Listfolk:
I think the article on the Shroud is excellent for discussing the quality of
evidence and the scientific versus non-scientific attitude. The quote from
the Bishop in the excerpt posted to our list is a good example of "wishful
thinking" (how we want this to be true!) The pollen on the shroud and the
face cloth could have come from numerous sources, including the researchers
themselves. Carbon dating is a more trustworthy measure whatever amount of
the cloth was used. The images of plants etc. are certainly open to
interpretation - it's at best a fuzzy reproduction of the person and objects
it was wrapped around, and in that sense is more like an "inkblot" than a
photographic likeness.
Nancy J. Melucci
Utility Infielder
El Camino College
Torrance, CA
