Cremation or Burial

[Lewis]

Well I can't hear anybody, God did not give the command to embalm. So if we can embalm we can burn.

 

[Drew]

Well I can't hear anybody, God did not give the command to embalm. So if we can embalm we can burn.

Many of your arguments on this matter seem to be based on what "we are told to do" - as if one's decision on these matters is based on "looking for a verse that tells you what to do". And further, you seem to think that if the Bible does not tell us explicitly to do "X", that we should not then do "X" as in:

The Bible does not tell us to drain the blood out of our bodies, puncture our organs with a trocar and glue our eyes shut, it tells us none of that

I politely suggest that this is not the way to forge a path and make decisions. I will not repeat arguments which no one has engaged but I will repeat the summary conclusion: Cremation implicitly sends a message to the world that I think is not in line with the Scriptural story of God's dealing with mankind and the world. That is a good enough reason to choose conventional burial over cremation. We should not flatten out our response to the Bible to one where we simply look for "what we are commanded to do and not to do".

 

[Colton B]

I say burial. I don't think we should do cremation because God says in the bible are bodies are his temples.

I would put a verse but 1) I don't have Bible. 2) It would be awhile before I found the right one.

 

[handy]

I'm not exactly getting why cremation implicitly sends a message to the world that is not in line with the Scriptural story of God's dealing with mankind and the world.

God's restoring one's body from ashes to ashes seems pretty much the same as God's restoring one's body from dust to dust.

As for whether or not we "get the same body", I think it's the same body. When Jesus resurrected, He told Thomas to look at His hands and put his fingers into the holes that were left there from the nails.

 

[Colton B]

I see what you are saying..It is confusing but I went with what I wanted.

 

[faithwalkonline]

I prefer cremation because i want my ash to be thrown in the water or in the forest. I don't want my body to rot, even if my soul is not there anymore.

 

[Lewis]

Many of your arguments on this matter seem to be based on what "we are told to do" - as if one's decision on these matters is based on "looking for a verse that tells you what to do". And further, you seem to think that if the Bible does not tell us explicitly to do "X", that we should not then do "X" as in:


I politely suggest that this is not the way to forge a path and make decisions. I will not repeat arguments which no one has engaged but I will repeat the summary conclusion: Cremation implicitly sends a message to the world that I think is not in line with the Scriptural story of God's dealing with mankind and the world. That is a good enough reason to choose conventional burial over cremation. We should not flatten out our response to the Bible to one where we simply look for "what we are commanded to do and not to do".

Drew God can still raise you after you have been cremated, and cremation does not send the wrong message to the world. Because you just return to dust in a few hours, where a well embalmed body can last for about 30 years or more, if the casket is not sealed, which would cause anaerobic breakdown of the body because the casket is sealed.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_exercise

 

[Pizzaguy]

Cremation all the way. I don't want to be buried alive, and I don't want to be buried after I'm dead.

If God want to re-assemble me someday, He is totally capable of gathering from the wind the moisture, matter and energy to re-build me.

The message I am concerned about sending to the world, are the messages I send every day with my speech, conduct, behavior and priorities - not the question of whether or not my dead body is laying in the ground.

 

[TRUTH over TRADITION]

When it comes to this topic, I'm both silly and scary. I do NOT want to be cremated as for whatever reason the thought of being cremated and then being able to be resurrected doesn't mesh well in my mind. I even go as far to ask my wife to make sure I am buried in a wood box as opposed to an air tight casket so that when the resurrection happens i won't be trapped I some funky non biodegradable box.

 

[WIP]

Which do you prefer, Cremation or Burial, some Christians say that cremation is not Biblical. With cremation you return to dust much faster. While being buried, if you are embalmed right, and because you are underground where it is cool, you can last up to 35 or more years before you waste away, providing ground water has not breached your casket. So what do you say, Cremation or Burial ? And if you don't agree with cremation why ? And if you don't think that it is Biblical, prove it.

Whether it takes a couple hours or 35 years, does that matter when compared to eternity?

 

[handy]

When it comes to this topic, I'm both silly and scary. I do NOT want to be cremated as for whatever reason the thought of being cremated and then being able to be resurrected doesn't mesh well in my mind. I even go as far to ask my wife to make sure I am buried in a wood box as opposed to an air tight casket so that when the resurrection happens i won't be trapped I some funky non biodegradable box.

I don't want to add to your "silly and scary" but I'm not sure that your wife will be able to bury you in a wood box. I don't know of any place around here that allows it. You can have a wooden coffin, but it will need to be sealed in a liner, or placed in an above ground vault. Most cemeteries do not have above ground vaults any more, so around here, if one is buried, one is charged a "double whammy" the fee for the coffin and the fee for the liner in which the coffin is placed for burial.

If you die in Louisiana, I'm pretty sure all of their cemeteries are above ground.

Since I last participated in this discussion I had an interesting talk with my pastor on this subject. He doesn't have a problem with cremation, but he will not conduct a service in which the cremated remains are then scattered. His reasoning was that scattering ashes is a part of too many pagan death rituals. So, if we die while he is our pastor, he would recommend cremation and then the burial of the cremated ashes. I'm OK with that, and no "double whammy".

 

[Pizzaguy]

I want MY ashes spread in an off-trail area of FDR park. Not sure it is allowed, but my son has been instructed to do it anyway.

I love it there, sitting on a ridge, far from others, eating my lunch and talking to God. I've been so busy, I've not hiked like that for over a year now.

Life has become too busy.

 

[Elijah674]

I don't want to add to your "silly and scary" but I'm not sure that your wife will be able to bury you in a wood box. I don't know of any place around here that allows it. You can have a wooden coffin, but it will need to be sealed in a liner, or placed in an above ground vault. Most cemeteries do not have above ground vaults any more, so around here, if one is buried, one is charged a "double whammy" the fee for the coffin and the fee for the liner in which the coffin is placed for burial.

If you die in Louisiana, I'm pretty sure all of their cemeteries are above ground.

Since I last participated in this discussion I had an interesting talk with my pastor on this subject. He doesn't have a problem with cremation, but he will not conduct a service in which the cremated remains are then scattered. His reasoning was that scattering ashes is a part of too many pagan death rituals. So, if we die while he is our pastor, he would recommend cremation and then the burial of the cremated ashes. I'm OK with that, and no "double whammy".

I see in Florida that you don't even need a casket, 'only cotton balls' (or some such thing?) for burial. Yesterday's 3/22/2011 News.

 

[Free]

What's interesting is that cremation and the placing or spreading of one's ashes in a certain location is traditionally found only in Eastern religions (no concept or hope of physical resurrection) while burial was and still is practiced by Jews and Eastern Orthodox (hope of physical resurrection).

While the Bible remains silent on cremation it certainly speaks of burial. Cremation isn't biblical in that the Bible says nothing of it. So the onus isn't on those that think it unbiblical but on those who think that it is okay as Christians to do so.

 

[Lewis]

Whether it takes a couple hours or 35 years, does that matter when compared to eternity?

Being cremated is not going to send you to hell.
And to the other comment up there, being buried in a sealed coffin causes anaerobic bacteria to thrive, because it thrives were there is no oxygen. Thereby turning your body into a very foul smelling black greenish liquid soup, that can and does at times make the casket burst open, because of built up gases, that have no escape.

 

[handy]

I want MY ashes spread in an off-trail area of FDR park. Not sure it is allowed, but my son has been instructed to do it anyway.

I love it there, sitting on a ridge, far from others, eating my lunch and talking to God. I've been so busy, I've not hiked like that for over a year now.

Life has become too busy.

I think most national parks have a "special use" permit that allows for the scattering of ashes.

Elijah, do you have a link to the news report about Florida?

Free, my pastor would agree with you in regards to the scattering of the ashes...but not necessarily of the cremation itself. While the Bible speaks of burial, no where is it commanded, is it? The Bible does not speak to cremation, which means there is no condemnation of it. So, if we are not commanded to be buried and there is no condemnation against cremation, surely this is an area in which Christians have the liberty to do whatever doesn't go against their conscience.

 

[Lewis]

The Muslims here in the US get buried without caskets. They took my friend out of his casket at the grave site, and his mother who was Christian fainted when she saw them do that. but I think he was wrapped. She did not know that they were going to do that.

 

[Drew]

Drew God can still raise you after you have been cremated, and cremation does not send the wrong message to the world. Because you just return to dust in a few hours, where a well embalmed body can last for about 30 years or more, if the casket is not sealed, which would cause anaerobic breakdown of the body because the casket is sealed.

I disagree - there is a difference between cremation and burial re what "message" is sent to the world. When you purposefully burn away the body to ashes, you are re-inforcing the idea that the "physical" aspect of who you "were" is of secondary importance. I understand that this may be difficult for people to see, but I suggest the implicit message is this: the body is simply the "house" for what really matters - the "soul" or "spirit", so we can simply burn it. Please do not patronzie me - I am fully aware, of course, that the buried body will eventually decompose.

But that is not the point. The point is what message your decision to burn the body transmits to the broader world. The people in that broader world already have this "soul" vs "body" distinction in mind. So when you burn the body, you are implicitly telling the world what you believe about the nature of the human person. On the other hand, if you bury the whole body, the decomposition is "out of your hands", so the message is entirely different.

Having said all this, I do not believe this is a "life and death" issue (pun intended). There may well be practical reasons to cremate, related to environmental concerns. Or, some people may feel uncomfortable with the thought of "decomposing". Fair enough. But all other things being equal, I think conventional burial is better for symbolic reasons.

If you think this is not important, think of how many Christians erroneoulsy believe they will spend eternity without a physical body. This is clearly incorrect Biblically - you had better learn to "like" your physicality, you will have it forever, thanks be to God.

 

[Drew]

While the Bible speaks of burial, no where is it commanded, is it?

Handy, do you believe that a certain behaviour must be specifically endorsed through a "thou shalt do x" in order for it to be embraced? Are we ever "commanded" to fight global warming? I doubt it. Is it appropriate for Christians to advocate for environmental responsibility in this respect? Of course.

 

[Free]

Free, my pastor would agree with you in regards to the scattering of the ashes...but not necessarily of the cremation itself. While the Bible speaks of burial, no where is it commanded, is it? The Bible does not speak to cremation, which means there is no condemnation of it. So, if we are not commanded to be buried and there is no condemnation against cremation, surely this is an area in which Christians have the liberty to do whatever doesn't go against their conscience.

I am very suspicious of arguments that go along the lines of "The Bible does not speak to cremation, which means there is no condemnation of it" and therefore "surely this is an area in which Christians have the liberty to do whatever doesn't go against their conscience."

Does it not speak volumes that Judaism and orthdox Christianity do not cremate, that it seems to be only paganism which has historically done so? Does this not suggest that cremation is pagan in origin?