Atheism Stack Exchange Archive

What are the most recent studies showing about the Shroud of Turin?

posted by: Misterer on 2011-01-15
tagged: shroud-of-turin
score: 1

I’m looking for the most recent developments in research of the Shroud of Turin. What is the current opinion about its origin in the scientific community? It seems that opinions are extremely fragmented. The carbon dating seems to be very debatable, too.

I am not religious, but I must admit that it is suprising that in the age of fantastic scientific achievements no group of scientists has any solid explanation of the properties of a piece of cloth. How hard can it be? Because of that, I hear christians claiming the shroud to be an important artifact that supports their faith.

Any information regarding this would be very welcome.

Answer 2210

posted by: Sklivvz on 2011-01-15
score: 4

The shroud of Turin is a fake. People still have doubts because the church has no interest in dispelling the myths regarding it - but from a scientific standpoint it’s a solved case.

There have been multiple scientific and historical studies regarding it and they all concluded that it is of Medieval origin.

It has been carbon dated to the Middle Ages by three distinct labs of international fame. Both the cloth parts and the labs have been chosen by the church and worked blindly. They all agreed to date the cloth to the XIV century. This is consistent with the first known historical records of the shroud.
We have historical documents signed by popes and bishops that denounce the shroud as a fake (also from the same historical period), see here.
The shroud has been reproduced using tools available at the time (multiple times).

You can read this page as well (in Italian, sorry) about the shroud by the CICAP - an Italian skeptic think tank, similar to the James Randi Educational Foundation.

Besides all these facts - do consider one thing: if there was any convincing proof of the authenticity of the shroud, you would have heard by now.

What counts is not what sounds plausible, not what we would like to believe, not what one or two witnesses claim, but only what is supported by hard evidence rigorously and skeptically examined. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

– Carl Sagan

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