Burial Or Cremation For Christians...

[Guest]

Nor did I say it was a mandate.  I just believe the Bible gives the standards for God's people.  unless you can show me a crematorium in the Bible where God's people take their dead, you'll not convince me that He approves of the body being burned to lime.  Matter of fact, according to the Bible, He said burning the bones of the Edom was a transgression.  Doesn't sound like it was acceptable to me at all.

I can present plenty verses to show God's people were buried and that they will be called out of the grave when the Rapture occurs.  I have yet to find a verse that says all that are in the urns will hear His voice, but I can find one that says those in the graves will.

Is there instruction there that we are to be buried only?  No.  But there certainly is example.

The burden is on you this time to show the inverse...please provide your proof.

 

Edit to add:

There is nothing said against cremation in the NT, therefore based on past similar argument, that we are no longer under the OT, bury or cremate doesn't matter.

[Anon]

Burials should be the first choice for Christians, and I believe it is the right way to leave.
 
Cremation is the cheap way out, I am not against cremation, and I don't think it's a sin, but what do you think?
 
 

This is exactly my stand. Burial is best...but it is so expensive, how are poor people supposed to afford it?! You cannot say something is a sin if they have to go bankrupt to do it. I think burial is a standard, and a good one, but not a "law". I do not think cremation is a "sin" if it is done out of financial reasons rather than religious ones. I think the only reason cremation would be a sin is if the motive were something pagan..

[Alimantado]

Other means do not hinder resurrection, but fast forward 4 generations of no burial (perhaps due to government mandate for public safety, land management, environmental concerns and economics). ---  As you discuss the Lord's supper or baptism the honest question arises, "What's burial?", followed by, "Why would so many Christians knowingly mar, defile, or mangle such a vibrant picture of the Lord's provision for us [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] in eliminating or bypassing an opportunity for burial?" 

 

I think people forgetting what burial is wouldn't happen. For generations now we've been using seed drills and combine harvesters, with the result that many now don't have a clue how their food is made--they just buy it off the shelf--yet no-one struggles with the many images of sowing and reaping in the Bible.

[Alimantado]

If you want to compare to other practices, I guess one way we could look at it is: Some pagans practiced cremation, and some practiced burial.  The early Christians practiced burial - did any practice cremation?

 

I guess I consider cremation to be on the same level as drinking. It is not specifically forbidden by God, but He makes clear how much He dislikes it.

 

Salyan, by that logic, shouldn't we be against mechanised farming and urban society too? We know that the Jews and early Christians didn't use seed drills and combine harvesters, and moreover images of traditional hand-sowing and reaping are used as illustrations many times in the Bible both OT and NT.

[Salyan]

Salyan, by that logic, shouldn't we be against mechanised farming and urban society too? We know that the Jews and early Christians didn't use seed drills and combine harvesters, and moreover images of traditional hand-sowing and reaping are used as illustrations many times in the Bible both OT and NT.

 

Okay, that wasn't a very clear way of getting across what I was thinking. Someone earlier had said that pagans cremated, so we shouldn't. Another person replied saying that some pagans buried. I guess I was thinking that the fact that some pagans buried their dead, doesn't negate the fact that no believers in the true God appear to have cremated, and cremation appears to have been known only among pagan societies.

 
Disposal of the dead usually, especially in past, more 'religious' societies (and all ancient societies were religious), has an aspect of the spiritual in it. I don't think it can be directly compared to practical, day-to-day aspects of life quite so much.

 

[Alimantado]

Good point!

[Standing Firm In Christ]

Question:

When the bones of the king of Edom were burned into lime, did God consider it a transgression because

a )  the cremation was done by a pagan

or

b )  cremation was solely a pagan practice

or

c )  the burning of the bones of His creation is an act of rebellion against Him?

1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

[Guest]

Question:

When the bones of the king of Edom were burned into lime, did God consider it a transgression because

a )  the cremation was done by a pagan

or

b )  cremation was solely a pagan practice

or

c )  the burning of the bones of His creation is an act of rebellion against Him?

1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

d) I can't see it. Show me one place in the Bible where it says cremation is forbidden.

[Standing Firm In Christ]

Sure. Right after you show me where God allows it.

[Invicta]

I think people forgetting what burial is wouldn't happen. For generations now we've been using seed drills and combine harvesters, with the result that many now don't have a clue how their food is made--they just buy it off the shelf--yet no-one struggles with the many images of sowing and reaping in the Bible.

 

A local school kept some sheep to teach children the food chain.  When they sent one for slaughter, some of the parents caused uproar, because they didn't want their children taught that.  

[The Glory Land]

What I don't like about cremation is this, Are these realy your ashes, or is it mixed with others?

[OLD fashioned preacher]

What I don't like about cremation is this, Are these realy your ashes, or is it mixed with others?

Was your grave occupied three hundred years before your body was interred??

[The Glory Land]

Was your grave occupied three hundred years before your body was interred??

 

No,

 

Maybe we can find out, how good and clean are these oven. Would you want someone else's ashes?  Just checking ...

[Standing Firm In Christ]

Almost every crematory has a loved one read and sign a paper that contains this disclaimer:

“I understand and acknowledge, that even with the exercise of reasonable care and use of the crematory’s best efforts, it is not possible to recover all particles of the cremated remains of the Deceased, and that some particles may inadvertently become commingled with particles of other cremated remains remaining in the cremation chamber and/or other devices utilized to gather and process the cremated remains.”

[Alimantado]

Was your grave occupied three hundred years before your body was interred??

 

Good point! Gravestones only go back about 200 years, so if the churchyard is 1,000 years old...

 

I remember watching a documentary on the telly once that said a London graveyard--can't remember which--is now about 12' higher than surrounding land because so many bodies have been put into it. I've just looked up the biggest graveyard in London and it says about a million bodies have gone in over 150 years but there are only 150,000 or so distinct graves.

 

I also remember reading that somewhere in Spain you can only rent plots and if your family doesn't keep up with payments even 100 years later then they'll dispose of the headstone and the remains!

 

Not that I spend much time reading about graveyards...