What is the Shroud of Turin? What does it mean? Photographer Barrie Schwortz of STURP (Shroud of Turin Research Project) describes the Shroud as "religion and science living on the same piece of cloth." And he should know; Schwortz spent five days in 1978 working as a principal photographer documenting the efforts as part of the Shroud of Turin Research Project that was led by physicist John Jackson, who worked for NASA in the 1970s. When Jackson ran a photograph of the Shroud of Turin through a VP-8 digital analyzer (a specialized computer typically used to map three dimensional simulation models from two dimensional images) at NASA, the remarkable result of his experiment led to the commission of the STURP (Shroud of Turin Research Project) team. Jackson's test culled a three dimensional image from the two dimensional photograph...and no other painting or work of art has ever reproduced such a phenomenon. Only photographs of three dimensional objects can produce that same effect. The test result clearly indicated that the fabric had once been used to wrap a three dimensional object, which in this case was the dead body of a human being, believed to be none other than Jesus, the Christ. No matter what else might be said or written, this religious artifact will always have doubts about it veracity and authenticity due to the lack of a clear chain of custody and the now controversial results of carbon dating tests. Like any other religious artifact, the fact that it exists cannot be offered as irrefutably proof of the existence of God, because proof does not … [Read more...]
The real face of Jesus, part 1
Not that long ago the History Channel featured a phenomenal two hour special titled "The Real Face of Jesus". The program provided new and extensive details about a scientific study of the Shroud of Turin, plus information about alleged corroborating evidence, and an attempt to reconstruct the facial image from the shroud by an expert at producing accurate and lifelike death masks. Of course, skeptics have argued that experiments have proved that the image on the shroud can be produced by artificial means, but scientific evidence rebuts their claims -- these experiments might create an image that superficially resembles the image on the shroud, but not with all of the unique characteristics of it. Carbon-14 dating allegedly dated the material of the shroud as being between than 1260-1390 A. D., but scientists from the STURP team have subsequently invalidated their own findings. Over the years, the Shroud has been handled, lost, burned, hidden, and taken as plunder in the course of its known history. The chain of ownership is consistent after the date provided via Carbon-14 dating, but a history of an alleged burial shroud for Christ existed from the first century A.D., with a miraculous healing of King Agar V. Some people question whether or not Jesus actually existed, but as the Catholic priest Father Jonathan Morris has said about Jesus, "We don't believe in an idea. We believe in a man." If Jesus the human existed, as the Bible and history indicates, and if the story of his crucifixion are accurate, the man suffered horrific injuries and inconceivable … [Read more...]
Failure to communicate
I'm perfectly capable of having a polite yet spirited conversation with anyone about virtually any subject. I find the discussion tends to be far more interesting when two people seek common ground while exploring theoretical areas of disagreement. The potential to learn something new is far greater as ideas are freely exchanged, not banter dominated by memorized talking points that originated in some book written by somebody else. I write my own books. But it takes two to tango, as they say. Truly scintillating conversation ultimately depends on having a willing and worthy adversary for a vigorous debate. In any debate of interest both participants will clearly articulate their thoughts that have been steeped in logic and reason, without making appeals to emotion or resorting to regurgitated group-think. Both participants in an intellectual discussion must carefully listen to the opposition's point-of-view and make a serious attempt to understand it, if they hope to respond with cogent and effective rebuttal arguments. The problem is that in modern society, most people simply assume what another person thinks based on some preconceived label and would rather demonize and demagogue than persuade their opposition. Mere disagreement frequently inspires fits of apoplectic rage, and sometimes, even violence. Don't believe me? Just look at what's happened with the Berkeley riots. Interestingly, a college professor at Fresno State has also asserted that "college campuses are not free speech areas." The special snowflakes are encouraged to report their fellow students for … [Read more...]
The historicity of Jesus
[This debate will apparently never end because of the writings of "unorthodox" researchers and scholars like Richard Carrier or Acharya S. But it should be over, because the argument is largely a waste of time.] A friend once wrote me to say, "I can truly respect the teachings and philosophy of Jesus (whether he was a real person or not) of love, forgiveness, and loving your enemy." At the time I wondered why my friend doubted that Jesus had been a real person, but that was before I'd become familiar with movies like Zeitgeist, or historians such as Richard Carrier, who claims that Jesus was merely a mythological figure, not a real human being, nor God. Of course, I once had my own doubts about the exact same question…but that’s another story, my road to faith. To dispel any beliefs that Jesus never existed, it is only necessary to understand what I currently know. The Roman scribe Tacitus once wrote, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude … [Read more...]
G-Day 2017
Okay, I'm seriously bummed out -- due to a scheduling conflict and a prior commitment, I cannot attend the G-Day game in person this coming Saturday. I need someone to pick up my slack and be there in my place. Therefore, I'm asking for all my fellow members of the Dawg Nation to make sure my seat isn't empty at noon for the kickoff on Saturday. We need another 93,000 fans to jam pack Sanford Stadium, just like last year. Anything less would be a letdown after the turnout for the game last year. This needs to become a habit. Think about it this way: we don't want coaches like Urban Meyer to be able to negatively recruit players from our state by telling them we're only fair-weather fans. If teleportation had already been invented by now, I'd be right there in Athens with you. Only impossible logistics for this coming Saturday could keep me away. So now, without further ado, here are my Top Ten Reasons to be at the game in person this Saturday: Reason #10: Go because your visit to campus will provide an opportunity to check out the new indoor practice facility. Confirm with your own eyes that your donation money has been well spent. Reason #9: Go because you can watch UGA football in person, free admission. Reason #8: Free parking, too. My spot will be available, just like my seat. Reason #7: Go because no matter how good or bad we look as a team, our Bulldogs will win the game. Guaranteed. When have you ever been guaranteed victory before? Reason #6: Go because our players have asked us to be there. I'll be there in spirit, and watching on … [Read more...]
