cremation vs. burial

[missmuffet]

I know of a guy who decided to donate his body to science.He had tattoos in various places that said "tear here,fold here,cut here with lines.I guess he thought that was funny and a joke after he was gone.

[ricky]

I know of a guy who decided to donate his body to science.He had tattoos in various places that said "tear here,fold here,cut here with lines.I guess he thought that was funny and a joke after he was gone.

That's weird, horrible, and hilarious all at the same time. 

[missmuffet]

I know of a guy who decided to donate his body to science.He had tattoos in various places that said "tear here,fold here,cut here with lines.I guess he thought that was funny and a joke after he was gone.

That's weird, horrible, and hilarious all at the same time. 

I know it is kind of weird.

[Ezra]

at that point we are dead. our spirit is in heaven, where God promises to give us new bodies. When we die, what happens to our earthly bodies is clearly irrelevant.

Not really. No irrelevance here.  The saints are to "sleep in Christ" until they are resurrected.

And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (Mt 27:52,53)

And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. (Mt 27:59,60)

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep...And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. (Acts 7:59,60; 8:2)

In the Bible sleep means to be dead.Some who believe in soul sleep think that sleep means that the soul stays with the body until it is resurrected.No so.The soul goes immediately to heaven or hades.While the body remains in the grave.

"While the body remains in the grave".  That was precisely the point. Let's not go off on rabbit trails about soul sleep (a false doctrine).

[missmuffet]

at that point we are dead. our spirit is in heaven, where God promises to give us new bodies. When we die, what happens to our earthly bodies is clearly irrelevant.

Not really. No irrelevance here.  The saints are to "sleep in Christ" until they are resurrected.

And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (Mt 27:52,53)

And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. (Mt 27:59,60)

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep...And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. (Acts 7:59,60; 8:2)

In the Bible sleep means to be dead.Some who believe in soul sleep think that sleep means that the soul stays with the body until it is resurrected.No so.The soul goes immediately to heaven or hades.While the body remains in the grave.

"While the body remains in the grave".  That was precisely the point. Let's not go off on rabbit trails about soul sleep (a false doctrine).

Yes it is a false doctrine.I was just verifying what "sleep" was.

[Openly Curious]

All I know is that if I should go by way of grave before the Lord's coming.  Then I want my body to be in the grave when the graves are opened at the Lord's coming so that I will be reunited with it and receive my glorified body.

Except a kernel of wheat fall to the ground and die it has no hope of the resurrection.  I want my body to be planted in the ground when I die.

[kwikphilly]

Blessings Openly Curious,,,,,

    I guess no one took the time to read 1 Cor 15,as you suggested,,,,,,,thanks for the reference.

I don't care what anyone does with it when this body expires,,,,,,,,,,,,

The Resurrection Body

³⁵ But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” ³⁶ How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. ³⁹ Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

Gods Word is good for me!"When you sow you do not plant the body that will be".................."The body sown is perishable"

Perishable | Define Perishable at Dictionary.com

dictionary.reference.com/browse/perishable

Dictionary.com

Perishable definition, subject to decay, ruin, or destruction: perishable fruits and vegetables. See more.

                                                   To God be the Glory     With love-in Christ,Kwik

[gdemoss]

I am completely against Cremation as a respectable end for ones body.  I believe it to represent a life poorly lived ending in the need to completely destroy the remains of an individual.

Honorable burials are ones such as our Lords where God sees to it to make sure they are preserved.  A wealthy man gave his own tomb that was hewn out of rock to lay to rest the body of the Lord.  God saw fit not to allow his body to see corruption and ressurected him unto life removing him from the tomb.

I am not planning my funeral or burial.  I am leaving it in Gods hands for if he did so for the Lord who is his only begotten then I trust him to choose something fitting for me.  May I live a life worthy of his praise by his grace!

[Deborah_]

I have to agree with those who support the scriptual bases for burial. 

Cremation for christians is completely against the word of God and was/is a pagan custom.

According to the Scriptures, it is a curse for a dead body not to be buried! Isaiah wrote of the king of Babylon, "But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned" (Isaiah 14:19-20).

Jezebel, one of the most wicked women who ever lived, was cursed by God. Part of the cursed prophesied by God's prophet Elijah was that she should not be buried, but her body would be eaten by dogs (I Kings 21:23-35).

Scriptures on cremation

God says: "Take heed to thyself that thou not be SNARED by following them...Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every ABOMINATION to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have BURNT IN THE FIRE to their gods.

Cremation,  is considered by God a horrible punishment

Leviticus 21:9. God says plainly, "And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire."

"And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be BURNT WITH FIRE, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you" (Lev. 20:14).

 "And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones"

The fate of the wicked 

which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 20:8). Cremated. 

I'm not sure that all these texts are relevant to the question.

It's a curse for a dead body to be unburied - that is, to be left to rot, or to be eaten by wild animals (as Jezebel was eaten by dogs). But cremation (followed by burial of the ashes) is not in the same category.

Nor are the texts from Leviticus referring to cremation of the dead as a means of disposing of the body. We are forbidden to offer human sacrifice - which is not the same thing at all!

The most you can say is that cremation of a body rather than burial was for Israel an expression of rejection (by the people, and by God) as part of the punishment for certain sins.

The question to ask is: do we today believe that a burned body is an indication of God's curse? I don't think so - it would imply that anyone destroyed by an explosion would be cursed.

[Openly Curious]

I have to agree with those who support the scriptual bases for burial. 

Cremation for christians is completely against the word of God and was/is a pagan custom.

According to the Scriptures, it is a curse for a dead body not to be buried! Isaiah wrote of the king of Babylon, "But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned" (Isaiah 14:19-20).

Jezebel, one of the most wicked women who ever lived, was cursed by God. Part of the cursed prophesied by God's prophet Elijah was that she should not be buried, but her body would be eaten by dogs (I Kings 21:23-35).

Scriptures on cremation

God says: "Take heed to thyself that thou not be SNARED by following them...Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every ABOMINATION to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have BURNT IN THE FIRE to their gods.

Cremation,  is considered by God a horrible punishment

Leviticus 21:9. God says plainly, "And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire."

"And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be BURNT WITH FIRE, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you" (Lev. 20:14).

 "And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones"

The fate of the wicked 

which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 20:8). Cremated. 

I'm not sure that all these texts are relevant to the question.

It's a curse for a dead body to be unburied - that is, to be left to rot, or to be eaten by wild animals (as Jezebel was eaten by dogs). But cremation (followed by burial of the ashes) is not in the same category.

Nor are the texts from Leviticus referring to cremation of the dead as a means of disposing of the body. We are forbidden to offer human sacrifice - which is not the same thing at all!

The most you can say is that cremation of a body rather than burial was for Israel an expression of rejection (by the people, and by God) as part of the punishment for certain sins.

The question to ask is: do we today believe that a burned body is an indication of God's curse? I don't think so - it would imply that anyone destroyed by an explosion would be cursed.

I think I would draw the line on keeping the ashes of the cremated person in an urn if a loved one chose to be cremated.  I would at least hope they would bury the ashes of the deceased person in the ground in hopes of the resurrection of the body.  I know we personally can't make decision for others desires in death but Jesus was our example of the death,burial and resurrection process.