Case For and Against Cremation
Cremation: What You Might Not Know
Cremation is a controversial subject for some people. Because they have reservations about it for themselves, they frown against it for family members who have requested it. For others, cremation is a choice they have made for various reasons. This article is not to advise readers to be cremated after death. Instead, it is to provide some facts about cremation that people might not know.
What Is Cremation?
The word "cremation" is derived from the Latin word "crematus" or "cremare," meaning "to burn up." Therefore, cremation is the process by which human remains of the deceased are placed in a wooden box, and the box is put in a furnace or crematorium with an extremely high temperature so the body can be burned into ashes and bone fragments. The bone fragments are processed in a machine where they become coarse sand and turn light gray.
Cremation Forbidden by Some Religions
There is no biblical reference for or against cremation for Christians. That's why there are some Christians who are leery about it. However, some religions forbid it.
Cremation is prohibited under the law for traditional Jews to be cremated.
Eastern Orthodox and some Fundamental Christian denominations do not allow cremation.
The Islamic religion forbids cremation.
Christians are divided. Some want to be cremated, but there are more who want to be buried rather than cremated. That's because that was what their ancestors chose.
Jesus wasn't cremated after death. Therefore, some Christians give that as a reason for not choosing to be cremated.
Cremation Is on the Rise
There was once a time when cremation was taboo. Today, it is on the rise.
The first known cremation in America took place in 1876.
By 1918, fewer than one percent of those who died in the United States were cremated.
By 1965, that number was up to 4 percent.
In 2018, nearly half of all people in America were cremated.
In 2020, 56% of Americans were cremated, according to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA).
In the next 15-20 years, 9 out of every 10 Americans are projected to choose cremation.
It has been estimated that the number of cremations might catch up to the number of burials and perhaps even surpass them.
Celebrities Who Were Cremated
Jack London told his friends two weeks before he died in 1916 that he would rather be ashes than dust. At that time, there were only 20 crematories in the United States.
Albert Einstein was cremated after he died in 1955. At his request, his ashes were scattered at an unknown location.
Walt Disney was cremated two days after he died in 1966. Had Disney died three years earlier, he would not have been cremated. The Catholic Church lifted the ban on cremation in 1963, and Catholic priests began to officiate at cremation ceremonies.
By the time Joan Rivers died in 2014, cremation had become commonplace. The comedian had often talked about cremation before her death.
Other Celebrities Who Were Cremated
Bea Arthur, one of the Golden Girls actress
David Bowie, singer and songwriter
Marlon Brando, actor
Johnny Carson, TV host
Gary Coleman, actor
Kurt Cobain, musician
Carrie Fisher, actress
Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis
George Harrison, one of the Beatles
Alfred Hitchcock, film director
John F. Kennedy, Jr., son of the 35th US President
Heath Ledger, actor
John Lennon, one of the Beatles
Prince, singer, songwriter, musician
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Richard Pryor, actor
Christopher Reeve, Superman actor
Tupac Shakur, rapper and actor, some of whose ashes were smoked by his friends
Robin Williams, actor
Amy Winehouse, singer-songwriter
More people are opting for cremation today than in the past.
More people are opting for cremation today than in the past.
Why People Choose Cremation
More people are choosing cremation today than in the past. That is because they have learned more about it than their forefathers. Cremation is a personal choice made by the deceased before his death. If no arrangement has been made in advance, then it is up to the next of kin to make that decision.
Because cremation is less expensive than preparing the body for burial, some misinformed people think the person couldn't afford a burial. That is far from the truth in some cases. Cremation might not have anything to do with an insurance issue.
Reasons Someone May Choose Cremation
The person has decided not to spend unnecessary money on a burial.
Cremation is better for the environment.
Some people don't want to be discomposed.
Cremation is much simpler and easier on family members.
Those who choose cremation know that the body of a believer that has been destroyed by fire doesn't mean God won't resurrect it and reunite it with the soul and spirit. God is certainly able to provide a resurrected body for those who have been cremated. If God could not do this, then all believers who have died in a fire are without hope of receiving their heavenly bodies like those who died in fires and tragedies like 9-11.
A grave is a permanent place for families to visit.
A grave is a permanent place for families to visit.
Why People Choose Not to Be Cremated
Even though cremation is less expensive than a burial, most Christians plan to be buried. Here are some of the reasons.
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The number one reason Christians give for wanting to be buried instead of being cremated is based on the fact that Jesus was buried. They contend that since they are followers of Jesus Christ, then they want to be buried in the grave because Jesus was buried and not burned into ashes.
Christians use the Bible for Christian living, so they believe burial is the way for their remains since no one was cremated in the Bible. They were buried in the ground. For example, Abraham bought a burial plot for Sarah and the rest of his family (Genesis 23:19-20). God Himself buried Moses in the ground (Deuteronomy 34:5-6).
Burning in the Bible was done by pagan nations. The pagans sacrificed their children by burning them and burned Christians alive at the stake.
Fire in the Bible happened because of God's wrath. God exterminated Korah, according to Numbers 16:35. God sent fire on Moab, according to Amos 2.
Paul favored burial. He gave a long explanation about it in 1 Corinthians 15:35-44. Paul said God will raise the body of a believer even though it has been decomposed. Paul compares the body to a seed being planted in the ground that will rise from the decaying seed.
Witches and other heretics were burned as a form of punishment.
God said the human body would return to dust. That wouldn't happen if a body is burned, but it would happen when a body is buried.
Christians say there is no gravesite to visit and take flowers to when a person is cremated. However, an option is to bury the urn with ashes in it in a family plot or cemetery so there will be a place for loved ones to visit.
People Were Burned in the Bible for Bad Behavior
Scripture Occasion
Joshua 7:15-25
God ordered thieves to be burned.
Genesis 38:24
Judah ordered his own daughter-in-law to be burned because she was a prostitute, but the order wasn't carried out.
Leviticus 20:14
Man married both mother and daughter. All three were burned.
1 Samuel 31:11-13
Saul and his sons were burned by the Israelites to prevent the Philistines from further mutilating their bodies.
Cremation: A Personal Choice
Cremation is a personal choice, and families should honor that request. It is best for people to put it in writing to avoid confusion after a family member dies. This will make funeral preparations less stressful for everyone involved. If a person decides to be cremated, it does not cancel out having a funeral or memorial service. Either one of them or neither one of them is also a personal choice.
References
What is Cremation?
What the Bible Says About Cremation
Celebrities Who Were Cremated
This content reflects the personal opinions of the author. It is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and should not be substituted for impartial fact or advice in legal, political, or personal matters.
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