The International Committee of the Red Cross is Occult and Esoteric

Background:Some websites suggest that the Red Cross is an occult organization, and the Red Cross magazine briefly mentions such a story about its founder.[1] I anticipate the debate to have a sense of humor.Disclaimer:I like the Red Cross and appreciate its work, and the discussion is meant for amusement and debating on DEBATE.org.Definitions:"Occult" here means esoteric and foreign to mainstream religions like mainstream Christianity or Judaism.Occult: mystical, magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena, as in "a society to study alchemy"Synonyms: magic, sorcery, wizardry, white magic, mysticismMainstream religions include: Catholicism, Lutheranism, Conservative JudaismEsoteric religions and organizations include: TheosophyThe "Red Cross" refers to the IFRC and its subsidiaries such as the Irish Red Cross.The Red Cross's logo is: Rules:1. I am arguing against the proposition that the Red Cross organization is esoteric, while my opponent is arguing in favor of the proposition.2. Please do not use tricky wordplay with the terms above.3. In the first round I will say why I do not believe the Red Cross is esoteric, and debunk the claims that it is.4. In the first round my contender will accept the debate, can give an introduction of why he/she accepted the debate, and explain why he/she believes the proposition.I begin the first round:The Red Cross is not officially recognized as an occult organization, nor does it present itself as one, nor is it recognized as one by fraternal organizations.The Christian Heritage Fellowship explains that the Red Cross was founded based on the Christian beliefs of its founder, Henry Dunant, to help people.[2]A Masonic site says that in "Un Souvenir de Solférino..., he proposed... voluntary relief societies for the prevention and alleviation of suffering in war and peacetime, without distinction of race or creed."[3] It's true that Masons allow members regardless of creed, and that putting societies beyond religion was an idea of the Enlightenment era, however Christianity has taught to help people regardless of background since Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan. If Masons were to help people regardless of creed, it would be to their credit, however it would not be unique to their society alone. Thus, the Red Cross's founding principle is a universal, humanitarian ideal.There is certainly no serious evidence of the Red Cross performing rituals or having religious doctrines, either. All of the above shows the Red Cross to be basically a humanitarian organization that does not discriminate against members of various religions.It's true that a Masonic website says: "Dunant was a freemason, an organization whose roots are found in the history of the Knights Templar. The red cross was the symbol of the Templars… His birthday, May 8, is celebrated as World Red Cross... Day."[4] A biographical site adds: "Henry Dunant is... suspected of being a freemason and a homosexual. As a result, he has to flee to Paris, where he... helps the president of the French Red Cross, Count Emmanuel de Flavigny".[5]However, the modern-day president of the Dunant society, Roger Durand answered in a Red Cross interview: Dunant had a love affair - as moving as it was mysterious - with Léonie Kastner, the widow of a French composer. His homosexuality is a hypothesis that can neither be confirmed nor denied. One thing is certain: in 19th-century Geneva homosexuality was regarded as a huge handicap and was therefore never openly acknowledged. That being said, a man's greatness is not measured according to his sexual orientation! Dunant is often labelled as a Freemason. Is it true? In all likelihood it is just a myth. In any event, no Masonic lodge has ever claimed him as a member.[1] So according to a scholarly authority, his membership is likely a myth. Further, the fact that his alleged sexuality and his membership are mentioned in the same passage does not mean there is a connection between the two either.The Secret Dictionary claims: The Red Cross was founded by Henry Dunant... supposedly in response to the Austro-Sardinian war. He witnessed the war first-hand on… you guessed it 24th June – St John the Baptist’s Day. [T]he Templars’ sister order, The Knight’s Hospitaler, were also known as the Knights of St John.[6] Well, No, I didn't guess it. It's true that Masonic lodges are often dedicated to St. John, but it is far too weak a coincidence to propose that the battle was on that date and that Dunant would go see the battle on the date in order to start a charity based on a society whose saint belonged to that date.The American Red Cross, a subsidiary of the IFRC, was founded by Clara Barton, a kind woman. She wanted to provide for the wounded on the battlefields, but as a woman, she was afraid. Her father alleviated her fears and she later confided, “As... the daughter of an accepted Mason, he bade me seek and comfort the afflicted everywhere"... Stephen Barton presented his daughter his gold Masonic emblem, asserting that she was to wear it.[7] According to the Masonic Voice-Review, She was a member of many orders and societies… The Order of the Eastern Star [was] very dear to Miss Barton. One of the most thrifty vines of fraternal life in all the land of the Pilgrims is 'Clara Barton Chapter No. 63 Order of the Eastern Star' of Oxford, Mass... Miss Barton comes from a family of Masons 'I saw Masonry's lasting virtues upon the battlefields.' said Miss Barton...[8] However, the fact that she was affiliated with the Masonic Eastern Star did not mean that the organization she founded itself was. Further, her admirable goal of aiding the wounded is hardly unique to esotericism.On another note, Manuel Juncos the founder of the Puerto Rican Red Cross is listed as a Mason in The Everything Freemasons Book.[9] However, Puerto Rico is a small country and is not necessarily representative of the rest of the world.To sum up the backgrounds of these three main figures, a scholarly authority on Dunant considers it unlikely he was a Mason as some rumors say, and while Barton and Juncos were, and a founder’s own background need not define that of an organization that he/she founded. Besides, membership in fraternal organizations was more common in those days Further, the symbol of a red cross does not have an inherently occult meaning. Pope Urban II’s declaration in 1094 was one of the first recorded uses of it: "wear it, a red, a bloody cross, as an external mark, on your breasts or shoulders".[10] This reflected the use of it as a symbol of martyrdom to the Crusaders. The red cross was also used in the flag of Georgia in the Caucuses mountains and that of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which survives today as a major mainstream monastic order in Palestine.In particular, the Knights Templar adopted the Red Cross on a white background as their Crusader symbol in the 12th century. The Templars, like the Knights Hospitaler from whom comes the word “hospital”, were dedicated in part to giving aid to pilgrims to the Holy Land.One website that attempts to connect the Red Cross charity to the Templars claims: The Red Cross & St Johns are throwbacks to Knights Hospitalers, Knights of St John ([who use a red] Maltese Cross) and the Knights Templar (Red and white Flag/Cross of England). The modern units of St Johns and The Red Cross are benevolent organisations. For example, they are charities…, they carry out medical and practical help, food supplies and so on around the world. However, they use old occult symbols, as their logos. The Knights Hospitalers, Knights of St John, were perhaps the most 'charitable/occult religious' in the first place. It is suggested that another group - the Knights Templar, however were specifically set up and used as a front. Templar Knights (a charity) operated inside the Catholic Church (charity), mainly using it to front corrupt business activities. An early form of protection racket, if you like - and also to hide their occult religion. Their main purpose that they was to supposed to carry out - was guarding pilgrims routes to holy lands.[11] On the contrary, a connection between the charity work of the Red Cross and the Knights Templar is difficult to show. The Red Cross was founded over 500 years after the end of the Knights Templar in the early 14th century. The fact that they both use a red cross does not mean that the Red Cross charity chose their symbol directly from the Templars, just as the fact that they both performed charity work does not mean that the Red Cross decided to do charity work based on the fact that the Templars did. Further, scholars frequently doubt that the Templars were occult. Although the French king accused the Templars of heresy, scholars generally consider their trial a farce and the charges against them unreliable. Even if the red cross were seen by some to be an “old occult symbol”, this does not mean that the Red Cross saw it that way when it adopted what was by the 19th century a widespread symbol, used in a number of European flags.1. christianheritagefellowship.com/the-christian-origin-of-the-red-cross2. www.myfreemasonry.com/content.php/446-Brother-Jean-Henri-Dunant3. go.masonicconnections.com/site/palatinemasons/Information/FamousMasons.aspx4. www.observatoire-humanitaire.org/fusion.php?l=GB&id=845. www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine399/31999_10.asp6. secretdictionary.blogspot.com/2007/11/red-cross.html7. www.nps.gov/clba/historyculture/upload/cbservice.pdf8. Masonic Voice, Vol 14, p.1399. John Young, The Everything Freemasons Book, p. 10410. Washington Irving, Alhambra, xliii11. secondsightmedia.blogspot.com/2011/09/occult-secret-societies-and-red-cross.html