Joseph G. Marino and the late M. Sue Benford


New Vistas is the collaborative effort of researchers the late M. Sue Benford and Joseph G. Marino. M. Sue Benford, a registered nurse, health care researcher, and Executive Director of a non-profit biomedical organization in Ohio, has contributed to the understanding of human energy fields and how they may relate to promotion of health and enlightenment of the spirit. She had a B.S.N. (Nursing) from the University of Tennessee. She went on to receive a Master of Arts degree in Health Education from The Ohio State University.  
Exploring New Vistas of Science and Spirit
Benford's research received a grant from the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) to support her work in the identification of the subtle energies responsible for the alternative healing effects. IONS, founded by  the late MIT astrophysicist and former astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell, completes an extensive internal and external review of all proposals prior to awarding a grant which lends additional credibility to the work of grantees.  
Further recognition for Benford's research and theories has come through the Discover Magazine awards program which annually scours the scientific literature and other forums for new and interesting products and ideas. Discover also mails nomination packages to virtually every technology-based company and research institution. Nearly four thousand nominations were reviewed this year. Benford was one of a hundred semi-finalists in both the 1999 and 2000 competitions in the category designated to "encourage and support research, study, and labor designed to produce new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind." Sadly, Benford passed away from cancer on 6 April 2009.
Joseph Marino, former Benedictine monk and Catholic Priest, who is a long-time sindonologist (one who studies the Shroud of Turin), takes it one step further by linking these scientific findings to religious interpretations and looking at their possible significance. Marino has a B.A. in Theological Studies from St. Louis University and has lectured and written extensively on the Shroud for over 40 years. In addition to having published a Shroud newsletter, he has appeared on various radio and television programs discussing the Shroud. Marino and Benford presented in Orvieto, Italy on August 28, 2000 a significant paper related to the controversial C-14 dating of the Shroud, which in 1988 dated the Shroud to A.D. 1260 to 1390. This paper, "Evidence for the Skewing of the C-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin Due to Repairs," can be accessed via the preeminent Shroud website:  www.shroud.com.  Click here to see media articles regarding this paper.  Two important followup papers, "Textile Evidence Supports Skewing of Radiocarbon Date of Shroud of Turin" and "Historical Support for a 16th Century Restoration in the Shroud C-14 Sample Area" can also be accessed via that site.  Click here to see significant related findings by two members of the 1978 Shroud of Research Project (STURP) that studied the Shroud in Turin for five days; their data strongly support this theory.
The unifying principle behind the bioenergetic modalities of complementary and alternative healing therapies is the "elan vital" or vital energy. Although science has never definitively proven the existence of this etheric field, theologians and philosophers have postulated its existence. In fact, the soul, or spirit, has often been linked to the human energy field. According to John White in his book Future Science, 97 different cultures believe in the etheric field. Additionally, there are 41 references to Jesus' healing powers in the New Testament. Recent research by Benford et al. may provide the missing scientific link that may identify this field and how it accomplishes its healing effects.  
This web site is being provided as a resource to those who have expressed interest in the research and writings of Benford and Marino. Although some eventually will be available online, others will be available by contacting the publisher.
​Benford and Marino appeared in the Discovery channel documentary "Unwrapping the Shroud: New Evidence," first broadcast 22 December 2008.  A good quality version can be found at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro_A7bvKXMQ&list=PL40c7AugGz_oh-M4p4lbm6bp-_QC6EaCO.

Marino's book Wrapped Up in the Shroud: Chronicle of a Passion (St. Louis: Cradle Press, 2011) is available from amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.  It was revised and updated in 2020.
Marino presented two papers at the International Shroud of Turin conference in Pasco Washington in July 2017.  One was titled “Politics of the Shroud C-14 Dating."  Paper is accessible at:  https://www.academia.edu/35676836/Politics_of_the_Shroud_C-14_Dating_N25.  Video accessible at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al6F8jskkXM.
     The second paper was titled "Invisible Reweave:  Evidence For."  Paper is accessible at:  https://www.academia.edu/35676812/Evidence_for_the_Invisible_Reweave_N26.  Video accessible at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu4jibxLD4E.
Marino published in 2016 a three-part article titled "The Politics of the Radiocarbon Dating of the Turin Shroud."  It was this three-part article that was expanded into the 2020 book The 1988 C-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin: a Stunning Exposé.
This web site was last updated on: 3 July 2022
Marino helped to organize an International Shroud conference in St. Louis, Missouri in October 2014.  Click here to see the conference papers and videos.
Marino had a debate with English Shroud skeptic Hugh Farey on the Skeptics and Seekers Podcast on April 27, 2019.  https://anchor.fm/skeptics-and-seekers/episodes/Supplemental%E2%80%93Shroud-Wars-Round-4%E2%80%93Joe-Marino-vs%E2%80%93Hugh-Farey-e3s6q1.
Marino presented three papers at the Science, Theology and the Turin Shroud International Conference in Ancaster, Ontario, CANADA on August 14-17 2019, including a Keynote address. That paper was "The Invisible Reweave and Other Challenges to the Turin Shroud's C-14 Medieval Dating: A Review." This is an updated version of the "Evidence for the Invisible Reweave" paper presented in Pasco, Washington in 2017. Text:
https://www.academia.edu/40272184/The_Invisible_Reweave_and_Other_ Challenges _to_the_Turin_Shrouds_C-14_Medieval_Dating_A_Review.
PowerPoint:
https://www.academia.edu/40271611/_Powerpoint_for_The_Invisible_Reweave_ and _Other_Challenges_to_the_Turin_Shrouds_C-14_Medieval_Dating_a_ Review.  
The PowerPoint slides are numbered at the lower right of each slide and correspond to the slide number listed in the text. The other two had Benford listed as a posthumous author.
Part 1 was: "3D Information in the Fields of Bioenergetics and Quantum Theory." Text:
https://www.academia.edu/40320532/3D_Information_in_the_Fields_of_ Bioenergetics_and_Quantum_Theory.
PowerPoint:
https://www.academia.edu/40320089/_PowerPoint_for_3D_information_in_ the_Fields_of_Bioenergetics_and_Quantum_Theory.
Part 2 was: "Empirical Findings Suggesting Comparability Among the Turin Shroud, QuantaGraphy, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging." Text:
https://www.academia.edu/40320563/Empirical_Findings_Suggesting_ Comparability_Among_the_Turin_Shroud_TS_QuantaGraphy_trademarked_and _Magnetic_Resonance_Imaging_MRI_.
PowerPoint:
https://www.academia.edu/40320089/_PowerPoint_for_3D_information_in_the_ Fields_of_Bioenergetics_and_Quantum_Theory.
The PowerPoint slides are numbered at the lower right of each slide and correspond to the slide number listed in the text. 

Marino's groundbreaking new book (below), The 1988 C-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin: a Stunning Exposé was published on November 4, 2020 and is now available at Amazon:  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1734813032/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1.
For more information on the book The 1988 C-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin: a Stunning Exposé, see the Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/The-1988-C-14-Dating-of-the-Shroud-of-Turin-a-Stunning-Expos%C3%A9-Book-111381623961646/?modal=admin_todo_tour  The Facebook page includes a 1-minute promotional video and reviews of the book.  A page has been set up on my web site for additions, corrections, etc.
Below are some significant past activities (most recent to oldest):  
Marino's 2011 book Wrapped Up in the Shroud:  Chronicle of a Passion, (below) originally published by Cradle Press, was revised and updated in May 2020.
Benford and Marino presented papers at Columbus, Ohio International Shroud conference 14-17 August 2008. See www.ohioshroudconference.com for details. One of them was a shorter version of a peer-reviewed paper in Chemistry Today called "Discrepancies in the radiocarbon area of the Turin shroud." 
Benford and Marino had a peer-reviewed paper published in March/April 2008 of Chemistry Today, titled "Role of calcium carbonate in fibre discoloration on the Shroud of Turin."
WND ran a story on the book The 1988 C-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin: a Stunning Exposé on November 16, 2020:  https://www.wnd.com/2020/11/new-book-charges-famous-shroud-turin-tests-flawed-politically-motivated/.
Click here to read Ray Rogers' 2005 paper "Studies on the radiocarbon sample from the shroud of turin" in Thermochimica Acta proving Benford and Marino's theory regarding a patch in the C-14 sample area (Adobe Reader needed).
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an online story on February 23, 2001 on the  book The 1988 C-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin: a Stunning Exposé, titled "Researcher: 1988 C-14 Dating Results of Shroud of Turin Invalid." 
SACONNECTS ran an online story on April 2, 2021 on the book The 1988 C-14 Dating of the Shroud of Turin: a Stunning Exposé, titled "The Face That Saves."
Marino published in 2021 a series of articles on www.academia.edu 

[Page for links of special scans]

"The c. 1389 d’Arcis Memorandum and the Authenticity of the Shroud of Turin – an English-Language Bibliography"

"Alan D. Adler and the Shroud of Turin"

"Analysis of the Turin Shroud as a Textile – a Bibliography"

"Art History and The Turin Shroud -- an English-Language Bibliography"

"The Botany of the Turin Shroud -- an English-Language Bibliography"

"Can a Plausible Link be Made Between the Shroud of Turin and the Resurrection of Jesus?" 

"Does the Hungarian Pray Manuscript Indicate the Presence of Jesus’ Shroud in the 12th Century? – an English-Language Bibliography"

"Epistemology and the Shroud of Turin – an Annotated English-Language Bibliography"

"Evaluation of the Proposed Existence of Lepton Coins on the Turin Shroud – an Annotated English-Language Bibliography"

"The Feasibility of a Medieval Artisan Having Produced the Shroud of Turin – an Annotated English-Language Bibliography"

"The Greek Words Used in the Gospel Accounts of Jesus' Burial - Can They be Reconciled with the Turin Shroud?" 

"Have There Been Multiple Secret C-14 Tests on the Shroud of Turin?" 

"The House of Savoy and Roman Catholic Devotion to the Shroud of Turin" 

"Individual Medical Examiners' Viewpoints on the Authenticity of the Shroud of Turin"

"John P. Jackson and the Shroud of Turin Research Project" 

"The Johannine Account of the Burial of Jesus and the Turin Shroud -- an Annotated English-Language Bibliography"

"Medical Opinion on the Turin Shroud -an English- Language Bibliography" 

"Mending the Shroud: Responses to Doubts About Authenticity -- an English-Language Bibliography"

"The Most Notable Figures in Shroud of Turin Research of the 20th and 21st Centuries"

"The Most Significant Events in the History of the Shroud of Turin Since 1898"

"Mysticism and the Shroud of Turin – an Annotated English Language Bibliography"

"New Testament Texts and the Shroud of Turin -an English- Language Bibliography"

"Peer-Reviewed Papers on the Shroud of Turin – a Bibliography"

"Possible Post-Biblical and Pre-1350s References in History to the Shroud of Jesus -- an English-language Bibliography"

"Psychological and Physiological Factors Affecting Perceptions of the Turin Shroud -- an English-Language Bibliography"

"The Radiocarbon Dating of the Shroud of Turin in 1988:Prelude and Aftermath – An English-language Bibliography"

"The Ramifications of the Image Superficiality on the Turin Shroud"

"Raymond N. Rogers and the Shroud of Turin" 

"Review of Primary Claimed Features of the Shroud of Turin That Purport to Show It's Not a Medieval Forgery"

"The Shroud of Turin: the Fifth Gospel? Or the First Gospel? Or Neither?" 

"The Shroud of Turin in Light of First-Century CE Jewish Burial Practices According to Non-Jewish Sources -a Bibliography"

"Shroud-Related Published Literary Works of STURP* Team Members – a Bibliography"

"The Sudarium of Oviedo in Relation to the Shroud of Turin – an English-language Bibliography"

"The Three-Dimensionality, Superficiality and Photo-Negativity of the Turin Shroud – an English-language Bibliography" 

​"The Turin Shroud in Light of First-Century CE Jewish Burial Practices According to Jewish Sources – a Bibliography"

"What are the Implications for the Shroud of Turin of the ENEA* High-Intensity Ultraviolet Laser Experiments?"

"What is the Catholic Church's Official Position on the Shroud of Turin? Pronouncements from The Vatican and Turin"

"Will there ever be Further Testing on the Shroud of Turin?" 
Marino published in late 2020 an article on academia.edu, titled "Is the Turin Shroud Compatible with a First Century Jerusalem Burial?--Some Jewish Perspectives."
Marino published in October 2020 an article on academia.edu, titled, "Have There Been Multiple Secret C-14 Tests on the Shroud of Turin?"
The periodical Inside the Vatican had a story in its May/June 2021 issue titled, "Was the Shroud’s First-Century Origin Really Debunked?" by Jim Bertrand, for which Marino was interviewed.

Marino was interviewed on December 29, 2021 on Catholic Challenge:  "FALSE CARBON DATING OF THE SHROUD OF TURIN"