadcast "Praise the Lord" from there (per Wikipedia) and perhaps that's why the other jobs stay.

Searching for other news to understand: are theme parks in trouble? People have less money? Evangelism losing its appeal?

[Historic NY]

27. What no miracles?

[NurseJackie]

35. Ha!

[Turbineguy]

28. "... daily crucifixion performances..."

The perfect job for somebody without health care coverage.

[dalton99a]

30. "Jeb Bush signed a law that saved the park more than $1 million in taxes"

Fuck them

[njhoneybadger]

32. Their new savior, tRump is being crucified on a daily basis by evil Democrats

Jesus just isn't relevant to them anymore. They don't need re-enactments because they're living
"The Holy Land Experience"

[scarytomcat]

46. god bows done to dump

he is more popular than god because he a stable genius

[lpbk2713]

36. "Hmmm. Maybe if we have a Spanish Inquisition reenactment twice a day?"

"Or maybe the Salem witch trials?"

[llmart]

37. Too bad.

Maybe they'll have a last supper?

[Goodheart]

38. Thank God.

[3catwoman3]

39. I'm sure...

...”God will provide.”

[Demonaut]

40. God will provide

[onethatcares]

41. another piece of property

the tax payers will be on the hook for upkeep and maintenance. At least at the Pirates of the Caribbean dinner show you got to drink beer.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

42. tRump will create bread and fishes.......and paper towels.....

for the starving multitudes.

And tRump wine for an additional fee.........

[lame54]

43. They have the best Wolf Nipple Chips

[NurseJackie]

51. They're lovely.

[pwb]

44. Ah shit. I will miss their dinosaur steaks with fries.

Ummm.

[Initech]

49. I'm sure that Jesus would just love seeing his death as a cheesy tourist attraction.

[packman]

52. They should just kill it off

and see if it comes back after 3 days.

Oh, I'm going to hell for that one.

[Bradshaw3]

53. Bill Maher had a hilarious segment there in Religious

[dewsgirl]

54. Atheists tour the ark..

[dameatball]

55. I lived in Orlando when this place was built and it amazes me it lasted this long.

[defacto7]

56. OMG the Bronze age will collapse.

[Initech]

57. I'm sure that Jesus would just love seeing his death as a cheesy tourist attraction.

[keithbvadu2]

59. "a severance package plan"

"a severance package plan"

Instead of pay and benefits, we are going to give you... salvation.

[meadowlander]

60. Surprised they allow dancers...

don't Evangelicals have a stick up their backsides about that too?

[sakabatou]

61. You'd think God would keep them afloat, right?