I confess that I am not sure what the make of the Shroud of Turin.1 I find it fascinating, but haven't taken enough time to evaluate the evidence to come to an informed conclusion.2 However, I did find this discussion between Jeremiah Johnston of the Christian Thinkers Society and the Shroud of Turin Research Project’s Dr. Joseph S. Accetta to be very informative. This was a very respectful exchange that helped me understand some of the evidence for the Shroud's authenticity and why some are hesitate to conclude that the burial cloth of Christ has been found.
Later in the discussion, "The Thinking Atheist" Seth Andrews joined the discussion, although I'm not sure why. Andrews clearly knew little about the Shroud and only succeeded in trotting out village atheist type objections to Christianity that could be easily answered by a basic level apologetics text. I love listening to people who disagree with me. I typically learn more in that manner. But Andrews' sophomoric objections were disappointing to say the least and his presence only served to distract from the central question being discussed - Is the Shroud of Turin the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth?3
All in all, this was a great discussion and credit to Piers Morgan for hosting it.
Let us know what you thought about the discussion in the comments below!
Courage and Godspeed,
Let us know what you thought about the discussion in the comments below!
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Footnote;
1. For those unfamiliar with the Shroud, the video description offers the following helpful summary:
"The Shroud of Turin is one of the most studied and debated religious artifacts in human history. The 14-foot linen cloth bears the image of a bearded man, leading many Christians to believe it lay on top of the body of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion; it has the likeness, the contours and the wound marks to match."2. I confess this is partly because I don't believe I need the Shroud to be authentic to make a case for Christianity. However, that doesn't mean it isn't fascinating to learn about it!
3. Some may read my comments here as harsh, but I assure you, they are not meant to be. I am merely trying to offer an honest assessment. Anyone who strives to understand and fairly represent the arguments for and against Christianity can easily tell when someone is honestly trying to. understand an issue or whether someone is trying to score cheap debate points. I will let listeners make their own assessment, but I think the latter was true of Andrews. Surely his criticisms were favorable to those who already in Andrews' atheist bubble, but I highly doubt that they would reach beyond that audience.
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