There is no doubt whatever that Hugh is right when he writes:
“There is no doubt whatever that the carbon dating does not represent the date of the Shroud itself, but of a potential unknown repair.” Really? I’m quite skeptical about that…
Skeptics are people who don’t accept sentences that begin: “There is no doubt whatever that….” It doesn’t really matter whether the rest of the sentence is: “… the shroud is authentic” or “… the shroud is a forgery.”
What is the opposite of “Skeptic,” I wonder? Dogmatist? Thesaurus.com gives Believer, Optimist, Devotee and Disciple.
It is true that those who describe themself as “Shroud Skeptics” are usually not merely skeptical of authenticity, but fanatically convinced of the “fake it and flog it” school of thought. That’s deeply offensive to us real skeptics…
So if you disagree with Hugh you are a skeptic unless you agree with him in which case you are a believer, optimist, devotee and disciple of Hugh thus making you a skeptic.
Cromwell said, ” I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken.” Only, he did not apply it to himself, and the rest is history.