August 20, 2005

What is the Discovery Institute?

The NYT has looked into the backers of the Discovery Institute, which promotes Intelligent Design, and found (quel surprise!) the likes of Howard and Roberta Ahmanson, Philip F. Anschutz and Richard Mellon Scaife. Hmm. Anyone who paid attention to the backers of the VRWC during the Clinton years will recognize those names.

The institute would not provide details about its backers "because they get harassed," Mr. Chapman said. But a review of tax documents on www.guidestar.org, a Web site that collects data on foundations, showed its grants and gifts jumped to $4.1 million in 2003 from $1.4 million in 1997, the most recent and oldest years available. The records show financial support from 22 foundations, at least two-thirds of them with explicitly religious missions.

There is the Henry P. and Susan C. Crowell Trust of Colorado Springs, whose Web site describes its mission as "the teaching and active extension of the doctrines of evangelical Christianity." There is also the AMDG Foundation in Virginia, run by Mark Ryland, a Microsoft executive turned Discovery vice president: the initials stand for Ad Majorem Dei Glorium, Latin for "To the greater glory of God," which Pope John Paul II etched in the corner of all his papers.

And the Stewardship Foundation, based in Tacoma, Wash., whose Web site says it was created "to contribute to the propagation of the Christian Gospel by evangelical and missionary work," gave the group more than $1 million between 1999 and 2003.

By far the biggest backers of the intelligent design efforts are the Ahmansons, who have provided 35 percent of the science center's $9.3 million since its inception and now underwrite a quarter of its $1.3 million annual operations. Mr. Ahmanson also sits on Discovery's board.

More than that, though, the article describes the current conflict between those who believe in evolution and those who think God had a hand in earth's existence.

Why does no one ever ask these guys "who designed the designer?" Seems to me if you carry out their logic (this couldn't have happened by chance, so Somebody had a plan in mind) then by extension the Somebody should have been part of a plan as well. It's like looking into a mirror with another mirror behind you.

Posted by Linkmeister at August 20, 2005 02:33 PM | TrackBack
Comments

If they had logic, they wouldn't have come up with Intelligent Design. Trying to prove faith 'scientifically' is illogical.

Posted by: Kate at August 21, 2005 08:53 AM

Toujours la politesse, that's my attitude. ;)

Posted by: Linkmeister at August 21, 2005 09:00 AM

Howard Ahmanson was a major funder in 1996 of Prop. 209, California's anti-affirmative action initiative, FWIW. Guy gets around. Or rather his money does to wingnut causes. Some friends of mine went looking for a public venue in which to ask him some questions, but he is skitterish so hard to meet up with.

Posted by: janinsanfran at August 26, 2005 10:54 PM