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

Paints or Dyes

Nowhere on the Shroud are there sufficient concentrations of paints or dyes to form a visible image. Iron oxide might have formed by retting flax in iron rich water in the production of linen. And just as one finds minuscule particles of iron oxide (rust) in airborne dust, so too might mercuric sulphide be present in dust that settled on the Shroud, once kept in churches and cathedrals with frescoed walls and ceilings. There is another possibility that might well explain the presence of trace amounts of paint particles on the Shroud. Many painted copies of the Shroud were produced. It was, after all, a revered relic. We know from history of a practice whereby artists would touch or rub their paintings on the Shroud for sanctification.