Hubris and arrogance have no limits for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine–as I have often shown. But utter cluelessness?
Anyway, here’s the story: To promote stem cell awareness, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine held a poetry contest. One of the two top winners wrote a poem using the words of Jesus at the Last Supper to apply to embryonic stem cell research:
Stem C.
This is my body
which is given for you.
But I am not great.
I have neither wealth,
nor fame, nor grace.
I cannot comfort with words,
nor inspire to march.
I am small and simple,
so leave me this.
Let me heal you.
This is my body
which is given for you.
Take this
in remembrance of me.
I don’t think you could more effectively dissuade the religious from supporting the CIRM’s work, than by awarding a first prize to this poem.
After being published online at the CIRM site, the poem–along with other winners–was removed. perhaps because the Life Legal Defense Foundation, which has clashed legally with the CIRM before, issued a press release: In place of the poems, here’s the CIRM’s apology:
CIRM recently announced two winners of the second annual poetry contest, one of which contained some religious language that is identical to liturgical language used in the context of Christian and Catholic sacraments. The language introduces a religious element that we now realize was offensive to some people. We are deeply sorry for any offense caused by the poem. Neither the author nor CIRM intended for the language to insult or offend any religious group. When CIRM recognized that the language was of concern we removed all four poems from the CIRM web site and from the Stem Cell Awareness Day web site.
Okay. That raises a question: How could they not know it would offend those people mentioned? Those are the very words used by the priest or pastor during Communion. Good grief.
So, what are we to make of awarding this a first prize? Was it an intentional slam on Christians, many of whom oppose ESCR, which the CIRM realized in retrospect would blow up in their faces? Or did they think the poem, by using the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, would somehow appeal to Christians? Or did they just think it was clever? Whatever it was the judges were thinking–they weren’t thinking. I notice they haven’t taken back the prize, just airbrushed the website, so this could lead to a very big stink.
October 10th, 2010 | 10:26 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vince Humphreys, Wesley J. Smith. Wesley J. Smith said: How to Offend 101: CIRM Awards Prize to Poem Equating ESCR Words of Jesus at the Last Supper » Sec.. http://bit.ly/aKwMNq [...]
October 11th, 2010 | 12:10 am
Wesley, my guess is, they thought that this “poem” was cute, and it backfired on them.We live in a society, where political correctness saturates almost everything. One cannot say anything, no matter how innocent, without it offending some group, but religion, especially christianity, has been exempt from this politically correct protection. Hence, this group’s willingness to allow this “poem” to win a prize.
But, fortunately, enough people complained.
Finally, the latest research, in this area, has demonstrated that the same benefits, that are derived from embryonic stem cells, can be derived from adult stem cells. Funny how we don’t hear as much now about how embryonic stem cells are going to “cure” Alzheimer’s, etc., if only those antiscience, fundamentalists, would get out of the way of “progress”.
October 11th, 2010 | 12:23 am
We should totally introduce these people to the 10:10 folks.
October 11th, 2010 | 6:23 am
Since they are apparently incapable of coherent reasoning about the nature of their business (ESCR), I would expect about the same in other areas. As far as they are concerned, religion like so many other things – are simply tools.
October 11th, 2010 | 7:44 am
Wesley “doesn’t do religion” … unless he can use it to make those he opposes look bad.
October 11th, 2010 | 10:55 am
He’s not the one using it. The CIRM is.
October 11th, 2010 | 10:56 am
Stem cell awareness day?
What about allograft appreciation week, RNAday, and nanomedicine’s eve? Don’t they deserve some verse?
October 11th, 2010 | 11:04 am
so much for not commenting on religious mythology, huh, master Smith?
no hypocrisy there, no way
the poem is quite funny, too
October 11th, 2010 | 11:23 am
bmmg39: You might have asked what the subject of Wesley’s comments has to do with the objective of this website — which he bills as “Your 24/7 Seminar on Bioethics and the Importance of Being Human.” Do you see some sort of relationship there?
October 11th, 2010 | 1:56 pm
Excuse me while I barf.
October 11th, 2010 | 1:59 pm
[...] Wesley Smith notes how one of the winners of the CA Institute of Regenerative Medicine’s stem cell poetry contest based his poem on a speech Jesus made at the Last Supper. The poems have been removed and CIRM has apologized. [...]
October 11th, 2010 | 4:35 pm
Well, y’see, what it has to do with the website is that the group is pushing embryonic stem-cell research, which is an issue debated under the category of bioethics.
See how easy that was?
October 12th, 2010 | 1:09 pm
bmmg39: so then everything they do is bad, right? I think that tried and true propaganda technique is called “poisoning the well.”
October 13th, 2010 | 12:28 am
YOUR propaganda technique is called “straw-man argument.” This post is about the CIRM’s poetry contest and the outrageous poem that was awarded first prize. Another transparent attempt by you to change the subject.
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