Questions About
The Shroud Of Turin
Tom Jones
From: "tom jones"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Subject: shroud of turin
Date: Monday, November 20, 2000 6:01 AM
What is the latest info on the shroud of turin. I know that it was radio carbon dated as originating in the middle ages, but now some shroud researchers are claiming that the dates are wrong because the shroud was in a fire in the 15th century. They also claim to find pollen from the middle east on the shroud, as well as human blood. they also claim that the shroud shows the marks of crucifixion nails, lash marks, thorns etc and that because the shroud show nail wounds on the wrists of its image and that medieval artists always showed nail wounds on the wrists of crucifixion victims that this proves that it is genuine. They also point to the fact that no one knows how the image as proof of it's authentic. My question is this have each of these claims been addressed by skeptical shroud researchers, and how is it that different researchers get such wildly differing results i.e. one finding blood on the shroud another finding paint
From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "tom jones"
Subject: Re: shroud of turin
Date: Monday, November 20, 2000 1:41 PM
I don't pay attention to the Shroud because it's like so many of the "baby Jesus foreskins" that were floating around during the era when (obviously) this thing was manufactured. Dating it back to C.E. 33 (if they could, which I doubt) would still prove nothing, anyway; who is to say it belonged to Jesus? Even if it belonged to Jesus, who's to say who he was or what he did? It would prove nothing at all no matter how thoroughly they authenticate it.
Meanwhile, they'll always scramble to try to authenticate if not this thing then something else. Droplets of Mother Mary's milk, anyone? The beheaded body of John the Baptist? how about the head? Enough "authentic" wood from the cross to construct a good-sized building? All this and more was said to have been authenticated during the times before travel and communication allowed the various communities to compare notes -- and realize that there can be only one "baby Jesus foreskin"!
All the multiplicity of "authenticated" Jesus-foreskins shows is that people will lie in order to convince others that theirs is a religion which can endure scrutiny -- fully authenticated by their own internal authenticating committees, and to hell with what any outsiders might say!
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Five years of service to
people with no reason to believe
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