Texas Freedom Network

The Texas Freedom Network (TFN) is a Texas organization which describes its goals as protecting religious freedom, defending civil liberties, and strengthening public schools in the state. It works to counter the activities of the Christian right.[1] Founded in 1996 by Cecile Richards, the daughter of former Governor Ann W. Richards.[2] the group had 19,000 members by 2004.[3]

Texas Freedom Network
AbbreviationTFN
Formation1995
TypeNon-profit
Legal status501(c)4 Educational Organization
PurposeReligious Freedom, Civil Liberties
HeadquartersAustin, TX
Region served
Texas
Membership
19,000 members
President/Executive Director
Kathy Miller
AffiliationsTexas Freedom Network Education Fund
Website

Leadership and direction

Under Richards, the organization focused mainly on education, but under the leadership of Samantha Smoot (1998-2004) it broadened its focus to include hate crimes and gay rights.[3] As of February 2009, Kathy Miller is the president.[4]

The TFN has opposed the attempts of Don McLeroy and other religious conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education to mandate that Texas high schools offer Bible classes and change history textbook standards, arguing that many of the proposed changes violate religious freedom and the separation of church and state.[5] TFN has also closely followed the activities of the Board of Education and activists on other education issues, such as the teaching of evolution in public schools.[6]

Bible study curricula

In 2005 TFN criticized the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools curriculum for promoting a fundamentalist Christian view and violating religious freedom. It commissioned a report by Southern Methodist University biblical scholar Mark A. Chancey,[7] which found:

a blatant sectarian bias, distortions of history and science, numerous factual errors, poor sourcing reveal a curriculum that is clearly inappropriate for the 1,000 public schools the NCBCPS claims use its materials.[8]

Evolution curricula
See also: Strengths and weaknesses of evolution

In a survey commissioned by TFN, "94% of Texas scientists indicated that claimed "weaknesses" of evolution are not valid scientific objections to evolution (with 87% saying that they "strongly disagree" that such weaknesses should be considered valid)."[9]

Other issues
  • In February 2009 a TFN-funded study conducted by two Texas State University researchers, titled Just Say Don't Know: Sexuality Education in Texas Public Schools found that in many cases, students are given misleading and inaccurate information about the risks associated with sex.[4]
gollark: I mean this semiunironically. It is *already* possible to generate fairly artistic images automatically via CLIP+VQGAN and similar things. This will only improve over time. Because people often like knowing that people went to some effort to make a thing, though (see handmade goods, etc.) there will probably be demand for human art anyway.
gollark: You are MUCH like Intel's flagship Xeon Platinum 8380 "Ice Lake" 2P server configuration.
gollark: Art will be automated in 10 years anyway.
gollark: If no moon is detected in 24 hours of scanning, it is deemed not there.
gollark: This would work by using shodan and/or scanning the entire IP address space for IP cameras, then looking for the moon in their feeds.

References
  1. Rozell, Mark (1997). God at the Grass Roots, 1996. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 45–46. ISBN 0-8476-8611-6.
  2. Green, John (2000). Prayers in the Precincts. Washington: Georgetown University Press. p. 53. ISBN 0-87840-775-8.
  3. Smoot Steps Down, Rachel Proctor May, The Austin Chronicle, October 15, 2004
  4. Study: Texas schools flunking sex ed, Laura Heinauer, Salt Lake City Tribune, 25 February 2009
  5. "Watchdog group attacks school Bible study". USA Today. 2005-08-01. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  6. Brick, Michael (2009-03-27). "Defeat and Some Success for Texas Evolution Foes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  7. Watchdog group attacks school Bible study, USA Today
  8. The Bible and Public Schools: Report on the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools Mark A. Chancey
  9. EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM & PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Surveying What Texas Scientists Think about Educating Our Kids in the 21st Century, Texas Freedom Network
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