The Shroud of Turin

[DaleCutler]

I don’t think it is wise for Christians to be defending the legitimacy of the shroud, for reasons similar to this:

@DaleCutler

But scientific demonstration of God’s activity might actually be counter to his purposes ( that seems counterintuitive, speaking of counter ). After all, he wants us to have faith, and scientific proof would constitute compulsion. That has been discussed here before, too (and here). So maybe I shouldn’t hope for scientific demonstration of design after all, even though it might be personally gratifying to me as a Christian. And maybe, for the aforementioned reason and as confessing scientists here believe, pursuit of it is futile, and not the best use of ID movement leaders’ and supporters’ resources.

If someone’s faith is dependent on the shroud, or even supported by it, I am not at all sure that it is – in fact, I’m pretty sure that it is not – a good idea. If it is definitively demonstrated, if it hasn’t been already, to be inauthentic (to say it gently), then where is their faith? It was not well-founded to begin with, and God wants our hearts, not a faith that’s based on externals. (Note that I said ‘based’, and not that legitimate externals don’t support it.)