Going 'all in' for Easter

Commentary by Charles Payne
Special to the Journal

Being an opinion writer I generally admire the skills of editors in putting together content for publication day after day. Sometimes I wonder how to keep things interesting on a weekly basis. But, the Shroud of Turin item recently on MSNBC is about as bad as old Charlton Heston movies. The Shroud issue was supposedly put to rest 20 years ago and everything indicates the Shroud is a fake. Now a fellow who for some reason wants to believe in the Shroud or make money brings the issue up and it makes the news for Easter 2008.
Who in Christendom would want to risk finding out the truth? Both the truth and reality can be hard to take. Sometimes something less is substituted for both.
Life is a gamble. There are times and situations where even though part of you doubts the outcome you have to bluff, call or say "all in." Winning is your hope, but losing may hurt you and others. Truth in a poker game is random and the players help decide the truth. Life is a gamble.
Consider in this time of Easter all you know about the Shroud of Turin. If it is the actual Shroud wrapped around Jesus when he was removed from the cross, it becomes a piece of hard evidence for the Christian religion and the event of the crucifixion. It's a potentially wonderful outcome, but the stakes are very high.
Mike Celizic wrote an MSNBC item on March 21, 2008 about why Barrie Schwortz, a photographer present when the Shroud was first examined, thinks the Shroud is authentic. Some of Schwortz's arguments seem plausible. Science has improved, not just in dating antiquities, but also in knowledge of DNA evidence. It just might be possible that the Shroud bears the image of Jesus.
So all Christians who search for and desire truth and meaning in their lives should press for the authorities in Turin to release the Shroud for complete scientific study and subject the results to extensive peer verification. This would be an "all in" decision. Turin might lose a little or gain a lot, but even a fake shroud would still be a draw. The consequences of the bet could be much more far reaching. What we have believed about Christianity could be on the line.
Dating the cloth to the time of Christ adds to its authenticity but does not prove that it was used to wrap the body of Jesus. The gamble exists in what any DNA evidence might establish. If you are a Christian, would you take the gamble and say "all in?" The rewards would be spectacular, but losing the bet might be crushing.
Consider the possible outcomes if the dating issue is overcome. The DNA could be inexplicably blank or it could only show that of a mother and then be blank because God's DNA is an unknown. This would support the virgin birth of Christ and would be an extraordinary revelation. Extreme care would have to be taken that missing DNA was not caused by some outside factor.
Conventional analysis showed the blood on the Shroud was apparently from a man. This could indicate the DNA is conventional. The DNA could show the transfer of a Y chromosome and thus indicate that the image had a father of this earth. Then the Shroud could be repudiated unless something unknown links it to the actual crucifixion and Mary's DNA becomes known. Is there evidence that is yet unknown or hidden somewhere?
Apparently the Catholic Church does not believe the Shroud is real. Whether a link to the actual crucifixion can ever be found does not appear likely but science keeps advancing. If a link is found, think what changes would happen if the image is of Jesus and the DNA proves he had an earthly father.
The Muslim view is also that Jesus, a messenger from God, was born to the Virgin Mary (www.soundvision.com/Info/Jesus/inIslam.asp).
What would Christians do if scientific evidence indicated Jesus had an earthly father? A few might lose their faith but, more likely, most would react as Muslims would and simply say that God is all powerful and can do whatever he likes including violating what we perceive to be natural law. In other words, God made the DNA appear to show there was an earthly father of Jesus. Perhaps this would be yet another test of faith. Thus the scientific analysis of the Shroud of Turin would only be relevant if it proved Christian beliefs.
The problem in this mystery is that God is known as a God of truth. So why would deviation from the truths mankind knows and is still finding be necessary? Perhaps the Shroud of Turin is just a few cards toward a possible inside straight. So what if Jesus was an important man with a father of this Earth. Would his teachings be any less important? Is it time to fold or say all in? Or will we have to wait until next Easter for another story on the Shroud of Turin?

Charles Payne, a Lee's Summit resident, is a guest columnist for the Journal. To respond to today's commentary, call the Journal's Rant & Rave line at 816-282-7020, or send comments via the Internet at www.lsjournal.com or to raven1939@netzero.com.