The Bible and Cremation

[URAVIP2ME]

I don't believe in resurrection, and don't like the idea of worms and rot. I would rather leave my inheritance to better causes than having a big fancy funeral for myself. Dust, to dirt, to trees and life.

I can agree that most people would Not like the idea of worms and rot before returning to dust - Gen. 3:19
I thought the fancy funeral for the Queen was a bit too much over the top.
I couldn't help but think those mourning people went home with a bad headache instead of real Bible comfort.
Today I find the ' trees to (and) life ' is by: Green Burial for many people.

P.S. One person said ' worms ' have eternal life after reading Isaiah 66:24 where it says, " their worm shall Not die."
We know literal worms do die and they always will, but in verse 24 what the burnt-up corpses that have Not been consumed/eliminated the worms would simply finish off.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I don't believe in resurrection,............................

You don't have to believe in a resurrection because at Jesus' coming Glory Time of separation (Matthew 25:31-34,37)
the figurative humble 'sheep' and the haughty ' goats are alive on Earth so No need of a resurrection for the living 'sheep'.
The 'sheep' can be here alive on Earth to see calendar Day One of Jesus' coming 1,000 year reign over Earth.
Jesus will eliminate, bring and end to enemy death on Earth, thus the ' sheep' have the opportunity to live forever.
The 'sheep' will have the same live-forever opportunity that was originally offered to Adam before his downfall.
Live forever on Earth because Jesus will bring an end to death on Earth - 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8.
So, if you are alive at Jesus' coming and he considers you as one of the figurative 'sheep' there will be No need of a resurrection for you.

 

[DNB]

I saw an article about newt ways people are using to deal with the remains of their loved ones, and it got me thinking if there is anything in the Bible in the form of instructions.
Cremation is becoming more popular and I can see why. I also saw something about burying a persons remains and turn them into a tree. That one had a certain touch of beauty to it.
I did some research and there is no Bible command regarding either burial or cremation of the dead.
There are examples of both and no indication that one is more acceptable than the other. I know some people think cremation dishonors the body, but the Bible says that those who die return to the dust, which is what naturally happens to a corpse when it decomposes. (Genesis 3:19) Cremation actually speeds up the process.
Looks like it's a personal decision. I hope I don't have to make it anytime soon.

As you said, there is no didactically prescribed method for burial within the Bible. But, there is an implied tenor as to which is honourable or not - burial in a tomb with the proper ceremony, as opposed to be eaten by wild animals ,or desecrated by abusive handling of the body or neglect.

As far as my understanding goes, the type of burial applied to one's corpse has absolutely no bearing on salvation or God's approbation of your spirit. For, many martyrs have died in the flames, torn apart by wild beasts, tortured and mutilated, lost at sea - no remnant of their body left. Therefore, considering the Christian faith believes that upon resurrection we will be given new bodies that are entirely different than our former earthly bodies i.e. conducive to the environment of heaven and eternity, we put very little weight in the manner that our corporeal bodies are treated or honoured upon death.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

To me Deuteronomy 14:2 is in connection to 1 Peter 1:15 to be holy in one's conduct.
Deuteronomy 28:9 to be holy by walking in God's ways.
So, to me 14:2; 28:9 is about the living and Not about what to do about the dead.

It's always nice when some Christian takes the time to explain Jewish scripture.

 

[metis]

My wife & I will be cremated, and we already purchased our cremation niches. We visited them a few weeks ago but we weren't home.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

It's always nice when some Christian takes the time to explain Jewish scripture.

Explain or more like just posting what I was reading.
Any thoughts about the verses I posted.
That is what I would like an explanation.

 

[pearl]

Our family chooses cremation - no family cemetery, we have an ash scattering place

Same with us. Cremation, ashes to be scattered at sea. After which family will celebrate and remember together in a way of their choosing.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

.................... Therefore, considering the Christian faith believes that upon resurrection we will be given new bodies that are entirely different than our former earthly bodies i.e. conducive to the environment of heaven and eternity, we put very little weight in the manner that our corporeal bodies are treated or honoured upon death.

Sure, some people have a first or earlier resurrection to heaven - Revelation 20:6
They serve with Jesus as kings and priests for a thousand years over earth - Revelation 5:9-10
Serve as Kings and Priests over earthly subjects of God's Kingdom - Psalms 72:8
The ones not resurrected to Heaven can have a happy-and-healthy physical resurrection back to life on Earth.
Jesus promised that humble meek people will inherit the Earth - Matthew 5:5 from Psalms 37:9-11.
The dead are in 'God's memory' thus people resurrected in a physical body will be in a healthy body.
The same person but without sickness.
We can see a new movie with an old actor who was also an actor when he was young in movies.
We can see with the mind's eye how an old now-dead actor can look as he did when he was young.
Remember: Jesus comes to bring ' healing ' (Not to Heaven) but to earth's nations - Revelation 22:2
'Healing' to the point that No one will say, " I am sick......" - Isaiah 33:34
Even ' enemy death ' will be No more on Earth - 1 Corinthians 15:26; Isaiah 25:8
People with a physical resurrection will be healthy as described in Isaiah 35th chapter.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Same with us. Cremation, ashes to be scattered at sea......

And the sea is just fine according to Revelation 20:13 because the sea will give up its dead.
Rejoice " there is going to be a resurrection...." - Acts of the Apostles 24:15

 

[pearl]

And the sea is just fine according to Revelation 20:13 because the sea will give up its dead.
Rejoice " there is going to be a resurrection...."

It is certainly a mystery as to what awaits us as no one on this side of death really 'knows'. Accept that we are always moving forward, towards what is the question. When one thinks of all the great accomplishments humanity has come to now and what great accomplishments in the future.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Explain or more like just posting what I was reading.
Any thoughts about the verses I posted.
That is what I would like an explanation.

Only that they appear to have been authored by an unknown Christian apologist whose opinion is irrelevant to the question of the origins of Jewish law or tradition.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I saw an article about newt ways people are using to deal with the remains of their loved ones, and it got me thinking if there is anything in the Bible in the form of instructions.
Cremation is becoming more popular and I can see why. I also saw something about burying a persons remains and turn them into a tree. That one had a certain touch of beauty to it.
I did some research and there is no Bible command regarding either burial or cremation of the dead.
There are examples of both and no indication that one is more acceptable than the other. I know some people think cremation dishonors the body, but the Bible says that those who die return to the dust, which is what naturally happens to a corpse when it decomposes. (Genesis 3:19) Cremation actually speeds up the process.
Looks like it's a personal decision. I hope I don't have to make it anytime soon.

I used to want to be cremated but I researched how bad it is for the environment. I think I want to be buried in a conservation cemetery. It's one where you don't get embalmed, but you are put in a cheap coffin or a shroud and buried among nature. There is one in FL and a couple in OR. There are others but those are the ones I am interested in because I was born in Oregon but live in Florida.

 

[muhammad_isa]

I don't think crematoriums existed when Abel & Cain were around.
I don't like the idea of being burnt in a fire .. but hey, it could happen to any of us.

 

[DNB]

Sure, some people have a first or earlier resurrection to heaven - Revelation 20:6
They serve with Jesus as kings and priests for a thousand years over earth - Revelation 5:9-10
Serve as Kings and Priests over earthly subjects of God's Kingdom - Psalms 72:8
The ones not resurrected to Heaven can have a happy-and-healthy physical resurrection back to life on Earth.
Jesus promised that humble meek people will inherit the Earth - Matthew 5:5 from Psalms 37:9-11.
The dead are in 'God's memory' thus people resurrected in a physical body will be in a healthy body.
The same person but without sickness.
We can see a new movie with an old actor who was also an actor when he was young in movies.
We can see with the mind's eye how an old now-dead actor can look as he did when he was young.
Remember: Jesus comes to bring ' healing ' (Not to Heaven) but to earth's nations - Revelation 22:2
'Healing' to the point that No one will say, " I am sick......" - Isaiah 33:34
Even ' enemy death ' will be No more on Earth - 1 Corinthians 15:26; Isaiah 25:8
People with a physical resurrection will be healthy as described in Isaiah 35th chapter.

1 Corinthians 15

35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 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.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

 

[IndigoChild5559]

I saw an article about newt ways people are using to deal with the remains of their loved ones, and it got me thinking if there is anything in the Bible in the form of instructions.
Cremation is becoming more popular and I can see why. I also saw something about burying a persons remains and turn them into a tree. That one had a certain touch of beauty to it.
I did some research and there is no Bible command regarding either burial or cremation of the dead.
There are examples of both and no indication that one is more acceptable than the other. I know some people think cremation dishonors the body, but the Bible says that those who die return to the dust, which is what naturally happens to a corpse when it decomposes. (Genesis 3:19) Cremation actually speeds up the process.
Looks like it's a personal decision. I hope I don't have to make it anytime soon.

Traditionally, Jews and Christians have been opposed to cremation, since the idea was to have an intact body for the day of resurrection. However, this way of reasoning has its drawbacks. For one thing, buried bodies from thousands of years ago are often torn apart and partial, not intact. Are these people unable to be resurrected? Problem 2, what about all the Jews who were cremated in death camps, will they not be resurrected? Most Jews would take issue with that. Problem 3, the truth is that burial is simply too expensive for a lot of people -- they opt for cremation because that is the only thing they can afford. Does God punish the poor by not resurrecting them?

 

[muhammad_isa]

..the truth is that burial is simply too expensive for a lot of people -- they opt for cremation because that is the only thing they can afford. Does God punish the poor by not resurrecting them?

Of course not..
Everything we do is judged by its intention.

The problem, as I see it, is the vast expansion of cities since the industrial revolution.
The further one goes away from "abomination", the cheaper the land.

 

[Vee]

Traditionally, Jews and Christians have been opposed to cremation, since the idea was to have an intact body for the day of resurrection. However, this way of reasoning has its drawbacks. For one thing, buried bodies from thousands of years ago are often torn apart and partial, not intact. Are these people unable to be resurrected? Problem 2, what about all the Jews who were cremated in death camps, will they not be resurrected? Most Jews would take issue with that. Problem 3, the truth is that burial is simply too expensive for a lot of people -- they opt for cremation because that is the only thing they can afford. Does God punish the poor by not resurrecting them?

There is no biblical reason to believe a dead body should be preserved for thousands of years to be entitled to resurrection. That's not even possible. Bodies decompose and disappear.
The Bible indicates that God remembers all the dead people and when resurrection happens he'll simply bring them back with new bodies that resemble the ones they had previously.

 

[muhammad_isa]

The Bible indicates that God remembers all the dead people and when resurrection happens he'll simply bring them back with new bodies that resemble the ones they had previously.

..and that is easy for Almighty God, who is responsible for all we see.
..He is Magnificent.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

It is certainly a mystery as to what awaits us as no one on this side of death really 'knows'. Accept that we are always moving forward, towards what is the question. When one thinks of all the great accomplishments humanity has come to now and what great accomplishments in the future.

To me since God resurrected Jesus then Jesus does know what awaits us on this side of death.
ALL the resurrections Jesus performed were happy-and-healthy physical resurrections.
Thus, Jesus was giving us a sample preview, a coming attraction of what he will do on a grand-global scale.
Since the dead 'sleep' (Psalms 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; Ecclesiastes 9:5; John 11:11-14 ) then Jesus will awaken the sleeping dead on Resurrection Day ( Jesus; Millennium-Long Day of governing over Earth for a thousand years )
Jesus will bring the great resurrection accomplishment in the near future for humanity - Acts of the Apostles 24:15

 

[URAVIP2ME]

1 Corinthians 15
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 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.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Yes, 'flesh and blood' (physical) is Not resurrected to Heaven - 1 Corinthians 15:50-54
Those ' brothers ' (1st Cor, 15:1) who have that first or earlier resurrection - Revelation 20:6; 5:9-10 - to serve in Heaven with Jesus do Not take a physical body to Heaven.
At 1 Corinthians 15:40 mentions both a heavenly body and a earthly body.
The meek who will inherit the Earth are resurrected in physical earthly bodies.
Thus, the majority of mankind can have a physical resurrection in a healthy physical body resembling the old one.