For example, as Christians:
• We can not allow others to do our thinking for us when it comes to deciding what is RIGHT and what is WRONG.
• We can not just ignore these issues we face and hope they will go away.
Through the ages of time, God’s people have had to face difficult situations in society head on. Then they had to take a stand for what they believed would please God, whether it was popular or unpopular.
In this course we are going to deal with four things that today’s Christians are facing the choice of cremation.
In the past, cremation was a matter that many of us put on the back burner, because we felt it was something we would never have to deal with.
Because it was not such a big issue, many never felt the need to reach a decision about what they believed about cremation.
If you attend many funeral services these days, you will notice this issue has been taken off the back burner and we are having to deal with it.
As you go into the sanctuary of many churches where funeral services are conducted, there is no longer a casket surrounded by beautiful flowers. Instead, you have a container called the Urn, sitting on the table, and it contains the ashes (at least some of them) of the deceased.
Some people really use their imagination when it comes to having a loved one being cremated.
There is a company in Florida that is called “Eternal Reefs, Inc.”.
This is a company that creates permanent living legacies that memorialize the passing of a loved one, by turning their ashes into a reef.
They say that the reason they offer families of the deceased this choice is because it provides a new memorial option that replaces cremation urns, and ash scattering, with a permanent environmental living legacy built in their loved ones memory and honor.
They further state that the reason they offer this is because many families and individuals that decide on cremation, often choose expensive cremation urns, thinking of them as a permanent final resting place for their loved ones remains.
However, frequently they do not realize these urns are more of a temporary resting place. These urns and their cremated remains are passed on to future generations for them to care for. Ultimately they have the responsibility to find a truly permanent memorial.
They state, “We have found that more than 47% of families that take their loved ones cremated remains home, still have them more than six months later.”
Why? They say:
• It may be that family members can not bring themselves to scatter the ashes of the deceased.
• It may be that the family needs and wants a physical location to be able to visit and reflect.
They say that “Eternal Reef” can provide the closure for the family that they seek and need.
Cremation is rapidly becoming more popular. In fact, today it has become so accepted that many believe it will become standard practice very soon. Look at these statistics:
The data comes from the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) report:
UNITED STATES DATA:
• 1998—553,000 Cremations – 24.1% of all deaths
• 1999---598,721 Cremations – 25.0% of all deaths
• 2000---604,828 Cremations – 25.5% of all deaths
• 2010 projected figure will be 1,552.800 Cremations – 40% of all deaths
There are over 30,000 funeral homes in the United States and Canada offering cremation services. There are also hundreds of cremation or memorial societies.
Worldwide, about 50% of the dead are cremated.
WHY IS CREMATION BECOMING SO POPULAR?
There are many reasons that people choose cremation over burial.
1. It certainly is more economical, because a simple container can be used in place of an expensive casket.
2. There is no cost associated with perpetual care of a grave site, or tombstone.
3. It allows scattering of the remains in a place of significance to the deceased.
4. Some people would rather have their body disposed of quickly by heat, rather than allowing it to decay in a grave.
All of these seem to be legitimate reasons for cremation.
As Christians, we do not make our decisions:
• Based on what is popular
• Based on what is convenient
• Based on cost
• Based on preference
Our decisions are to be based on the Word of God.
Before we look to the Scriptures to determine what we believe about Cremation, we need to ask some questions.
(1) WHAT IS CREMATION?
The word cremation comes from the Latin word cremo which means "to burn" - particularly the burning of the dead.
(2) HOW DOES CREMATION TAKE PLACE?
Generally, it takes place when the body is placed in a wooden box. The wooden box is placed in a furnace, with the temperature between 1400 and 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. The wooden box and the body are almost completely consumed. The remains, bone fragments and particles which generally weigh from 4 to 8 pounds, are ground into granules and placed within the urn. The process takes 3 to 5 hours.
(3) DO SOME OF THE RELIGIOUS GROUPS HAVE PROBLEMS WITH CREMATION?
They certainly do. In 1886, the Roman Catholic Church officially banned cremations. Church members as recently as World War II were excommunicated for arranging them.
(4) WHY DO MOST CHRISTIANS FAVOR BURIAL OVER CREMATION?
Look at 1 Corinthians 15:35-41, we read, “But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.”
Now look at verses 42-44, we read that burial is a picture of seed being sown, and something good coming forth from that seed, such as:
• Look at verse 42, it is SOWN IN CORRUPTION; it is RAISED IN INCORRUPTION:
• Look at verse 43, It is SOWN IN DISHONOUR; it is RAISED IN GLORY:
• Look at verse 43, It is SOWN IN WEAKNESS; it is RAISED IN POWER:
• Look at verse 44, It is SOWN A NATURAL BODY; it is RAISED A SPIRITUAL BODY.
There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
God’s Word pictures death as a seed that a farmer sows, and from that seed comes forth something wonderful.
Look at verse 44 again, “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.”
As we study the Scriptures in the Old Testament and the New Testament, the “Natural” means of disposing of the body is burial, not cremation.
The picture of death is completely destroyed when it comes to cremation and scattering of ashes.
It has been the history of Bible-believers that the proper disposal of the human body at death is burial, not cremation.
• In ancient Israel, sepulchers (tombs or vaults) were used for burial
In 1870, an Italian, Professor Brunetti, developed the first modern cremation chamber. This triggered a movement towards cremation in Europe and North America, which has continued to the present day.
As Christians, we should want to know WHAT THE WORD TEACHES CONCERNING THE BURIAL OF OUR BODIES.
Now some say, “Preacher, when I am dead I do not care what they do with this body of mine!”
Those who say this, probably do not really mean it. But the problem is that they are not willing to search the Scriptures to see what God would have them to do with their bodies.
It should not surprise us that the Old Testament has some things to say about cremation. The burning of bodies in Israel was USED FOR IDOLS, CRIMINALS AND PROSTITUTES.
Burning of bodies is associated with evil. Such as:
• Look at Genesis 38:24, we read, “And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.”
Judah initially ordered his pregnant daughter-in-law to be burned to death, because she was guilty of prostitution.
• Look at Exodus 32:20, we read, “And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strowed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.”
This speaks of the destruction of the golden calf that served as an idol.
• Look at Leviticus 20:14, we read, “And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire,”
If a man had sexual relations with both a woman and her mother, then all three were to be “burnt.”
• Look at Numbers 16:35, we read, “And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.”
God exterminated Korah and 250 Israelite men with fire, because they opposed Moses.
• Look at Leviticus 21:9, we read, “And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.”
• Look at Deuteronomy 7:25, we read, “The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.”
God commanded that the idols of Pagan Gods be destroyed with fire.
• Look at Joshua 7:15-25, we read, “And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel. So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.”
After Joshua and his army exterminated the men, women, and innocent children of Jericho, a few soldiers disobeyed God's command and looted the city. As punishment for the theft, and to pay for Israel's disgrace, God ordered the thieves to be burned. They were stoned to death. Their bodies were burned, and buried in what was called the Valley of Achor.
• Look at Judges 15:6, we read, “Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.”
• Look at 2 Kings 10:26, we read, “And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.”
• Look at Jeremiah 29:22, we read, “And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire ;”
• Look at Amos 2:1, we read “Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:”
God proclaimed a death curse on Moab, because he had reduced the bones of the king of Edom to lime through burning.
• Look at Revelation 20:15, we read, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
The fate of those whose names are not written in the Book of Life, is to be thrown into the lake of fire.
Body burning is always associated with PAGANISM, EVIL, AND DAMNATION.
It would be difficult to find any Scriptures in the Old Testament or the New Testament that would encourage a Christian to have their body cremated.
Let us look at some of the great men and women of God to see how their bodies were disposed of.
• Look at how Abraham’s body was disposed of in Genesis 25:8-10. We read, “Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.”
• Look at how Sarah’s body was disposed of in Genesis 23:1-4. We read, “And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
• Look at how Rachel’s body was disposed of in Genesis 35:19-20. We read, “And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.”
• Look at how Issac’s body was disposed of in Genesis 35:29. We read, “And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”
• Look at how Jacob’s body was disposed of. In Genesis 49:33, we read, “And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.”
In Gen. 50:1-7, we read, “And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,”
• Look at how Joseph’s body was disposed of in Genesis 50:23-26. We read, “Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 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. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.”
(The Israelites went to great effort to bury Joseph’s body in the Promised Land; they retained it for over 300 years in Egypt, and after the Exodus during 40 years of wanderings before burying it.)
• Look at how David’s body was disposed of in 1 Kings 2:10. We read, “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
• Look at how John the Baptist’s body was disposed of in Matthew 14:10-12. We read, “And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.”
• Look at how Stephen’s body was disposed of in Acts 8:2. We read, “And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.”
• Look at how Moses’ body was disposed of in Deuteronomy 34:5-6. We read, “So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.”
(God selected a burial site at a secret location in Moab for Moses.)
To not be given a proper burial was considered to be a great tragedy and dishonor.
Improper burials were given to the ungodly:
• Look at 1 Kings 13:22, we read, “But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.”
A prophet disobeyed God by eating a meal in a forbidden location. God laid a curse on him: that his body would not be buried in the tomb of his fathers. Shortly after, the prophet was attacked by a lion and his remains left on a road.
Paul appears to favor burial.
Look at 1 Corinthians 15:35-44, we read, “But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
In these verses, he discusses how God will raise the decomposed body of a believer. The symbolism used is that of planting a seed and having new life rise from the decaying seed.
The Christian church has advocated burial since its inception. They reserved burning for witches and other heretics. They exterminated hundreds of thousands of them, mainly during the 15th to 18th centuries.
MY PERSONAL CONCLUSION
In this course, I have given many Scripture references for us to consider as to why Cremation should not be a consideration when we decide how we are going to dispose of our body.
Since the Scriptures show us over and over again how the ungodly were burned, but the godly were buried, this seems to be the way God expects us to dispose of this body that he has entrusted to us.
You can not find one scripture that supports Christians practicing cremation. NOT ONE!
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