Red cross - now religiously neutral

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by Zephyr, Jun 22, 2006.

  1. Zephyr Humans are ONE Registered Senior Member

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    It all started off with the reversal of the Swiss flag: the red cross on a white background. This was seen as a religious symbol by many, though - in particular Islamic countries said it reminded them of the crusaders and used a red crescent instead. These two symbols became internationally recognised as providing protection for personnel under the Geneva conventions.

    But although Christianity and Islam the world's two most popular religions, there were parties who didn't like either symbol. One such was Israel, where medical rescue groups used a red star of David. The symbol never became officially recognised, though, because (1) the red cross association feared that proliferation of symbols would make them more difficult to remember, and adding any symbol would create a precedent which could lead to hundreds more being requested by countries with different religions/ideologies and (2) because Arab states would be insulted by their enemy's national symbol receiving such recognition.

    So the association cut through the mess by introducing a third, last, neutral symbol: the red crystal, or red-square-rotated-45-degrees as it isn't generally known. Like the others, this symbol provides protection internationally, and within their borders, any country is free to place their own symbols inside the crystal.


    Now that this option is available, do you think that countries which have separation between religion and state should adopt it instead of the cross or crescent?


    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5104680.stm
     
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  3. PsychoticEpisode It is very dry in here today Valued Senior Member

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    Does a person dying in a field hospital who is in need of blood really give a shit about the religious orientation of the donor? Apparently so. If changing a symbol protects the Red Cross worker then who cares if they put Porky Pig's mug on the flag. Another example of religious insanity.
     
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  5. Killjoy Propelling The Farce!! Valued Senior Member

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    Oy !
    Can't use a pig... you'd get both the Jews and the Muslim's riled up. They might think you're slipping 'em some bacon grease in with that bag O' plasma...
    LoL

    Seriously, if the symbol matters so much to people, might as well indulge their idiocy and just make this "Red Crystal" the symbol for the whole shebang and get on with it.
     
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  7. (Q) Encephaloid Martini Valued Senior Member

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    Once again, the ignorance and intolerance of religion rears its ugly head to yet further make mankind look the fools.
     
  8. PsychoticEpisode It is very dry in here today Valued Senior Member

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    How silly of me. No cow images in India or vampire bats in Transylvania I would guess also.

    Who really spawned this politically correct generation? Religious freaks, political interest groups or lawyers?
     
  9. Zephyr Humans are ONE Registered Senior Member

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    Exactly. It might have been easier if they'd done that right at the start instead of adding the red crescent and thereby creating a precedent, but at least the crystal is a way to stop India from asking for a red swastika, etc etc...

    (Apparently the crystal is similar to some Nordic rune, but that's only religiously significant to small pagan groups, which almost nobody knows about

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  10. Diogenes' Dog Subvert the dominant cliche... Registered Senior Member

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    A caduceus would be better than a 'crystal' IMHO. You know - the snake wrapped around a winged staff thingy
     

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