The founder of the controversial Ark Encounter attraction in Kentucky has called on Christians to 'take back the rainbow' from LGBT people as a Christian symbol – and the massive structure is to be lit up every night in rainbow colours.

The rainbow flag has been used as a symbol of the gay pride movement since 1978. However, Ken Ham, whose Answers in Genesis organisation is devoted to promoting Youth Earth Creationism and combating what he believes is the false teaching of evolution, said in a Facebook post yesterday: 'We now have new permanent rainbow lights at the Ark Encounter so all can see that it is God's rainbow and He determines its meaning in Genesis 6.

'The rainbow is a reminder God will never again judge the wickedness of man with a global Flood – next time the world will be judged by fire.

'The Ark is lit permanently at night with a rainbow to remind the world that God owns it and He decreed it's a sign of His covenant with man after the Flood—Christians need to take back the rainbow as we do at the Ark Encounter.'

The Ark Encounter attraction is 500 feet long and is the centrepiece of the theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky. Though dinosaurs died out millions of years ago, the attraction shows dinosaurs in cages on the ark, as Answers in Genesis teaches they survived into historical times.