“The Christian and Cremation”

Everyone Will Die One Day Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV) 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

A Valid Concern: How does God want us to dispose of the bodies of the dead? I Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” If one’s body is cremated, how can he/she rise from the dead?

Arguments Supporting Burial The Burning of Bodies is almost always mentioned in a Negative Light: Saul & His Sons: bodies burned to prevent the Philistines from dishonoring their bodies (1 Sam. 31:12-13; 2 Sam. 21:12-14) God burned the bodies of Nadab & Abihu (Lev.10:1)

Arguments Supporting Burial The Burning of Bodies is almost always mentioned in a Negative Light: Josiah executed all of the priests who worshipped unlawfully in the highplaces he burned men’s bones on the unlawful altars to defile them (2 Kgs.23:19-20) Josiah executed all of the priests who worshipped unlawfully in the high places he burned men’s bones on the unlawful altars to defile them (2 Kgs. 23:19-20)

Arguments Supporting Burial The Burning of Bodies is almost always mentioned in a Negative Light: Burning at the stake (not exactly cremation) was a punishment for sin: Achan: “…he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has,because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgracefulthing in Israel.” (Josh. 7:15, 25) “…he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.” (Josh. 7:15, 25) A man who took both a woman and her mother as a wife was to be burned to death. (Lev.20:14) A man who took both a woman and her mother as a wife was to be burned to death. (Lev. 20:14) The daughter of a priest who became a prostitute was to be burned with fire (Lev. 21:9) Paul wrote of the ways he might be martyred by being burned (1 Cor. 13:3)

Arguments Supporting Burial The Burning of Bodies is almost always mentioned in a Negative Light: Failure to bury a body (leave exposed) was considered a disgrace: Soldiers left upon a battlefield (Jer. 16:4) God spoke of what would happen to Pharaoh’s army (Ezek. 29:5) Amos 6:10 There it seems that God approved of the burning of bodies but only in a rare times of pestilence to prevent the spread of disease

Arguments Supporting Burial Cremation was “the customary practice of the ancient Greeks, and not unknown among the Romans, was certainly not the ordinary mode of disposing of the dead among the Hebrews or other oriental peoples.” – International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Standard practice of Hindus (pagans) “Some rabbis considered the burning of the corpse consistent only with idolatry (Abodah Zarah i.3).” – Timothy George, Cremation Confusion

Arguments Supporting Burial "Cremation was denounced as a purely heathen practice, contrary to the whole spirit of Old Testament teaching." - Sketches of Jewish Life, p. 169, Edersheim “As the catacombs in Rome attest, the early Christians insisted on burying their dead. Christian grave sites were called coemeteria (cemeteries), which literally means 'sleeping places,' reflecting belief in a future resurrection.” – Timothy George, Cremation Confusion

Arguments Supporting Burial "For many years, relatively few persons (mostly liberals and freethinkers) chose cremation. But that has changed dramatically. Only 5 percent of Americans were cremated in 1962; by 2000 it was 25.5 percent." – Timothy George, Cremation Confusion

Arguments Supporting Burial Entombed: The burial of choice in the Bible: Sarah (Gen. 23:3-4; 17-20) Abraham (Gen. 25:8-9) (Gen. 35:8). Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse (Gen. 35:8). Isaac (Gen. 35:29). Leah (Gen. 49:31). Joseph- embalmed in Egypt & later buried (Gen. 25:26; Josh. 24:32). God Himself buried Moses in f Moab (Dt. 34:5-6). David, Solomon, Hezekiah (1 Kgs. 2:10; 11:43; 15:8; 2 Kgs. 15:38; 2 Chr. 32:33) Jesus - in a tomb (Mat. 27:57-60) Stephen (Ac. 8:1).

Arguments Supporting Burial Summary: No passage, O.T. or N.T. that favorably endorses cremation under normal circumstances. Cremation seems to be more popular among unbelievers and pagans. Cremation was sometimes viewed as a means of dishonoring a person after death. Burial was the preferred means of caring for the dead in the Bible.

Arguments Supporting Cremation Argument #1: Cremation only expedites the process that would happen in the grave. Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 1 Corinthians 15:48 “As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust…” Eccl. 12:7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. (NKJV)

Arguments Supporting Cremation Argument #1: Cremation only expedites the process that would happen in the grave. "Of course, many martyrs were burned to death, but Christians believed God would bring them forth unimpaired at the resurrection. 'We do not fear any loss from any mode of sepulture,' declared Minucius Felix, 'but we adhere to the old and better custom of burial.'” – Timothy George, Cremation Confusion

Arguments Supporting Cremation Argument #2: Cremation is often out of one’s control. Families who do not have money to bury their dead often choose cremation Christians who may die in fires People blown up or incinerated in wars (Hiroshima or Nagasaki) People who donate their bodies to medical science or become organ donors Christians lost at sea, bodies eaten by sharks (i.e. on ships in times of war) Martyred Christians eaten by lions Bodies eaten by worms, bugs, vultures, etc. Children born deformed Encased in volcanic lava (people of Pompeii in 79 AD burying nearly 20,000 people)

Arguments Supporting Cremation Argument #3: It was logical that people in the region of the holy land would have no custom of cremation. Wood - a scarcity Ancient vs. Modern Cremation: Modern Cremation: Burns a body at 2,000°F for 3-4 hrs. in an enclosed incinerator Wood only burns at 1200°F (at hottest) Ancient Cremation: Open air, Wood only burns at 1200°F (at hottest) Cost then vs. now Cremation would not have even been as expedient as burial in Biblical times.

Arguments Supporting Cremation Argument #4: Although burial is mentioned, there is not a single prohibition against cremation in the scriptures?

Arguments Supporting Cremation Argument #5: If we must follow the custom of burial in the Bible, consistency would demand we follow other customs also. Childbirth Marriage Ceremonies Dress Codes Timekeeping Measurements

Arguments Supporting Cremation Argument #6: I know of no example where people were buried in the ground and covered with dirt. Hebrew words meaning “bury” can mean any type of burial (i.e. including tombs) Tombs are the only burials mentioned (so far as I could find unless bury is intended to mean “in the ground” in some cases)

Why Cremation vs. Burial is a Non-issue Question #1: What happens when one dies? Ecclesiastes 3:21 (NKJV) 21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? 2 Pet. 1:14 …knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

Why Cremation vs. Burial is a Non-issue Question #2: Will we ever have the same bodies we have now, again? 2 Corinthians 5:6 (NKJV) 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.

Why Cremation vs. Burial is a Non-issue Question #2: Will we ever have the same bodies we have now, again? 1 Cor. 15:35 “someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do theycome?’” “someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?’” 1 Cor. 15:42b-42a “…42 body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body…”

Why Cremation vs. Burial is a Non-issue Question #2: Will we ever have the same bodies we have now, again? 1 Cor. 15:48-49 “As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so alsoare those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bearthe image of the heavenly Man.” “As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” 1 Cor. 15:50 “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.” 1 Cor. 15:52 “we shall be changed” and “…this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Why Cremation vs. Burial is a Non-issue Question #3: What part(s) of man will live forever? 1 Peter 3:4 (NKJV) 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Why Cremation vs. Burial is a Non-issue Question #3: What part(s) of man will live forever? 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NKJV) 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

Why Cremation vs. Burial is a Non-issue Question #3: What part(s) of man will live forever? Ecclesiastes 12:7 (NKJV) 7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

When Deciding, Remember these Principles: Romans 14:23 (NKJV) 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. 1 John 3:4 (NKJV) 4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.