Who Sponsors Peaceful Science?

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

A question came up about my funding to participate in the AAAS Science for Seminaries program. I am including it on this thread to keep questions along these lines in one place.

@swamidass

While I am not oppose for Dr. Swamidass to do science out reaches at Christian schools, him taking Templeton funding via AAAS can be problematic.

I want to be clear about this, I did not take Templeton funding to do this. I received two or three very small honorariums that might trace funds back to Templeton. If there is a true conflict of interest here, I would gladly return these checks. I do not however believe there was a conflict.

One of the entertaining ironies of this situation is that Coyne and @patrick might have found common ground with Ken Ham on this one. He too was very concerned with Templeton funding collaboration between scientists and seminaries.

@Patrick

For full disclosure, please list dates, amounts, and source of the honorariums that you accepted. Thank you.

@swamidass

This was years ago, and I do not have records. My recollection is that this was less than $1000 total, if even that. I’m not even sure if this was from Concordia or AAAS. The number from AAAS might have been zero.

The more central point is that I received zero funding for this effort. Small honorariums do not count as funding.

@Patrick

Thank you for your openness and honesty.

[Patrick]

@swamidass

This was years ago, and I do not have records.

I hope you included these honorariums on your taxes those years.

[Patrick]

@swamidass

Small honorariums do not count as funding.

They certainly count as income.

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@Patrick

This was years ago, and I do not have records.

I hope you included these honorariums on your taxes those years.

@Patrick

Small honorariums do not count as funding.

They certainly count as income.

Of course I included them on my taxes.

[Patrick]

@swamidass

Of course I included them on my taxes.

Well then it is a simple matter to look up the records as you (or your accountant) should have kept a copy. But no matter, it seems like it was just a small trival amount and you claimed it to the IRS.