Believers are, for the most part, quite equitable about whether or not the Shroud of Turin is the burial shroud of Christ.
Atheists, on the other hand, tend to get worked up about it. They seem almost to fear it. I am guessing that this is because they’ve got so much ego invested in their non-belief that the thought that some artifact might rattle that a bit is scary to them.
The first time I ever heard of the Shroud was when I came across a book written by a member of the scientific team which investigated it in 1978. This group is often referred to as STURP Team. The acronym stands for Shroud of Turin Research Project.
The video below is a brief reflection by one of the team members on how the investigation and its findings affected him.
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Hi Bill.
Would you agree that science is the study of the material universe?
If so, in claiming that science can tell us everything, are you not assuming that ‘all that is’ contains only matter?
Isn’t that a philosophy rather than a science?
Can you prove that only matter exists, through science?
Respect.
It seems I’m always late to these Shroud discussions, but it’s good, as always, to see it mentioned here at your blog, Rebecca! The STURP team member in the video is actually Barry Schwortz, whose story is itself very interesting. Barry was not particularly religious, or at all religious, when he was asked to be involved with the STURP team’s scientific research on the Shroud of Turin in the ’70s, but he had come from a Jewish family. He didn’t accept the Shroud as being a genuine artifact of the crucifixion of Jesus for quite a while even after the STURP research was complete, but when he did, he re-examined his own religious roots and is now a very strong Jewish advocate for the Shroud’s authenticity!
He founded and maintains the very helpful website http://www.shroud.com and runs the not-for-profit STERA.
It’s unlikely that very many people will read this note as the postings are now a few days old, which is an eternity on the Internet, but even so it is worthwhile saying that to dismiss the Shroud out of hand as it is “supernatural” seems more than a little silly, as it may well bear the crucified image of Christ without that image being either a “supernatural” byproduct of the Resurrection or a “pious fraud.” The image was, I suspect, the product of perfectly natural, if unusual circumstances. Both the image, and the survival of the cloth and image for many centuries, are hard to believe, yet are definite facts. What we do with those facts, what consequence they have on our brains, our souls, and are lives, is in great part up to us. Sometimes it’s easier to shut down in the face of that, but what a shame.
Fallacy, “That is exactly why I rely on science and not non-self correcting sources like scripture, dogma, doctrines, etc”
Then you say, “I maintain that it doesn’t exist and I am willing to be wrong about it without worrying about dire consequences that others fear.”
You said you rely on Science, yet believe Supernatural “doesn’t exist”,
Where does Science say Supernatural Doesn’t exist?
Science has refuted the fourteenth century hypothesis, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/shroud-of-turin-real-jesus_n_2971850.html
Then this is blind faith and not Science, I take science over faith, Science says YHWH exists, I believe it.