Posted on 03/15/2002 6:57:35 AM PST by OPS4
WHISTLEBLOWER MAGAZINE Evidence of the risen Christ? Special Easter report sheds new light on reputed burial cloths of Jesus
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: March 12, 2002 1:08 p.m. Eastern
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
The March edition of WND's acclaimed monthly magazine, Whistleblower concludes with an in-depth and stunning report on the Shroud of Turin – the 14-foot-long piece of linen believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth.
The most studied artifact in human history, the image of a crucified man mysteriously emblazoned upon it – in a way modern technology has been unable to duplicate – is breathtaking.
Experts – the gurus of science and medicine, the professors of history and art – cannot agree on the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. Skeptics have tried, unsuccessfully, to recreate the image they insist is a “pious fake.” Most who reject the Shroud put their faith in the carbon-14 testing results that date the linen as from the 14th century. Others respond that the storage conditions over the years and at least one fire forestall any accurate dating using carbon-14 tests.
Believers point to the growing body of scientific and historical evidence that bolster the authenticity of the Shroud.
How, ask Shroud supporters, is it possible that a clever fake shroud could be made in the 1300s as a perfect photographic negative that would not be properly “seen” until modern photography was invented? And what of the incredible fact that the fabric areas on the Shroud where the image is contained are only one fiber deep? No paint or stain would remain on the top surface of the first layer of the fibrils.
And how was a fraudulent relic-monger to know the medical truths that recent medical science has just learned? The medical details of crucifixion are so complex that no modern artist has – and no medieval artist could have – duplicated the precise geometry of the body in extremis.
And most compelling, why has no copy been achieved, given the vast science and technology at our command?
Skeptics have a difficult time, say Shroud proponents, with the mounting scientific and historical corroboration that should force an open-minded investigator to reconsider his objections.
One historian of the Shroud mused, “Their refusal to believe the evidence is itself not a scientific attitude.” The real problem, claim Shroud supporters, is not that an ancient cloth that covered a crucified victim still exists after two thousand years. Said one researcher: “Do you think that if the ancient burial sheet of a sandal maker had been discovered with a scroll that read, ‘here lies Benjamin the Sandal Maker,’ that the scientific world fall all over itself to prove that it could not be Benjamin the Sandal Maker?”
“No. They only compromise their scientific witness because the peculiarities of the wounds of this victim reveal him to be no sandal maker, but the Son of God. If they could, they would get rid of all the physical evidence of Christianity – that Jesus lived, died and was buried. And then Christians would have nothing to believe in. Then, after two thousand years, Christians would finally die out.”
The March edition of Whistleblower is dedicated to the rampant persecution of Christians in today's world. But in honor of Easter, WND's editors included this special section on the Shroud of Turin. Titled "The first Christian martyr," this eye-opening report on the Shroud – as well as the lesser known Sudarium of Oveido, believed to be the face-cloth of the entombed Jesus – begins with the reactions of visitors who view the Shroud in person:
“You look at it and you cannot escape it: His body was horribly, horribly wounded. I choked up,” said one visitor to the millennium Shroud of Turin exhibit.
Another viewer summed up his experience, “I realized that this image is a message that was left for us. The resurrection truly happened. The man they tried to extinguish, lives. And we will too, no matter what the world tries to do to us, we will rise again with Him.”
Whistleblower's special report by Mary Jo Anderson includes five remarkable, high-quality photographs taken by Barrie M. Schwortz, a member of the historic 1978 scientific team that was allowed to examine the Shroud. One of them is the full-length negative of the Shroud that clearly reveals the detailed and deeply gripping image of a crucified man.
Wrong, my friend. It is NOT a fake. The leader of that 1978 expedition..........and still president of the Shroud of Turin Foundation, is Dr. Tom D'Muhala........who also happens to be a good friend and attends my church here in Raleigh, NC. He's a BRILLIANT scientist (physicist), and, in fact, will be giving another public presentation on the Shroud on March 27th here in Raleigh (he does these about once every year or so). It's fascinating stuff. In the past, I have posted threads on his presentations, sent videos of it to many, many FReepers around the country, etc. I will not attempt to duplicate all of that information in this reply. Suffice it to say that Tom knows what he's talking about, I know what I'm talking about, and you're dealing from extremely limited information (not a crime, mind you, but not the best of positions from which to cry "fraud", either).
Some people believe that religion - including Christianity - is about being successful at manipulating the supernatural realm. Whether it's potions, incantations, or spiritually-infused "relics", the underlying belief system is the same: having the right "stuff", or going through the right series of motions, somehow connects you to and allows you to manipulate supernatural forces.
The Shroud, real or fake, doesn't matter. The Bible isn't a magical book - it's an ethical book. Our relationship with God is based on our ethical standing before Him. No amount of relics, or icons, or potions, or incantations can change that. God is not some impersonal force that we can manipulate if we're skilled enough. The Shroud may very well be what some think it is - proof that Jesus was crucified for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father and make intercession for us daily. If it's a 13th century fake, so what?
Jesus was still crucified for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father and make intercession for us daily. Choose today whom you will serve.
Yet, although we abound in 21st century technology, we cannot duplicate this shroud.
A few years ago, four postage size samples were taken from the shroud for scientific examination. These samples were taken from areas which experienced fire damage in the 13-14th century. Seems the carbon dating would be invalid if this is the case.
We could also assume that He could just as easily confound skeptics.
‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ (Matthew 6:33)
"Once there was a change in our family situation. Our pet dog passed away and we salved our grief by acquiring a new one-a blue cattle pup. He was intelligent and very mischievous. We had a lot of fun with him. while he was small, he would amuse us by trying to catch his own tail and bite it. He would spy the tip of his tail out of the corner of his eye, and, readying himself, lunge at it, as if hunting prey. But of course, the more he pounced, the more his tail moved out of his reach. The only way a dog can really have its tail is to allow it to be an attachment to its main body. The tail comes along just fine, when it is not its owner's preoccupation."
"Jesus advises us that though there are many good and important things, only one can be most important-the kingdom of God and his righteousness. First things must come first. All of life, with its experiences, decisions and relationships, needs to be evaluated in light of the... highest ideal. When God is given pride of place, the machinery of existence operates at its best."
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