Is cremation wrong ?

Question

What does the bible say about burning the body after death?

Answer 1

It is not stated in the bible (to do it, or not to do it).

In Christian countries, cremation fell out of favour due to the Christian belief in the physical resurrection of the body. Beginning in the Middle Ages, rationalists and classicists began to advocate it. In the Medieval Europe, cremation was practised only on special occasions, such as in situations where there were multitudes of corpses simultaneously present, such as after a battle, after a pestilence or famine, and there was an imminent danger of diseases spreading by the corpses.

The first to approve cremation were the Protestant churches, whose rationale was "God can resurrect a bowl of ashes just as conveniently as He can resurrect a bowl of dust". The development of modern crematoria also helped to make difference on the Pagan rite of burning the corpse on pyre. The first crematoria in the Protestant countries were built in 1870s.


More history:

For most of its history, the Roman Catholic Church had a ban in place against cremation, which was lifted in the 1960s. The church still officially prefers the traditional burial of the deceased. Cremation is now permitted as long as it is not done to express a refusal to believe in the resurrection of the body, and the church has become more open to the idea of cremation. [2] Until 1997, Church regulations stipulated that cremation was to take place after the funeral service has taken place. Permission of the Ordinary is still required to bring ashes into the church for the Mass of Christian Burial. The Church does specify requirements for the reverent disposition of ashes. This means that the ashes are to be buried or entombed in an appropriate container, such as an urn. The Church does not permit the scattering of ashes or keeping them at home.

*** EDIT ***

Karen is wrong:

Judaism has traditionally disapproved of cremation, as it was the traditional means of disposing the dead in the neighbouring Bronze Age Pagan Semitic cultures, but also disapproved of preservation of the dead by means of embalming and mummifying, as the Egyptians did. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, as the Jewish cemeteries in many European towns had become crowded and were running out of space, cremation became an approved means of burial amongst the Liberal Jews.

The Orthodox Jews have maintained a stricter line on cremation, and disapprove of it as Halakha (Jewish law) forbids it, considering a soul of a cremated person will remain as a restless wanderer for eternity. Also, the memory of the Holocaust, where millions of Jews were murdered and their bodies disposed by burning them either in crematoria or burning pits, has given cremation extremely negative connotations in the minds of Orthodox Jews, who often view it as blasphemy.

Jews do not use embalming, they cannot use a coffin that has any metal in it, and they are supposed to be "buried" without any clothes. Also, if they lose any (or most any, depending on the size) body part (arm, leg, hand, etc.) AND survive, then that body part needs to be buried.

But, they CAN be cremated.

Answer 2

It is a personal choice. I have never seen it, nor had it pointed out to me in the Bible.

Someone mentioned that if God were to resurrect the person, he wouldn't be able to resurrect a bunch of ashes. But, since he created man in the first place, he certainly could make a new body for them, and it would not have all of the problems that the person died with.

I think the Jews have a tradition about not believing in Cremation, because they (this understanding is coming from what I have read in the old testament) believed that a proper burial was only given to those who deserved a resurrection. Those who didn't were thrown into the valley of Hinnom (spelling?), which was a huge garbage dump outside of Jerusalem that was kept burning with fire and sulfur. They would throw the dead bodies of criminals there as well, representing their unworthiness.

Where the Bible talks about the practice of passing someone through the fire to Molech - that is speaking of the foreign (to the Jews) country's religious practice of child sacrifice.

Answer 3

I plan to be cremated and my parents are upset over this. They are Christian so I assume the reason comes from the Bible. The only thing my dad has said is that cremation is too much like Hellfire. Does that help?

Probably my parents will die before me so they won't have to deal with this issue. I will bury them as they have said they want this.

Answer 4

This passage leads one to believe that King Asa was cremated. The early Catholic Church forbid cremation but it no longer does so.

[2 Chr 16:14] They buried him in the tomb he had hewn for himself in the City of David, having laid him upon a couch which was filled with spices and various kinds of aromatics compounded into an ointment. They also burned a very great funeral pyre for him.

Answer 5

Contrary to popular belief, cremation is okay in the Catholic Church -- provided that the person did not request cremation in order to declare non-belief in the resurrection of the body.

In some countries -- including Japan, where I lived for six years -- cremation is required by law in most cases. For the few Catholics in Japan, this law does not violate their religious beliefs.

Answer 6

I'm not really sure if this is right but in the Bible I think it says when God comes again He will raise all the bodies up and I think it would be hard to raise a million little ashes up but I'm not sure if it is wrong I'm sure He could raise whatever He wanted up. I think cremation is just kinda different that's all.

Answer 7

Jews are not to be cremated. Even the Catholic church accepts cremation. It isn't wrong or right. It is a choice that more people are making to preserve space and resources.

Answer 8

I don't know of any reason that it would make a difference. I've heard the same arguement made about donating your organs after you die, as if it's some kind of mutilation. As far as I'm concerned, when you die your body becomes and empty shell. it will eventually rot away anyway, so if you chose to have it cremated, what would be the difference?

Answer 9

Its just a personal choice. The spirit has left the body on death, what is left is no longer useful and can return to the soil through creation as well as burial.

Answer 10

it is none of the Bible writers or supporters business. Cremation is not wrong in itself, only in the wasteful way it is done. It would be more green and much more responsible if the local crematorium would give me and sensible people like me all the left over ashes so I can use them as fertiliser on my garden.