Why an Atheist Thinks the Shroud of Turin is the Real Deal

Fluffy Shaped Sponge?

People have seen coins over the eyes; and not just coins but enough details to identify them as specific coins minted by Romans for Jewish use around the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. People have identified flowers and plants that are specific to the environs of Jerusalem. The list of things seen goes on and on. There are, supposedly, a hammer, a nail, a fluffy shaped sponge tied to a reed, a coil of rope, a pair of dice and part of a plaque with enough lettering in Greek, Latin and possibly Hebrew to identify it as saying, “Jesus of Nazareth.” But are these things really imaged on the cloth? Are there criteria for deciding?

Consensus among people who closely study the images is valid so long as that study is as completely objective as possible. Worldview nullification must be avoided at all cost. It is not proper to reject these images because you don’t believe the shroud is real. But it is fair to be skeptical, as in the case of the teeth (and for that matter the nail and lettering and other objects) because there is identifiable noise such as the banding.

It is my general impression that among most shroud researchers, but not all, that:

·         The evidence of scourging seen as various types of wounds is medically accurate and extraordinarily realistic. Those images are certainly there.

·         Many, if not most, and perhaps all objects are unconfirmed, unsubstantiated or suspect images; possibly pareidolia.

In the end, or sometime sooner or later, Frei’s work may be proven right after all, at least enough so to confirm the cloth’s journey from Jerusalem to Constantinople through the Anatolia. For now we must look at other evidence.