Question about Cremation

[Akeo]

Hate to sound a little morbid today folks, but this subject came up the other day. Some relatives of mine were discussing cremation vs. casket burial and got me thinking. I personally have no problem whatsoever being cremated, but is there anything at all for or against a child of God being cremated?

[roadrunner570]

Hate to sound a little morbid today folks, but this subject came up the other day. Some relatives of mine were discussing cremation vs. casket burial and got me thinking. I personally have no problem whatsoever being cremated, but is there anything at all for or against a child of God being cremated?

Not that I'm aware of. Some don't believe in it because of being resurrected, but I'm pretty sure God isn't going to recycle our decaying bodies.

[jrbaker]

I don't believe there's any biblical mandate not to be cremated. However, it does have pagan roots. In the area where I live, about 2/3 of people are cremated. Neither my wife nor I wish to be cremated, but there are many Christians here who plan on doing that when they die.

[Rachael1448]

This is what is morbid......the way our government is taking over.....if we get a Democrat in office, I wouldn't think it too far off to say they will most definitely turn this nation into a socialist nation and pretty soon.......with all the population growing rapidly, they will make it a LAW that everyone MUST be cremated! Look at the recent news you heard about a hospital throwining out an invalid in the gutter? Well, if babies are inconvenient that our Courts made abortion legal then what's to prevent them from making it legal to get rid of all the weak, infirmed, sick, and elderly? What's to prevent them from making it a LAW like they did with abortion simply because of the fact that it is Inconvenient?

At least Rudy and Romney wants to get Conservative Justices in the Supreme Court so that the laws to murder baby can be reversed. A President cannot reverse the laws.......but he can put in Conservative Supreme Court Justices that will and can change those laws that make murder legal. But not to offend anyone this is my opinion only of course........a Democrat President will take this nation to a farther left than you ever imagined....this will be a nation run by the UN not USA and it will become socialist.

[Wildcat81]

No, there's nothing wrong with cremation. The Bible doesn't actually say much about actual burial practices - those tend to change from one culture to another. Throughout most of the Medieval period, at least, it was thought that destroying a body by burning would prevent one from being resurrected - hence the practice of burning at the stake. In fact, I think the Catholic Church still does not allow cremation.

But Biblically, no, there's nothing wrong with it. Personally, I figure God is plenty powerful enough to put us back together out of whatever scattered atoms He choses, even if they've been burned and scattered to the four winds.

[LooC]

GENESIS 50
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my BONES from hence.

JOSHUA 24
32 And the BONES of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
It was important to Joseph for him to be buried in Israel. As a sign of his belief in the resurrection? Or in full knowledge of God's promises to his people.

I KINGS 13
31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my BONES beside his BONES...

2 KINGS 23
19 And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.
20 And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men's BONES upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.

Why did God tell them to burn their bones? His anger?

PSALM 53
5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the BONES of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.

Obviously, God despised them enough that He didn't want their bones to be buried.

JEREMIAH 8
1 At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the BONES of the kings of Judah, and the BONES of his princes, and the BONES of the priests, and the BONES of the prophets, and the BONES of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

EZEKIEL 6
5 And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your BONES round about your altars...

Disobediance again from the children of Israel. God didn't want their bones buried.

EZEKIEL 24
9 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
10 Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the BONES be burned....

Again, God's anger was kindled by what they've done.

IMHO, I tend to think that God frowns on cremation. It seems to be associated with His anger and man's disobedience.

Scattering ashes - scattering bones...sounds like there's a connection there.

Nope, not gonna do it.

[Akeo]

Wow I was feeling pretty good about this until LooC came up with those verses. Kinda makes ya go hmmm. Anyhow, count me as still :confused

[Abba'sLil'Girl]

IMHO, I tend to think that God frowns on cremation. It seems to be associated with His anger and man's disobedience.

Scattering ashes - scattering bones...sounds like there's a connection there.

Nope, not gonna do it.

Respectfully, I don't see that connection in those given verses. Those verses seem to deal with disobedience (or condition of the heart) and not necessarily method of burial.

Food for thought . . . if cremation is a "no, no", then what can we say about those who have died by being burned alive in a house or car fire? Is God angry with them? To connect burning of the body with God's anger seems a hasty and unjust judgement on those whom only God knows the condition of their heart.

I certainly respect your conviction for not wanting to be cremated. It absolutely is your choice. However, let's kindly not attach any stigma to cremation when there is no clear evidence in Scripture that there should be one.

Grace and Peace to you. :):

[PreTribber]

1 Corinthians 3:13- And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

If Paul had no problem [ethically speaking] giving his body up to be burned as a martyr, I don't see why cremation would be a problem [Biblically speaking]. :noidea

[whirlwind]

Even if you are not cremated your body will eventually turn to dust anyways, cremation just speeds up the process.

[Myth Buster]

No, there's nothing wrong with cremation. The Bible doesn't actually say much about actual burial practices - those tend to change from one culture to another. Throughout most of the Medieval period, at least, it was thought that destroying a body by burning would prevent one from being resurrected - hence the practice of burning at the stake. In fact, I think the Catholic Church still does not allow cremation.

But Biblically, no, there's nothing wrong with it. Personally, I figure God is plenty powerful enough to put us back together out of whatever scattered atoms He choses, even if they've been burned and scattered to the four winds.

Wrong, the Catholic Church has permitted cremation since Vatican II. It only banned the practice before because of its association with atheism. (Atheist's were using cremation as a final act of rebellion to say, "There is no ressurection.")

[AnyDayNow]

Wrong, the Catholic Church has permitted cremation since Vatican II. It only banned the practice before because of its association with atheism. (Atheist's were using cremation as a final act of rebellion to say, "There is no resurrection.")

Well, see here's the whole deal. Paul said clearly (1 Cor 15) that both the Saved and unsaved will eventually be resurrected. Pagan or not, God is more than able to reconstitute our bodies, no matter what state they were in after death occurred. In Revelation, the sea gives up their dead. When Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic in the early 1980's worms had eaten everything away from one body except the shoes. IMO, cremation or burial doesn't matter to God. He is Able.

[Myth Buster]

Not the point. The point is that atheists were using cremation as a form of blaspheme, so Catholics were taught to avoid that appearance of evil.

[AnyDayNow]

Not the point. The point is that atheists were using cremation as a form of blaspheme, so Catholics were taught to avoid that appearance of evil.

You are right. But it isn't just the RCC and catholics. The GARBC issued a bulletin some years ago where they condemned cremation for ALL Christians on the same basis, that is was a pagan rite. Well, my counterpoint would be that pagans also bury, even today. I am not debating your premise about catholics. I just think any debate about method of disposal for human remains is pointless. I really believe it doesn't matter to God. If it did, we would find more about it in the Scriptures. Tradition is exactly that...tradition. But it's not Scripture.

Link to History of Cremation (http://www.everlifememorials.com/urns/urns-history.htm)

Ask yourself. If the Romans had cremated Jesus' Body, would it have changed anything?