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

Without Precedent

Are we to imagine that a medieval craftsman knew of some method for producing the images, unknown or unrecognized by modern science? Whatever it was it seems to be without precedent in the arts, among other known relics, and among other artifacts of history. Whatever process a medieval craftsman might have used, it seems never to have been exploited since.

There is, of course, another possibility. Perhaps the crafter of relics was surprised to find images after he laid a bloody, crucified corpse onto his cloth. Perhaps, some unexplained chemical reaction occurred that formed the images. Perhaps the images were an accident in the process of forging a blood-only relic. We might think this possible, were it not for many other factors which must be considered. But first, let’s look at the prima facie case for medieval provenance.

One of the silliest arguments against the shroud’s authenticity is that the man of the shroud has blond hair and indo-European features. Hence, the shroud must be a European forgery.