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

Objective History

Science is not the only field of study in which we find this type of problem in the classroom. Objective history challenges scripture as history. It raises serious questions about early church history and cherished beliefs about our religious traditions. My sympathy lies with the teacher. His job is not easy in a secular school system populated with students from a rich cultural mix of religious beliefs. But the difficulty that Molly was having with her teacher was not of this sort. The shroud may have figured into her religious beliefs—I honestly don’t know for she didn’t tell me. But that was not the issue she was raising. She was arguing that new scientific evidence challenged an earlier scientific conclusion. “Science,” wrote biochemist Émile Duclaux (1840-1904), over a century ago, is “a series of judgments, revised without ceasing.” History bears that out. Molly knew that.