Looking for Answers in the Wrong Places

Looking for Answers in the Wrong Places - Turin Cathedral
The Turin Cathedral (Duomo di Torino) Turin, Italy

What do the Shroud of Turin, the statues on Easter Island, UFOs, and demon possession have in common? They keep appearing in the media because they are all money-makers for those who promote them, and because people are looking for answers in the wrong places.

The Shroud of Turin is a 14-foot linen cloth with an image of a man burned into it. It is kept in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, and has been used by the Catholic Church as a relic to attract Christian pilgrims to Turin. Facts about the shroud show it is not a supernatural object. The image on the Shroud is too tall for the time of Jesus. The cloth dates back to the 1300s and is a single piece of fabric, yet the Bible mentions two cloths—one for the head and one for the body.

The large statues called the “moai” on Easter Island were visited by Norwegian explorer Thor, who provided a clear explanation for them and how they were erected. This led to a book and a movie, and now they are a popular tourist attraction. Many books have been sold claiming that UFOs and demon possession are real. There are countless claims about Noah’s Ark, many of which have been major money-makers, including a replica in Kentucky. In Texas, a religious group trying to prove the Earth is only thousands of years old has claimed that human and dinosaur footprints are found in the same rock layers.

The problem is that unsupported claims can weaken young people’s faith as they learn about the true evidence. This website aims to show that scientific evidence supports what the Bible actually says. We often spend time and effort countering false claims made by people who lack understanding or are trying to deceive others who are looking for answers in the wrong places.

We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we do have extensive experience and support from people with academic credentials who can address many of the faith-related questions people have.

— John N. Clayton © 2026

The Rapa Nui People and the Unknown God

The Rapa Nui People and the Unknown God

For many years, nearly 1000 massive statues on Easter Island have been studied by both scholars and UFO enthusiasts. The UFO proponents have claimed that it would be impossible for the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island to move these statues. Some of them weigh 130,000 pounds and stand 32 feet tall. They were transported across rugged terrain from a quarry where some unfinished statues still exist. UFO supporters have argued that only aliens with anti-gravity capabilities could have moved such large statues over long distances and around obstacles.

Anthropologists from Binghamton University in New York have found the answer to how the statues were moved. Using a 10,000-pound replica, they found that 18 people could move it 328 feet in 40 minutes across roads built by the Rapa Nui people between 1400 and 1650. Carl Lipo, an anthropologist, explains that the physics makes sense, and that “once you get it moving, it isn’t hard at all.”

The Rapa Nui people were not alone in their search for gods. Pagan cultures worldwide have realized that what they see and experience is not an accident. They understand there must be a higher power governing nature. Acts 17 records the apostle Paul, speaking in Athens, describing to his listeners a God in whom “we live and move and have our being.” Paul also pointed out that the creator is not “worshipped with men’s hands as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.”

Paul saw the idols of the people of Athens, including one dedicated to “the Unknown God.” Today in America, the God Paul described remains unknown to many people. That is shown by the fact that over 40% of Americans say “none” when asked about their religious beliefs. The purpose of the “Does God Exist?” ministry is to present evidence that there is a God and that the Bible is His word.

Knowing God through Jesus Christ offers a better life in this world and gives humans a purpose. The battle between good and evil is real, and even though atheists claim evil does not exist, thoughtful people will examine the evidence and recognize that denying evil does not make it disappear.

— John N. Clayton © 2025

Reference: The Week for November 7, 2025, page 21, and academia.edu