Fred Barton: Intelligent design group is just a religious front
Fred Barton has a letter published in the Lansing State Journal
Fred Barton: wrote:
“Like every other man of intelligence and education, I do believe in organic evolution. It surprises me that at this late date such questions should be raised.”
- former President Woodrow Wilson, 1922
Imagine how surprised he would be today. Since last November, the National Center for Science Education has tracked 78 challenges to the teaching of evolution across 37 states. Recently, President Bush said, “Schools should discuss ‘intelligent design’ alongside evolution when teaching students about the creation of life.”
At the center of the debate over teaching intelligent design is the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank started in Seattle whose rallying cry is “Teach the controversy.” Unfortunately, the only “controversy” is the one created by the institute to attract the attention of the press and general public.
Fred provides some interesting details about the funding of the DI. I found that the original source of this information is a NY Times article titled “Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive”
Fred Barton wrote:
Evidence from tax forms shows the Discovery Institute received grants and gifts totaling $4.1 million in 2003 from 22 foundations, at least two-thirds of which had primarily religious missions.
“We give for religious purposes,” said Thomas McCallie, executive director of the Ahmansons’ Foundation. “This is not about science. Darwin was about a metaphysical view of the world.”
The Ahmansons’ foundation has provided 35 percent of the Discovery Institute’s funding since it started and now gives in excess of $350,000 a year.
The Stewardship Foundation - whose mission statement reads “to contribute to the propagation of the Christian gospel by evangelical missionary work” - gave the institute $1 million over four years.
Other funding came from organizations such as the Henry P. and Susan C. Crowell Trust whose mission is “the teaching and active extension of the Doctrines of Evangelical Christianity.”
Representatives of the Discovery Institute say that too much attention is focused on their funders and not enough on the “evidence” they provide to support intelligent design. Yet the “Wedge Document” explains that intelligent design is only a means to an end. It says, “Design theory promises to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist world view, and to replace it with science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions.”
There seems to be need for a minor correction: Fred Barton reports
“We give for religious purposes,” said Thomas McCallie, executive director of the Ahmansons’ Foundation. “This is not about science. Darwin was about a metaphysical view of the world.”
Thomas McCallie is Executive Vice-President of Strategic Initiatives of the Maclellan Foundation
The origin of the confusion? The original NY Times article mentioned
The Ahmansons’ founding gift was joined by $450,000 from the MacLellan Foundation, based in Chattanooga, Tenn.
“We give for religious purposes,” said Thomas H. McCallie III, its executive director. “This is not about science, and Darwin wasn’t about science. Darwin was about a metaphysical view of the world.”