Stephen E. Jones has a fascinating posting about John Calvin and the Shroud of Turin. Here is a tidbit:
Calvin had up to this point in his Treatise been debunking various medieval Roman Catholic relics. But most (if not all) advocates of the Shroud’s authenticity would agree with him that (with the exception of the Sudarium of Oviedo, which Calvin did not mention) they are frauds. But Calvin is using the same logical fallacy that atheists use against Christianity: "1. All religions contradict each other in their core truth claims; 2. Therefore all religions are false." The fallacy is that one of those religions can be true, and all the rest be false, which is Christianity’s (and therefore Calvin’s) claim (Jn 3:16-18; 14:6; Acts 4:10-12; 10:38-43). So also, the Shroud of Turin can be authentic (i.e. the very burial sheet of Jesus) and all the other relics listed by Calvin can be false.
Read the full posting at The Shroud of Turin: Re: John Calvin on the Shroud #1