Let’s Talk about Cremation–Theologically
“Christians (and others) who think burial is somehow more consistent with resurrection are simply confused—about both buried (or entombed) bodies and about resurrection bodies. With very, very few exceptions, buried bodies eventually decay, rot, even liquify.” - Roger Oleson
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Options:
- Burial (traditional w embalming) (also includes Mausoleum option)
- Cremation
- Body donation to science (a friend and his wife did this)
- Green burial
- Some other weirder ones
Ways to economize if burial preferred:
- Preplanning enables the best results so no one gets conned by funeral director
- Less expensive casket (can even be purchased at Costco)
- Is a burial vault required? (also see Green above)
- Look for a country cemetery
- If military vet - national cemetery
- Simpler marker (instead of monument)
….as I read the list of alternatives to traditional burial, Soylent Green comes to mind, as well as Alferd Packer, namesake of the “Alferd Packer Restaurant” at the University Memorial Center (student union) at the University of Colorado. I believe “Logan’s Run” has a lot of the same principle.
Seriously, I think there’s a lot of virtue to the notion that we ought to take a serious look at the expense of burial as we witness to our society, especially as the burden of caring for the aged becomes ever greater. Another point of reference is that nursing care currently is priced out by Medicaid at about $64000 per year. We will likely have an opportunity as churches to help care for the aged when Medicare and Medicaid reserves run out in about five years. Caring for the aged and deceased is going to be a bigger and bigger issue going forward.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
[AndyE]Thanks for posting about this article. I agree wholly with what he says. Cremation is a pagan practice with which no believer should have anything to do.I never really thought there was a Biblical issue at stake in this argument. But after reading this article, I began to have second thoughts:
https://warhornmedia.com/2019/08/28/biblicaldoctrinechristianburial/
It does seem that believers in the Scriptures consistently bury their dead and that not burying the dead was seen as a curse. It seems like something to consider as part of this discussion.
[RajeshG]Just because something was once a pagan practice, that doesn’t mean it is still a pagan practice today. Putting up a Christmas tree was once a pagan practice. That doesn’t mean Christians should have nothing to do with Christmas trees.Thanks for posting about this article. I agree wholly with what he says. Cremation is a pagan practice with which no believer should have anything to do.
[Kevin Miller]Just because something was once a pagan practice, that doesn’t mean it is still a pagan practice today. Putting up a Christmas tree was once a pagan practice. That doesn’t mean Christians should have nothing to do with Christmas trees.
Apples to oranges comparison. The Bible has a lot to say about the profound importance of a proper burial, and there is zero Bible to support Christians practicing cremation.
[RajeshG] Cremation is a pagan practice with which no believer should have anything to do.
And if they do? And who’s sin is it? Examples
- Mom dies. Her choice was cremation. Shouldn’t her heirs respect her request? If there are 3 children and the one Christian take the position that cremation is pagan. How will that play out?
- Suppose I choose cremation. Is the sin the choice?
- You have a relative who dies with virtually nothing (it happens). Will you pony up the $ 10K for the funeral?
- The Japanese Christian: 99.9% of all funerals in Japan are cremation. Greece has limited land for burials - Cemeteries in Greek cities are so overcrowded that bodies are often only kept in the ground for three years.
[Jim]I encourage and inform believers to reject the pagan practice of cremation. How God chooses to deal with those who practice cremation is not a question that I can answer biblically.And if they do? And who’s sin is it? Examples
- Mom dies. Her choice was cremation. Shouldn’t her heirs respect her request? If there are 3 children and the one Christian take the position that cremation is pagan. How will that play out?
- Suppose I choose cremation. Is the sin the choice?
- You have a relative who dies with virtually nothing (it happens). Will you pony up the $ 10K for the funeral?
- The Japanese Christian: 99.9% of all funerals in Japan are cremation. Greece has limited land for burials - Cemeteries in Greek cities are so overcrowded that bodies are often only kept in the ground for three years.
[RajeshG]There is also zero Bible to support people putting up Christmas trees. That doesn’t mean Christians should refrain from doing it.Apples to oranges comparison. The Bible has a lot to say about the profound importance of a proper burial, and there is zero Bible to support Christians practicing cremation.
What do you say to Believers residing in Japan?
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
….is for believers to abandon the wretched and generally sinful practice of using guilt by association arguments. They are sinful because they make false accusations of people who are acting in good faith.
Besides, you can associate anything with paganism. Is embalming a sin because it has its origins with the pagan Egyptians? Is it a sin to use coffins because the ancient Egyptians used them, while most others simply buried their dead in mausoleums, holes in the ground, or caves? Is it a sin to make bread as the Egyptians did, or to remove facial and/or body hair as they did?
Not a whole lot you can do in life if you remove everything with a link to paganism of one sort or another, really. Let’s proscribe what the Bible actually proscribes, and not “extend” that unless we have a sound, logically valid train of argument.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
[RajeshG] I encourage and inform believers to reject the pagan practice of cremation.
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), and the ἀρχιτέκτων (wise master builder of the church) (1 Corinthians 3:10) did not address burial customs even though cremation was common! (See https://carlos.emory.edu/htdocs/ODYSSEY/ROME/d&b.html “The Romans practiced two forms of burial: cremation (burning the body) and inhumation (burying the body intact.) In cremation, the ashes of the deceased were placed in urns, like this example from the Carlos Museum.”)
He instructs us to “not to go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6)
Again I argue = adiaphora!
then what is embalming with toxic chemicals to unnaturally preserve a body from decay. Sounds Egyptian to me… Plus, like the moneychangers at the temple, cemetery fees tend to be exorbitant and penalize people for something that must be done.
[Mark_Smith]then what is embalming with toxic chemicals to unnaturally preserve a body from decay.
Why embalming: to temporarily delay decay for viewing
Minnesota law on embalming:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/burial-cremation-laws-minnesota…
Minnesota requires embalming or refrigeration in more circumstances than most states. A body must be embalmed or packed in dry ice if:
- it will be shipped by public transportation
- burial or cremation will not occur within 72 hours after death
- the body is infected with a communicable disease, or
- the body will be viewed publicly (by people other than family).
Conclusion: In many cases NOT required
[Rob Fall]What do you say to Believers residing in Japan?
I do not have anything to say to those who are in countries where it is illegal to bury. They are going to have to decide for themselves what they are going to do.
Perhaps how Elisha handled the matter with Naaman might apply to this matter:
2 Kings 5:17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. 18 In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.
19 And he [Elisha] said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.
It seems that Elisha neither confronted Naaman about what he planned to do in the house of Rimmon (which was clearly something that was not right) nor counseled him that what he planned to do would be acceptable to God.
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