MikeLigalig.com

Different Christians, Different Views


Both of my parents were cremated. Both had been born Christian but became agnostic so there were no religious questions involved. My father died at home in Hawaii and my mother brought his ashes to the mainland in a cardboard box and no permits (not legal). We scattered his ashes on the slopes of Mt. Shasta. My mother also died at home in Hawaii. Part of her ashes were taken out to sea and part were scattered on Mt. Shasta. We had memorial services for each parent and found the scattering the cremated remains with our own hands a profound and comforting experience.

Modern cremation was developed in 1870 and the first cremation was done in that same year. The ceremony included quotations from Darwin and from Hindu scripture.

Both the Greeks and the Romans practiced cremation while early Christians placed the body in a catacomb or buried it. Cremation was shunned as being a pagan practice.

Today, cremation is becoming more popular with 28% of all remains being cremated and this figure is growing rapidly. The main reasons for this increase are cost and concern for the environment. The cost of cremation runs from about $500 to $2000 compared to the average cost of a funeral at $6000, not including the burial plot.

In cremation, the body is placed in a wooden box or casket and then put into the crematorium where temperatures are 1400 to 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. The cremated remains consist of bone fragments and particles. These are then finely ground.


The Bible is clear concerning death and the mortality of the body. Genesis 3:19 says, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Jesus further illustrated a perspective towards the disposal of the body when he spoke to one who would follow Him: Luke 9:59-60 says, “He said to another man, ‘Follow me.’ But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’” At first, this appears to be a harsh and unfeeling response, but Jesus was determined that those who followed Him would give Him their full attention; disposing of the body of the dead was obviously of very low priority. If the Bible renders a low priority to this issue then it would seem that the method of disposal may be left to individual taste and, perhaps, other societal and environmental dictates.

Cremation, while still a controversial practice is nonetheless widely performed throughout the world.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=18674.0