Is it a sin to be cremated?

November 16th 2014 | 39865 views 

No, it is not a sin to be cremated.

The Jews and countless other cultures have historically buried their dead.  Ancient heroes like Sarah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and David were all buried according to tradition. So also, Jesus was laid in a tomb, according to Jewish Law.  They followed carefully proscribed anointing and burial practices because they hoped for a resurrection from the dead.  Matthew 5:21-22 refers to how the Sanhedrin supervised criminal trials and could impose the death sentence. Some of those found guilty were subjected to further indignity after death – being refused burial and cast into the fire of “Gehenna.”  The valley of “Gehenna” (or "Hinnom") was just outside the city of Jerusalem and is said to have served as the sewer and garbage dump for the city. Fires were continually burning, and brimstone was added for combustion and complete destruction. Living things were not to be cast into the fire. The destruction of a corpse in “Gehenna” implied a loss of hope for future life by resurrection.

The ancient Greeks, Romans, Jains and Hindus commonly practiced cremation. Christianity rejected cremation as a pagan ritual associated with human sacrifice by fire, and in parts of Europe, cremation was forbidden by law. Alternatively, it was used by Christian authorities in a manner similar to the practice of the Sanhedrin as a punishment for heretics. For example, John Wycliff ‘s body was exhumed years after his death and then cremated with the ashes thrown in a river as posthumous punishment for his denial of Roman Catholic doctrine. Mass cremations have historically been performed out of fear of contagious diseases during times of battle, pestilence or famine.

In the spirit of the scripture, “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5), we believe the manner of disposition of human remains is a personal choice. We are convicted that “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22); that death, the penalty for original sin is a certainty, whether one is evil or good in the present life. Jesus released all humanity from that penalty to give life to all in the resurrection. 

Jesus promises in John 5, “The hour is coming, when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath he given to the son to have life in himself…for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment." 

1 Corinthians 15:35-46: “But some will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other [grain]: but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh [is] not the same flesh: but [there is] one [kind of] flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, [and] another of birds… So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:  It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. And so it is written; the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit….”

Some Christians are firmly opposed to cremation, while others much prefer it to burial. The reasons are varied and the matter is a purely personal decision. The Bible does not dictate any approved method of body disposal. The God of love and righteousness has promised a resurrection for all.  

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