Foundation for Thought and Ethics

The Foundation for Thought and Ethics (FTE) was a Christian non-profit organization[1] based in Richardson, Texas, that published textbooks and articles promoting the pseudoscientific principle of intelligent design, abstinence, and Christian nationalism. In addition, the foundation's officers and editors were some of the leading proponents of intelligent design. The FTE had close associations with the Discovery Institute, hub of the intelligent design movement and other religious Christian groups. The FTE operated from 1981 to 2016.[2][3][4] Foundation for Thought and Ethics Books is now listed as an imprint of Discovery Institute Press.[2]

The FTE is best known for publishing Of Pandas and People, an attempt to introduce creationism into public school science classrooms by raising questions about evolution while presenting intelligent design as an alternative. The book played a significant part in the court case Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, known as the 'Dover Trial,' the first direct challenge brought in United States federal courts against a public school district which tried to mandate the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution.[5]

While FTE did not become a party, Jon A. Buell, the president of FTE testified on July 14, 2005 at the Dover pretrial hearings. Buell denied having known about actions of the Thomas More Law Center to which the Judge said it "strains credulity."[1] In the case, the plaintiffs successfully argued that intelligent design was a form of creationism, and thus it was ruled unconstitutional.

Mission

The foundation described its mission on its website as:

"The purpose of FTE is to restore the freedom to know to young people, especially in matters of worldview, morality, and conscience, and to return the right of informed consent to families in the education of their children."[6]

A previous statement described the foundation's mission as "proclaiming, publishing, preaching [and] teaching…the Christian Gospel and understanding of the Bible and the light it sheds on the academic and social issues of the day."[7][8]

In its publication The Foundation of Rationale, written in 1983 by Charles B. Thaxton and Jon A. Buell, the FTE argued not only that creationism should be taught, but also that teaching evolution undermined the moral values and the religious beliefs of young students:

"Many of the same Christian parents, however, are not concerned about the teaching of evolution in public schools. Falling SAT scores and increasing drug abuse, violence, abortion, and homosexual activity are the concerns of these parents. 'Why the fuss about creation being taught in public schools anyway?' they ask. As we shall show, there line of reasoning which usually lies hidden when either the subject of origins or morality is discussed, but which actually ties the two concerns together. Once this reasoning is understood it becomes evident that not only does the exclusive teaching of evolution encourage our children's rejection of Judeo-Christian morality, but it also prepares young minds for the reception of religious view which these same parents find unacceptable."[9]

Critics argue the foundations publications are vehicles to promote Christian faith through veiled wording.[7][8]

Organization, funding, and revenues

The foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headed by Jon A. Buell, its founder and President. Former intelligent design proponent and Discovery Institute Senior Fellow William A. Dembski has served as the foundation's Academic Editor.

According to the foundation's 2004 federal tax filing, the majority of the foundation's income, $382,865, was in the form of donations, "direct public support," with sales of textbooks and video tapes providing $23,539 of net income.

Publications

  • Cole DD, Duran MG. Sex and Character. 1998: Haughton publishing Company, ISBN 0-914513-50-8.
  • Amos G, Gardiner R. Never Before In History. 1998: Haughton Publishing Company, ISBN 0-914513-51-6.
  • Davis P, Kenyon DH, Thaxton CB. Of Pandas and People 1999; Haughton Publishing Company, 4th ed. ( ISBN 0-914513-40-0).
  • Phillip E. Johnson. Darwinism: Science or Philosophy?, July 1994, ISBN 0-9642104-0-1
  • William A. Dembski, Jonathan Wells, The Design of Life (third edition of Of Pandas and People), November 19, 2007, ISBN 0-9800213-0-8
  • David K. DeWolf, Stephen C. Meyer, and Mark E. DeForrest. Intelligent Design in Public School Science Curriculum: A Legal Guidebook. Foundation for Thought and Ethics, 1999. ISBN 0-9642104-1-X

References

  1. 1 2 Kitzmiller v. Dover: July 14 Hearing: Jon A. Buell
  2. 1 2 "Foundation for Thought & Ethics – Discovery Institute Press". www.discoveryinstitutepress.com. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  3. ↑ "Foundation for Thought and Ethics - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  4. ↑ "Foundation For Thought & Ethics finacial report for 2011-2015". missionandvision.org. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  5. ↑ Goodstein, Laurie. "A Web of Faith, Law and Science in Evolution Suit". Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  6. ↑ About FTE Archived 2008-07-27 at the Wayback Machine., Foundation for Thought and Ethics, accessed January 28, 2007.
  7. 1 2 "The Foundation for Thought and Ethics". NCSE. 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  8. 1 2 Chryssides, George D. (2010-06-01). Christianity Today: An Introduction. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781441101068.
  9. ↑ Forrest, Barbara (July 2005). "Supplement to Expert Witness Report : Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District" (PDF). NCSE. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.