Insight on the News “Not By Sight” Recent scientific tests have confirmed that the Shroud of Turin is a 14th-century fake. Yet, “Catholics were encouraged to continue their veneration of the shroud as a pictorial image of Christ, still capable of performing miracles,” reports The New York Times. Anastasio Ballestrero, the archbishop of Turin, stated: “The exceptional evocative power of the image of Jesus Christ should be preserved.” What does this mean? It means that although the church has admitted that the stained image of a man’s body on the shroud is not that of Jesus Christ, faithful Catholics should nevertheless continue to view it as if it were the Christ and thus as something holy. Why? According to Adam Otterbein, a Roman Catholic priest in charge of the Holy Shroud Guild, relics like the shroud can assist believers to render honor to the one the image represents. It is not surprising that, despite its lack of authenticity, the shroud would remain a powerful symbol of faith for the Catholic Church. “Statues, paintings and icons . . . are given a revered place in Catholic practice,” notes The New York Times. Does the Bible support the use of such images in worship? No! God’s Word clearly says: “Flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14; compare Exodus 20:4-6.) Christians are admonished to worship God “with spirit and truth,” not with the help of some image or relic. (John 4:24) Appropriately, Paul wrote that true Christians “are walking by faith, not by sight.”—2 Corinthians 5:7.
