JabbaPapa said:
I have regretfully come to the conclusion that participation in this discussion would be a pure waste of my time -- the membership seems interested in nothing other than the C14 reading, as if this were some kind of magic bullet proving every single thesis of the "mediaeval forgery" theory with a single shot.
Actually, this isn't true. This is yet again more proof that you refuse to read this discussion, and are willfully ignoring our previous conversations on this topic--in other words, you want to be taken as an expert without bothering to read a few posts.
We considered what it would take to make the C14 reading inaccurate enough to account for the 1,300 year gap between what Jabba wants the shroud's age to be and what the dating demonstrated it to be. We calculated the amount of contamination that would need to be present--it worked out to be more contamination material than shroud material. Since careful, rigorous examination demonstrated that to not be true, and the labs cleaned the samples in any case, we can dismiss that argument. All arguments about machine errors were addressed via the use of not one but two duplicate samples, literally 20 times more than is called for under normal conditions (1 dup for every 10 samples). Further, we know the machines were calibrated properly and running properly because the lab techs ran control samples. Blinding is irrelevant to C14 dating, but it was done in the case of two labs anyway.
In short, we've addressed every single point at which error can enter into the equation. You and Jabba have utterly failed to provide a single rational argument against the C14 dating. We're not clinging despirately to a magical answer; we're pointing out that we've already addressed your concerns, repeatedly, and that they are wrong.
Sadly, this "discussion" seems to have degenerated into the notion that even *questioning* the "mediaeval forgery" theory is seen by most members as a direct assault upon the scientific and methodological integrity of the scientists and technicians who performed that dating
This is a lie. Jabba directly accused the scientists doing the C14 dating of fraud, not once but multiple times, based on nothing but his desire for them to be wrong--he has presented NO evidence to support this accusation. You can question the idea that the shroud is a forgery all you want, but if you want to say "Well, maybe they fudged the data to support their biases" you need to provide data. That is slander. Furthermore, it's stupid, as Jabba and you KNOW that the researchers included those biased TOWARDS a 1st century date. You have to know it--we've pointed it out numerous times.
but the knee-jerk reactions and ponderous insistence of far too many people in this thread permit the discussion of basically NOTHING else.
No. We HAVE discussed everything else. You simply refuse to acknowledge that this thread includes more posts than your own.
More tellingly, the ONLY things that I've discovered about the broader ongoing Shroud debates since first posting in this thread have been from my own research into the various pros and cons of the various theories of provenance -- though ONE member did post ONE useful link (for which, thank you).
Translation: I'm so special that you should all re-create a 150+ page thread for my benefit, because why should I have to do any work?

The links are in this thread. If you can't be bothered to find them, that's your failing, not ours.
I hope you all continue to enjoy your acts of collective cruelty towards Jabba
Proof positive that you are not a scientist and have never been involved in a scientific debate. What we're doing is actually better treatment than he'd get at ANY scientific conference, particularly after he started slinging around accusations of fraud. That alone could very easily get him removed from the conference (not because of the accusation, but because he has steadfastly refused to offer any proof of his accusations). It's hardly cruel to point out that he's re-hashing arguments that have been addressed no fewer than three times, in great detail, in this thread. It's no cruelty to point out that he's comitted slander when you can quote the slander directly. And it's certainly no cruelty to demand he address the evidence contrary to his pet hypothesis--that's what good scientists do as a matter of course.
Anyway, cheerio -- I'll possibly contribute further to some other threads.
I hope you don't expect scientists to treat you any differently anywhere else. This has been a remarkably civil conversation, and extremely well-referenced; if you think this isn't either, you're goinig to be sorely disapointed when you explore the rest of the forums.
Jabba said:
"The strip came from a single site on the main body of the shroud away from any patches or charred areas." But then, we don't know how they came to that conclusion...
A perfect example of what I'm talking about. Jabba himself admitted that textile experts in fact have examined the shroud and concluded that there was no patch (his objection was that they weren't tied to the C14 dating, as if that mattered). Now he's ignoring HIS OWN EVIDENCE in order to support the completely discredited notion that an invisible patch is present--one that Jabba has accepted as discredited at least twice, but comes back to like a moth to a flame.