Cremation??? Is Biblical or not? My sister was recently questioning this, and I don't know what th

[patricia92243]

the Bible says about it one way or the other. I know cremation as a subject might not be mentioned, but I was wondering what the Bible' inclination might be.

The Jews bringing Joseph's bones back home was what got my sister to thinking about it.

Any input on this subject will be appreciated.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. The Bible says nothing one way or the other.

Some have interpreted some of the stuff from Revelation and Paul to mean that we will have a physical, bodily resurrection, and thus the Catholic Church long held that cremation was wrong and burial was the only proper way to have one's body "disposed" of after death. The Catholic Church has officially changed its position on that, knowing what an ecological disaster burial is (or, more rightfully, the burial industry and process as exercised in Western nations and likely many others).

Nowadays, though, pretty much no one believes that cremation is wrong. Some old schoolers, maybe. Even the fundy Jesus Crispy fucks who DO believe (errantly) in a physical, bodily resurrection, don't much think that it means literally the bodies that we have now and that they thus must be "preserved" by not cremating - if they know that a human body decays and decomposes. They see it as Jesus giving us brand new bodies, but just like the ones we have now. (but then ask them, "But at which age will my body come back?" and they're stymied).

The Bible takes no stance on it whatsoever. The tradition of the time was wrapping in a burial shroud and either burying or placing in a cave/tomb. But it never says that's the only legal option.

[RevCheesehead]

3. ....

"...the fundy Jesus Crispy fucks.."

:rofl:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. The Catholic doctrine had some other problems, too, since it didn't

account for their own martyrs, who had been eaten by lions or burned at the stake.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. I suspect any earlier Christian problems with...

cremation had more to do with the Christian remnants of Jewish burial customs and laws.

There was, though, that curious idea that the "cremation" of witches, preferably while still alive, was the best way to get rid of them.

At any rate, the medievel church required that one be buried in holy ground for the soul to have whatever good things happens to the soul happen to it. Since there was a scarcity of consecrated ground, what with farmland being scarce enough already, many church graveyards dug up the bones after an appropriate time and dumped them into some sort of storage bin so they could bury the next crew in the churchyard. Tombs and sepulchres for the bigshots were the accepted alternative to this treatment.

Aside from things like Viking longboat fires and Hindu funeral pyres, it seems that some sort of burial is common throughout human history. I'm guessing that it was mainly a health and don't-let-the wolves-eat-them issue and that cremation was usually a lot messier than burial.

We've gone beyond all of that stuff now, and the Bible has nothing at all to say about the matter.

[goclark]

5. My Aunt knew the Bible's every word

She died at 93 years old.

She not only asked to be cremated, she donated her body to Medical Science.

That is what I plan to do as well.


I am sure that if my Aunt believed that the Bible told her not to, she would not do it.

[nealmhughes]

6. If a deity is capable of raising a corporeal body with scattered bones to life,

then why not molecules scattered upon the wind or the waves? The entire point of belief in a resurrection is a spiritual existence, not a "glorified carnal" one.

The coolest funeral I've heard of since Viking boats ablaze is some Swede who takes the body, deep freezes it in liquid Nitrogen, then smashes it to bits with a hammer then the parts are placed in a biodegradable shroud/bag and planted deeply below the roots of a tree!

Kewl!

If the Dalai Lama is disposed of by traditional means, his closest disciples will take his body, smash it to pieces, flay the flesh and leave it in a wild exposed place for the scavengers to eat. It is considered the final act of kindness in Tibetan Bon/Buddhism.

Now that is a very highly evolved method of body disposal! Personally, I lean towards Soylant Green, myself.

[rasputin1952]

7. If there is an all powerful God, there seems to be little problem

putting someone back "together".

And if one takes burial at sea for what it is worth, if the sea is deep enough, the body will be crushed beyond recognition, not to mention the creatures that will find nourishment from the body that makes it to the ocean floor, or on the way down.

I believe that certain sects of Judeo/Christian belief systems looked at fire as a form of hell; then again, they also looked at it as cleansing when "tainted" by evil spirits.

IMHO, I plan on being cremated, (after I die), and my body is used for scientific study.