What does the Bible say about cremation? Many people ask this crucial question to be sure if it is okay to have their bodies cremated. This is important as they prepare their wills and decide how they want to handle their remains. Is it a sin? Does cremation interfere with the resurrection?
The Bible does not outrightly condemn cremation. Instead, it mentions that it is a form of punishment in the Old Testament and provides another means of handling the remains of dead people.
Because the method of cremation is already becoming the norm, many religious individuals who frequently consult the Bible to learn what the Bible says about cremation.
If you also have these questions about cremation, this article will answer it.
What is cremation?
Cremation is simply the burning of dead bodies. The popular premise found in the Bible is “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” This phrase describes the process by which the human body is reduced to its fundamental components by burning. Therefore, they put the body in a wooden or cardboard coffin chamber. Since most of the body consists of tissue, it is easy to burn, leaving the bones behind. Then the bone is taken to the cremation chamber. This is usually a masonry-lined cage, and burned at temperatures between 1800 and 2000 degrees. Then the bone turns to ashes and is put in an urn. The crematorium then gives the urn to the deceased loved ones.
History of Cremation
It is hard to know exactly how and when cremation started. Some archeologists date it back as far as the stone age, thousands of years ago. Around that time, the Romans and Greeks started cremating their dead because they didn’t believe in an afterlife.
While Christians and Catholics opposed it because they believed burying the dead was the best approach to handling dead bodies. But throughout history, there have been phases when cremation was more popular.
The following have been the accepted and popular ways of finding closure with deceased bodies when you check the history:
- The use of a casket and vault
- The use of a burial site or crypt with spaces for visitation or viewing
- The use of a headstone and grave liner
- An embalming service
Many even believe that when you cremate a dead body, you are punishing the body. And religious people believe only the heathen cremate their dead. And in the past, they also cremated the dead bodies of people who died of contagious diseases.
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What Does The Bible Say About Cremation?
Although the Bible did not explicitly endorse cremation, there are some facts you can infer to determine whether it is okay to cremate your body or the bodies of your loved ones.
The Bible did not say cremation is a sin; if it were a sin, the Bible would have outrightly mentioned it together with other practices considered wrong.
If you check both the Old and New Testament texts, you will find that burial, rather than cremation, is the typical method of both the Israelites and the early Christians. Cremation was a kind of punishment in biblical times, not as a norm for most people.
The first reference to cremation in the old testament of the Bible occurs in 1 Samuel 31: 11-13 when they burnt Saul and his sons’ bodies and buried their bones after their enemies cut off their heads, which is horrific. However, Bible scholars believe they didn’t do that for religious rites but for hygiene reasons.
“When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.”
1 Samuel 31:11-13
Other places the Bible says something about Cremation are Amos 2:1, 6:8-10, Leviticus 20:14, etc.
The New Testament also did not say anything in particular, just that our body is the temple of God and that at the resurrection at the end of time, God will change our mortal bodies and reunite them with our spirits. But still, many Christians feel cremation is a sin and that it will interfere with the deceased’s resurrection since certain pagans started cremation because they don’t believe in life after death.
What Do The Catholics Think About Cremation?
The Catholics categorically forbade it. Though they have loosened up over the years, they still instruct people not to scatter the ashes, and displaying the ashes in the house, transforming them into jewelry, diamonds, cremation art, or any other kind of exhibition is prohibited after the cremation, but to do a proper funeral before and after it. They should also place the urn in the cemetery or other proper places.
Benefits of Cremation
While many people, especially Christians and Catholics, are not open to cremation, we can all agree it saves money and can help loved ones get the necessary closure they need.
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