IF THE SHROUD DEPICTS JESUS THERE WOULD BE SOME DECOMPOSITION
THE FACTS
Bodies in warm climates, like Palestine,
begin autolysis (self-digestion of tissues) within hours.
Wound areas accelerate decomposition: open wounds, punctures, or
lacerations allow bacteria from the environment or gut to invade
soft tissue, speeding tissue breakdown.
Even without burial chemicals, after 36–72 hours in a typical tomb,
a crucified person should show:
Darkening and liquefaction of tissues
Blood seepage or hemolysis around wounds
Odor from bacterial activity
If the Shroud depicts Jesus, the areas of the body that were pierced
— the wrists, feet, and side — should show at least early stages of
decomposition, yet the Shroud shows none of these expected signs.
THE ARGUMENT
The Turin Shroud is the most famous relic in
the world. Millions believe that it is the burial cloth of Jesus
Christ, bearing his crucified and bloodied image. The cloth is kept
in Turin, Italy. It is an enigma. Many say it is a miracle.
Christians believe that Jesus was buried in the Shroud for nearly
three days, and during this time the image appeared on the cloth.
Jesus predicted that he would be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth.
The Christian view is, "The way the Jews reckoned days leaves Jesus
being in the grave one day and two nights. This is not three days
but a day and a half!" Whether it is that short or longer, the fact
remains that there is no way to prove Jesus rose on the third day,
whatever that means. When the Gospels say that the tomb was found
empty on Sunday morning, there is no hint that anybody knew when
Jesus left the tomb. He could have been gone as soon as the stone
was closed. Thus, the prophecy—whether it means part of three days
or three full days—is a trick. A prophecy that predicts something
that is impossible to check is a fake. Jesus was definitely a false
prophet, and the early believers made a slip that showed how
gullible the first generation of Christians actually was. Religion
blinded them, so they could not see the obvious.
We will approach the Shroud assuming that Jesus did stay in the tomb
until Sunday morning.
The Shroud of Turin image shows no signs that it contained a
decomposing body. Jesus was buried for nearly three days, and bodies
decomposed fast in the Palestine climate. There should be some sign
of decomposition. The freedom from decomposition is verified in
http://www.skepticalspectacle.com
It is ridiculous to surmise that Jesus
came to earth to suffer and die on the cross and would not decay
noticeably until he raised his body again. His body was decaying all
his life and restoring itself, like we all do—he aged, which is
decomposition alive. Why would a god, who was willing to undergo a
humiliating birth and death, preserve his body? Why not let it rot
as much as it should for the three days and then restore it to life?
What makes it worse is that there is no evidence in the New
Testament that the resurrection was a revival of the human body of
Jesus. All it says is that it had the seed of the new resurrection
body of Jesus, which was more like a spirit than a body—but
nevertheless a body.
The blood should have decomposed a bit. He was hardly going to
resurrect it, for there is no flesh and blood in the kingdom of
Heaven according to St. Paul. So the blood was of zero importance.
The blood that spilled from the cross decomposed—but not on the
Turin Shroud. What you have on it is blood so well-preserved that
you would swear it was paint or some compound made by an artist. All
this is very suspicious. It indicates that the Shroud is not the
burial cloth of Jesus. It may be a miracle duplicate, but miracles
prove nothing, though religion tries to pretend they are evidence
from Heaven that its doctrines are true.
If you look to miracles as evidence, you will be confused forever,
for every religion has them and has experts to defend them. Miracles
can be used as an excuse for defending any tall story. So whatever
the Shroud can do, it cannot prove that Jesus existed. In fact, it
warns us to be wary of miracles! A miracle burial cloth that is not
a burial cloth cannot warn us any louder than that. Besides, we have
evidence from the New Testament itself that Jesus did not die when
the Church claims he died. The Shroud is made to look like it
supports the Church, so the Shroud is fake. It is refuted by the
written evidence. If it is a miracle, it still does not stop us from
disbelieving in Christ with a clear conscience.
Bodies in Palestine decompose faster than bodies in the United
Kingdom. Bodies in the UK are displayed at wakes and funeral parlors
until the third day after death. They are displayed less than 72
hours, and yet the following procedures are necessary for
undertakers: steps must be taken to make sure there is no
decomposition until the body is in the grave. The body is wiped with
disinfectant to stop maggots, worms, and insects from infesting the
corpse while it is on display. Steps must be taken to stop fluids
from being ejected from the stomach through the mouth. The mouth
needs to be sewn shut. The penis needs to be tied, and the anus
stuffed with cotton wool containing preservative chemicals. This is
to stop leaks from those areas.
The man on the Shroud shows no signs of being treated as a truly
dead body, and he has not been behaving like a dead body should
without these treatments—despite supposedly being buried in
Palestine. No matter what the “mad scientists” say, there was
definitely no body in the Shroud. If there was, then the man was not
Jesus or was not in the Shroud long. Jesus supposedly was buried on
Friday night and disappeared from the tomb on Sunday morning. He was
in his Shroud longer than the Shroud man was in his.
Christians might say that the lack of decomposition is a miracle. It
is wrong to use miracles as explanations for mysteries or to get
around facts one does not like. Sensible Christians go in search of
evidence to show that their belief in miracles is justified. They do
not guess that a miracle has happened. They only consider miracles
when somebody has experienced a possible miracle and claims a
miracle happened. But do such Christians exist?
Conclusion
The Shroud man is not Jesus Christ.
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