There
are currently about 1,100 crematories and 470,915 cremations per year in North
America. Not only is it growing more common-place in the secular society, but
more and more Christians are also turning to this alternative whether as a
statement of cost, convenience or space. It has become an increasingly popular
means for disposing of the dead. Some estimates indicate that by 2010, 34% of
all Americans will cremate their loved ones.
The question remains, is it a Biblical alternative. Those who opt for
cremation often do so for emotional (it can bring about immediate closure to
the grieving process), economically (it is measured in the hundreds rather than
thousands of dollars) and ecologically (it is said to save valuable land for
more productive purposes). This thinking cap is just a collection of my thoughts on the subject.
It is not intended to condemn or making anyone feel like they have done
anything wrong. It is written in the desire that more and more people will
search the Scripture for guidance and direction in all aspects of daily life.
Maybe Its Okay
The aspect of cremation that worries some Christians
is the thought of the total annihilation of the body. We must remember, that
the body is annihilated just as completely in the grave as it is in cremation.
The graves of our ancestors are no longer in existence, and soil in which they
were buried has long since been removed elsewhere. We must therefore accept
that what happens to the body or to the grave cannot be of any significance so
far as the resurrection is concerned.
Our resurrection is related to that of Christ's in 1
Corinthians 15, and we must realize that the resurrection of Jesus was quite
different from that of Lazarus. Lazarus needed the body that had been buried,
but when Jesus came forth from the tomb, his body was so changed that he could
not be easily recognized. It was different in dimension, destiny, dress,
disposition, dynamics, durability and dynasty (but that is another Thinking
Cap). In that chapter, Paul states of the burial of our bodies: "thou
sowest not that body that shall be" (v.37). The body that rises is not
made of the same substances as the one that was buried, but is immortal and
incorruptible.
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul makes the contrast between
living in a tent, a temporary home that can be pulled down and put away, and
living in a permanent home that will last forever. Our bodies are our temporary
tents. Our resurrected bodies will be our permanent homes. They are similar in
appearance but different in substance. Cremation is therefore no hindrance to
the resurrection.
Maybe Its Not
So while it is possible to quickly dismiss
objections, and give a Biblical blessing to cremation, I think that it would be
wise to look a little more deeply at the issue. From an emotional perspective,
cremation does not logically lead to a more satisfying sense of closure than
does burial. Much of the therapeutic value of any funeral ritual depends on
cultural conditioning, prior understanding of the death experience, the
circumstances of the death itself, the relationship to the deceased, and the
emotional make-up of the survivors. In addition, economic considerations should
not be valued more highly than ethical or spiritual considerations. The
ecological reasoning is also a part of the flawed ZPG (zero population growth)
concept that grew out of the rebellious 60s. I see no data suggesting that we
will run out of suitable land for burial sites anytime soon.
The body is very temporary, but it is very
important. So important that the Bible calls it a temple. Dont ever take your
body lightly, without sobriety or seriousness. It is a worship center for the
Living God (1 Cor. 6:19). God places great value on the body. While I am not aware
of any portion of the Bible that prohibits cremation, historically, throughout
all the history of Christianity, theres been a disposition not to go the
direction of cremation. The reason isnt because God is unable at the
Resurrection to reproduce the person...(Because its a new body anyway -- Hes
quite capable of doing that.) That isnt the problem. And the problem isnt
because God would somehow necessarily be displeased, per say. But theres
something about cremation that tends to make a statement of saying, this that
has been a temple of the Holy Spirit of God somehow is burnt to the ground.
In the case of a believer, the body has been the
temple of the Holy Spirit. And, while its a decaying temple (and then a dead
one), its not a matter of attempting to enshrine it as though we were
mummifying bodies to try and somehow protract life and memory by so frail a
means. But its simply a matter of acknowledging that it has been a point of
reverence for a person who once lived there and it was a place of worship to
the living God.
The
arguments for cremation are not all that strong. However, I believe that the
arguments for burial are quite powerful. I believe that Scripture clearly
favors burial over cremation. The Old Testament pattern was always burial,
except in highly unusual circumstances. The exception that best proves the rule
is the partial cremation of King Saul and his sons. The men of Jabesh-Gilead
burned the bodies of Saul and his sons to prevent desecration by the
Philistines --- and even in this case the bodies were burned, but the bones
were buried (1 Sam. 31:12-13).
The bodies of criminals and certain immoral people
were to be burned (Gen. 38:24, Lev. 20:14, 21:9, Joshua 7:15, 25). In Amos 2:1,
the Lord rebukes Moab for burning the bones of the King of Edom.
As in the Old Testament, the New Testament pattern
is always burial. Paul includes burial as an essential part of the gospel
itself when he writes, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And
that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to
the scriptures. (1 Cor 15:3-4 emphasis added). Paul equates baptism with
both burial and resurrection when he says that we were buried with Christ, by
baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:4)
The New Testament doesn't mention cremation. First
Corinthians 13:3, which says, "and though I give my body to be
burned" refers to martyrdom, not cremation. The Jewish custom was to
honor the deceased by applying ointments and spices to the body. The body of
Jesus was honored in this way (Luke 23:56). The early Church fathers preferred
burial to cremation, which was practiced in the Roman world.
Burial symbolizes the promise of resurrection by
anticipating the preservation of the body. Cremation, however, symbolizes the
pagan world-view of reincarnation. Cremation better symbolizes pantheism, which
in its Eastern forms is usually associated with a salvation from the body by
escaping the cycle of reincarnation. So, while resurrectionists look forward to
the restoration of the body (Rom. 8:11), reincarnationists look forward to
being relieved from their bodies.
Finally, burial highlights the sanctity of the body.
In the Christian world-view, the body is incredibly significant, in that it has
numerical identity to the resurrected body and is uniquely designed to give
expression to the image of God in man (Ge. 1:27; 9:6). While God has no problem
resurrecting the cremated, cremation does not point to the resurrection of God.
Ultimately, the hope of the believer rests in the one-to-one correspondence
between the body that dies and the body that rises (1 Cor. 15:51-55).
Our motives are the primary consideration in
everything we do. Why are we doing it? If a person cant afford burial, then
cremation might be considered. Generally speaking, what is not forbidden in
Scripture is permitted. Although cremation is not specifically forbidden,
burial, I believe, should be the preferred method.
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