Cremation: Is It Christian?
By James W. Fraser
From
the back cover of the booklet: More and more Christians today are condoning
cremation for family members and even requesting it for their own future. But
is this truly a Biblical practice or rather a pagan one that actually violates
the sanctity of the Christian’s body? The author clearly demonstrates from
Scripture and history that cremation is, indeed, a pagan practice and has never
been God’s design for His people.
Preface from Sola Scriptura
Ministries
More and more Christians today are condoning cremation
for family members and even requesting it for their own future. A typical
example is the following, written by Billy Graham:
“My Answer”*
By Billy Graham
Question: My husband and I are
considering cremation. Is cremation against the teaching of the Bible? Will
those cremated also be resurrected?
The aspect of cremation that worries some
Christians is the thought of the total annihilation of the body. We need to get
our thinking in a right perspective here. The body is annihilated just as
completely in the grave as it is in cremation. The graves of our ancestors are
no longer in existence, and soil in which they were buried has long since been
removed elsewhere. We must therefore accept that what happens to the body or to
the grave cannot be of any significance so far as the resurrection is
concerned.
Our
resurrection is related to that of Christ’s in 1 Corinthians 15, and we must
realize that the resurrection of Jesus was quite different from that of say,
Lazarus. Lazarus needed the body that had been buried, but when Jesus came
forth from the tomb, his body was so changed that he could not be easily
recognized.
In that
chapter, Paul states of the burial of our bodies: “thou sowest not that body
that shall be” (v.37). The body that rises is not made of the same substances
as the one that was buried, but is immortal and incorruptible.
In Corinthians 5, Paul makes the
contrast between living in a tent, a temporary home that can be pulled down and
put away, and living in a permanent home that will last forever. Our bodies are
our temporary tents. Our resurrected bodies will be our permanent homes. They
are similar in appearance but different in substance. Cremation is therefore no
hindrance to the resurrection.
* “My Answer” is a
nationally syndicated article by Dr. Graham appearing in many newspapers.
The ignorance
of Scripture and history in this answer is appalling in light of it coming from
a supposed great Christian leader. But even more tragic is the fact that many
other Christians and Bible teachers of much more evangelical position than
Billy Graham are being deluded into believing that Cremation is okay. This is
due in large part to the increase of pagan influence that has been going on in
Christianity for centuries. The author of this booklet clearly demonstrates
from Scripture and history that cremation is, indeed, a pagan practice and is
not God’s design for His people. We pray it will have wide use.
Forward
God did
not choose to have all His revelations recorded in Scripture, but therein and
in universal anthropological evidences the student of Biblical theology finds
abundant evidence to reconstruct practices which could not conceivably have
arisen independently in all parts of the world; they must have had some common
authoritative source. God must have revealed to Adam and Eve the acceptable and
appropriate method of returning “dust to dust.” The modern archaeologist in
almost every land takes careful note of the position of burial, the dress, the
artifacts put in the grave with the body and any indications of anticipated
life after death.
From
earliest indications, burial has been the public testimony of assurance of
physical resurrection. Can you imagine that God would appoint cremation in
anticipation of raising His only begotten Son from the dead! He was known as
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the God of the living. Even more than
among many Christians today. Hebrew believers kept separate references to the
body and references to the person who had once inhabited the body, for to be
absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
This was
the public declaration of Job from the midst of great testing. Worms-not
fire-would destroy his body, yet in that same body (resurrected) he would
behold his Redeemer (Job 19:25-27). This is the testimony of every believer who
pictures publicly his union with the Lord in death, burial, and resurrection
through believer’s baptism (Romans 6:4). Can you imagine that God would have
permitted cremation when public burial in water was so closely knit in the
message of the new Church, “Believe and be baptized!”
The word
for sanctification means, basically, set apart unto God. The author of these
studies argues for burial in consecrated ground, that set aside in dedication
unto God and respected thereafter. This dedication likewise expresses our hope
that in Christ shall all be made alive. Let any Christian look carefully at the
teachings of Scripture, as set forth here by the Rev. James W. Fraser, before
examining the commercial arguments of modern paganism.
Warren Vanhetloo
Central Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Supreme Curse
“The Supreme Curse”
In the law of God it was
decreed
That Israel’s land be
purged and freed
Of images, idols,
statues, and groves
By burning to ash, tho’
hidden in coves.
They were cremated in
public view
At God’s command, both
old and new.
When Achan saw that
wedge of gold
And costly garment he
could neatly fold,
With shekels of silver,
all shining and new,
He decided at once to
carry through
A secret plan that none
would know,
Thus help to make his
fortunes grow.
He confessed his sin,
but ‘twas too late;
He could not re-enter
mercy’s gate.
He was stoned with
stones until he died
For appearing as if he
had never lied.
They laid him upon a
new-built pyre
And reduced him to ashes
in the angry fire.
For heathen gods and
certain crimes
Was death and
cremation--there were no fines.
This was God’s curse and
immediate sentence,
Regardless of confession
of deep repentance:
Swept from the earth by
a purging fire,
And reduced to ashes upon
a pyre.
Moses then burnt their
golden calf
And reduced their god to
bitter chaff;
David and his men burnt
Philistine gods
And spread their ash
upon the clods.
Jehu, too, burnt their
gods of Baal,
Not even putting them up
for sale.
Shall we, in this enlightened
age,
Refuse to obey the
sacred page;
Treating our dead as if
divinely cursed,
In crematory fires
wholly immersed?
Dear fellow Christian,
be warned in time,
Don’t burn your friends
in fire or lime!
J. W. Fraser
Is
Cremation Christian?
Know ye
not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye
have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians
6:19-20).
One of the great Bible doctrines which has almost been forgotten in the last few years is the sanctity of the Christian’s body. This text plainly states that our bodies are not our own to do with as we please. They belong to God because of creation and redemption. They are holy because they are cleansed and sanctified by the blood of Christ.
They are
also temples of the Holy Spirit and members of the body of Christ. These and
many other Bible statements clearly set forth the truth of the divine ownership
and sanctity of the Christian’s body.
In dealing
with this question of cremation we must not ignore the positive statements of
Scripture if we would sincerely seek the Christian position on this issue. We
know that in many localities a question of this kind is of little importance.
In places far from large cities the question of cremation is seldom, if ever,
raised; but in thickly populated areas this is not the case. When a relative
passes on, the question comes up: shall it be cremation or burial? Questions
have been asked by intelligent people: Is it wrong for a Christian’s body to be
cremated? Is it true that the body comes to life in the process of cremation?
Recently, I was asked, “Why is cremation unpopular in Christian lands?”
I frankly
admit I have not the last word on these questions, but confess I have given
serious and prolonged thought to the question of Christian burial. What I may
say is not the result of an overnight meditation or snap judgment. This sermon
has been called forth as a result of questions put to me by sincere people and
also because of doubts and questions in my own mind over a period of years. I am
giving what I have gleaned in the hope that others will find the answers to
their questions on this subject.
By the grace of God I have served as
a minister of the gospel since 1921. I had never been requested to officiate at
the funeral service of a body to be cremated until I came to Montreal. To date,
I have taken but one cremation service; what was very
disturbing to me in that instance was the fact that the individual had been a
baptist. I had not been notified that it was to be a cremation until I arrived
at the chapel at the hour of service. That service was for me a
conscience-stirring experience. This event caused me deep concern as to my
personal responsibility as a minister of the gospel and as a leader among
Christian people of this generation. For I sincerely believe that the
minister’s responsibility to God and to his fellows is much greater than that
of the average Christian. We know all Christians are stewards of God and will
be called to account for their stewardship in a coming day, but preachers are
especially honoured and privileged servants; therefore, their responsibility is
greater.
This new
experience caused me to study again the whole question of Christian burial. I
searched the Scriptures on this subject with greater avidity than I had done
heretofore. In my quest I made the discovery that very few, if any, articles
have been written or sermons preached by the clergy, either for cremation or
against it. So as I proceed to state my findings, I trust you will follow me
with an open mind.
According
to Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, the word “cremation” is from the Latin
cremo, which means “to burn--burning, particularly the burning of the dead
according to the customs of many ancient nations.”
The
Encyclopedia Britannica states that “cremation is the burning of human corpus
which was the general practice of the ancient world, with the important
exceptions of Egypt, where bodies were embalmed; Judea (or Ancient Israel)
where they were buried in sepulchres, and China, where they were buried in the
earth. Cremation is still practised over a great part of Asia and America, but
not always in the same form. Thus the ashes may be stored in urns, or buried in
the earth, or thrown to the wind, or, as among the Digger Indians, smeared with
gum on the heads of the mourners.”
Our modern
crematories are specially constructed buildings erected for the purpose of the
incineration of human bodies, having individual compartments which are heated
to a temperature that quickly reduces the body to ashes. The usual committal
service is held in the crematory chapel, after which the friends leave. The
casket is then placed in one of the compartments, the shape of an oversized
coffin, at which point the cremation process commences. When the heat becomes
intense, the body appears to be very much alive as it jumps about, which is the
result of the contraction and expansion of the muscles.
To me it
is a rather gruesome and unkind thing to do to the body of a loved one. Can you
imagine yourself being responsible for the cremation of the body of your
mother, your husband, your wife, or your child? To a person of refined
Christian culture, it must be most repulsive to think of the body of a friend
being treated like a beef roast in an oven, with all its running fats and
sizzling tissues. The body is reduced to ashes in a white heat of 2,000 F. in a
few hours. In the more recently built crematories, it is claimed that this is
done in less than one hour. When cooled, the ashes are put into an urn. The
remains of a body weighing about 140 pounds would be no more than three to four
pounds of ash.
Were it
not for the Christian’s responsibility to God, there is something that can be
said in favour of cremation. It may be less expensive than burial, because a
cemetery lot is unnecessary, although some do bury the ashes. The laws of
Canada and some other lands do not compel you to bury the ashes: you may throw
them to the winds, or cast them into the sea; you are at liberty to dispose of
them in almost any way you please; you may bury them in your lawn or back yard,
or divide them equally among the family, or keep them in your pantry.
If people
only knew their Bible, I am sure they would be more careful with the remains of
their loved ones. According to divine standards, it was a supreme dishonour and
curse for a person to have no burial. Such a curse was pronounced by God on
King Jehoiakim of jerusalem because of his pride and disobedience to God. The
prophet Jeremiah said of him, “He shall be buried with the burial of an ass”
(Jeremiah 22:19); which meant, he shall have no burial at all. Josephus, the
Jewish historian, states that Jehoakim’s body was cast out by the king of
Babylon, and lay exposed and unburied some distance from the gate of Jerusalem.
There are a number in the Bible who wee thus cursed for their disobedience to
God: Achan (Joshua 7:15); Jezebel (2 Kings 9:30-37); Ahab’s offspring (1 Kings
21:17-24): Sisera and Jabin (Psalm 83:9-10); and others. If we dishonour
friends by cremation we shall be called to account for it (Romans 14:12; 222
Corinthians 5:10).
Another
“advantage” of cremation is that if you wish to bury the remains in another
land, the freight charges are small, or you can carry them with your luggage;
and then, too, a second undertaker is not necessary.
When we
mention the transportation of the dead form one place to another, I think of
the case of the patriarch, Joseph. He died in Egypt but did not wish his
remains to stay there; so, previous to his decease, he took an oath of his
people, saying, “God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from
hence.” He died at the age of 110 years; they embalmed him and put him in a
coffin (Genesis 50:24-26).
About 300 years later his people left Egypt to go to the promised land. In Exodus 13:19 we read, “And Moses took up the bones of Joseph with him.” His people carried his remains in the coffin all through that long, long journey. And then in Joshua 24:32, which was about forty years later, we read, “And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought...and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph (Israel).”
If Moses
had cremated the body of Joseph before commencing that long journey, the
question of transportation would have been much simpler. Instead of carrying
that costly, bulky, Egyptian coffin with its contents, one of the grandsons
could have carried the urn with his household baggage. But no! This heathen
custom of cremation must not be practised among God’s people. For them, there
was only one way to dispose of their dead and that was by the sacred custom of
burial.
A large
and important place is given in the Bible to the burial of the faithful. The
whole of Genesis 23 is devoted to recording the death and burial of Sarah,
Abraham’s wife. The sacred writer devoted almost one half of Genesis 50 to the
record of Jacob’s death and burial. There are some today who assert that it
doesn’t matter how our bodies are disposed of. Such an attitude betrays a poor
knowledge of the letter and the spirit of the Word of God. Why did God bury
Moses? He could have disposed of his body in many other ways (Deuteronomy
34:5-8). Burial is the only God-given way of honourably disposing of the dead.
Bear in
mind, beloved, that this sermon is preached only for the benefit of those who
sincerely fear and worship God and who accept the Bible as final and adequate
in all matters of doctrine and conduct.
Now let me
quote another Bible incident which gives us to understand what God thinks about
the burning of human bodies. In Amos 2:1 we have the record of Moab’s
unpardonable sin. Remember that Moab was considered a heathen nation. This
account serves to prove that God takes notice of the doings of the most
ungodly. Let me quote the verse: “Thus saith the LORD: For three transgressions
of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he
burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime.” If there is any verse in the
Bible that positively emphasizes God’s disapproval of the burning of human
bodies, it is this. God plagued and punished Moab for this immoral and
unpardoned sin.
I wish to
briefly state at least four reasons why, as a Christian, I cannot lend my
support to the practice of cremation.
First
of All, Because It Is of Heathen Origin
It is not difficult to understand why people who are not well acquainted with the Holy Scriptures lend their support to this pagan practice. I was not surprised when I read in the Montreal Star in 1953 that Joseph Stalin requested that his body be cremated. He was not a Christian but a communist, and naturally would not have a conscience about it. However, contrary to his request, his body was actually embalmed and, years later, buried (on November 1, 1961).
Then, too,
let us mention another communist, the late Andrei Y. Vishinsky, the chief
Soviet delegate to the United Nations. He died of a heart attack on November
22, 1954, at the age of 71 years, in New York. His body was laid in a
copper-lined casket which cost $8,000 and was flown to Moscow by way of France.
He lay in state for a time in Moscow’s historic Hall of Columns, after which
his body was cremated. Communism has done everything possible to obliterate the
standards and customs of Christianity, even to that of Christian burial.
According
to historical records, the idea of reducing human bodies to ashes originated in
ancient heathen lands. Rome was among the first to practice this abhorrent
custom. Today, in India, this is a common practice among the Hindus, but the
Muhammadans bury their dead.
I asked a
missionary from India if the Christians of that land cremated their dead. With
a look of surprise he said, “Positively not! Cremation is heathen. The
Christians of India bury their dead, because burial is Christian.” There is
absolutely nothing Christian about cremation; it is as pagan as idol worship.
In the
year 1873 a physician, Sir Henry Thompson, advocated the introduction of
cremation into England on the basis of sanitation. But strong public feeling
was against the innovation, with the result that it has made very little
progress. The first crematory built in the United States was in Washington,
Pennsylvania, in 1876. It was first used for the incineration of the body of
Baron DePalm in December of that year. Some have requested cremation in an
attempt to escape the resurrection and the life to come. How utterly ignorant
and foolish of them.
According
to the Reader’s Digest of January 1964, the percentage of cremations to burials
has stayed at less than 4 percent in the United States during the last ten
years. But regardless of how popular or unpopular this practice is or may
become, it is still pagan.
Secondly,
Because It Is an Aid to Crime
This is
something that is not very well known but is one of the reasons why the
practice has made little headway in Christian lands. It has been stated by
those who are in a position to know, that, in the detection of criminal
poisoning, a proper analysis cannot be obtained after cremation; therefore, it
is a positive aid to crime. There should be a law in our land forbidding the cremation
of all bodies having died from poisoning or other suspicious causes. I am
pleased, however, to learn that the “Acts of Burial” for the Province of Quebec
states: “No burial (or cremation) can take place before the expiration of
twenty-four hours after decease, unless special permission has been obtained
from the police.”
The sudden
death of a certain man in an eastern Ontario city attracted much public
attention. After the burial a common rumour resulted in a postmortem
examination, which yielded evidence that the deceased had died as a result of a
dose of strychnine. An arrest was made and, after questioning, the accused was
committed to trial for murder by judge and jury but was acquitted because of
insufficient evidence. We were told that it was one of those cases where they
knew who was responsible but could not at the time secure sufficient legal evidence.
But this is why I refer to the incident: Before the arrest, the accused said to
a certain mortician, “My mistake was that I did not have his body cremated.”
Every person with a Christian conscience should avoid even thinking favourably
of this screen to crime.
Thirdly,
Because It Is a Barbarous Act
Here is an
extract from a letter from a British Columbia reader to the Sunday School Times
of September 1934: “The question of cremation was brought home to us when our
mother was called Home. At first it was decided to cremate her body,
principally with the thought of some day taking her ‘ashes’ to the old home in
the East and burying them in the family plot in the old cemetery. On finding
out the process of cremation, from first to last, we immediately decided in
favour of burial. Anyone who knows little or nothing about cremation should
find out all about it before cremating the body of a loved one. Even from a
human standpoint, without considering the religious side of the question, it
seems wrong.”
A great
many refined people shrink from consigning the bodies of loved ones to
destruction by the process of cremation because of its apparent inhuman and
pagan aspect. After all, the custom was handed down from the barbarous people
of the Dark Ages. Most certainly it is inhuman and godless, to say the least. I
am not concerned about the resurrection of bodies that have been cremated, for
God can, and He will, raise form the dead all bodies of believers and
unbelievers who have been burned, buried, or eaten, and all who lie in the
depths of the seas, or who have been blown to atoms, or destroyed in any way,
for His power and ability are infinite.
When we
lay away the body in the grave, according to the sentence of God, it returns to
earth in the natural way or by an act of God, whereas cremation is an act of
man. God said, “Out of it [the ground] wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and
unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). According to divine precept and
example there is but one Christian way to dispose of our dead and that is to
bury them. This brings me to my last, but most important, point.
Fourthly,
Because Cremation Is Anti-Biblical, Therefore, Unchristian
One of the
most elementary principles of christian thought and life is expressed in the
apostolic words, “Ye are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). This sense of
divine ownership, rather than self-ownership, is the inspiration of all
Christian dignity and strength. The doctrine of the resurrection reminds us
that the body is not to be treated as a temporary thing, as belonging to this
stage of existence only.
Rather
than give our consent to destroy God’s property in the oven of a crematory,
every loved one should be affectionately and carefully laid away
whole in the mother earth, like the body of our Saviour.
His body was lovingly and tenderly prepared for burial according to the customs
of God’s people (John 19:38-42). The Hebrew people considered as sacred all
burial grounds and marked the place where each body was interred.
Perhaps
one reason why some Christians have had their friends’ bodies cremated is that
many preachers have failed to teach the great Bible doctrine of the sanctity of
the Christian’s body. Many, who claim to have declared the whole council of
God, have never taught or preached this major subject. This is a very grave
omission, for in Malachi 2:7 we read, “For the [preacher’s] lips should keep
knowledge, and they [the people] should seek the law at his mouth; for he is
the messenger of the Lord.”
The
sanctity of the body was a doctrine is Israel that was carefully taught. They
were charged that they must not copy the customs of the heathen nations. They
were expressly taught not to cut, mark, or tattoo their bodies (Deuteronomy
14:1-2). This teaching of the sacredness of the bodies of God’s people is
carried into the New Testament and is enjoined upon Christians everywhere in
such portions as 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; Romans 6:13; 12:1. In Romans 14:8 the
apostle says, “Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
Christianity not only concerns itself with the soul but also with the body, for
both have been redeemed.
The
Apostle Paul, like his Saviour, often taught great lessons by asking questions
and then answering them. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 he asks four questions as he
proceeds to prove the sacredness of the Christian’s body. Just briefly I will
mention three:
“Know ye
not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?”
Then is
verses 9 and 10 he names ten classes of society which are disqualified for
Heaven. These Corinthians were heathen when Paul first preached the gospel to
them. They had been a wicked and unclean people, but by acknowledging to God
their guilt and accepting Christ as their Saviour, they became children of God.
Then Paul asks another question:
“Know ye
not that your bodies are the members of Christ and use them for immoral
purposes?” He then makes the observation, “He that is joined unto the Lord is
one spirit.” He is proving the oneness of the believer with his Lord. In the
light of this statement it is an immoral act to abuse the body by subjecting it
to cremation. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you, which ye have of God, and he are not your own? For ye are
bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God’s” (verses 19-20). Now, then, we have observed that the Holy
Scriptures teach that:
The
Christian way of disposing of our dead is by burial only, as exemplified in
sacred history.
God does
not approve of the burning of human bodies - even of our enemies. This was one
of Moab’s unpardoned sins (Amos 2:1). Our bodies are the members of Christ (1
Corinthians 6:15). Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians
6:19).
Dead or
alive our bodies belong to God because of redemption and sanctification (Romans
8:23; Hebrews 10:10).
Our bodies
are the seed of the resurrection bodies (1 Corinthians 15:38).
Self-ownership
is a pagan concept, and we are not free to do with our bodies as we please, if
we would live in the will of God (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Cremation
has come to us from the uncivilized, uncultured, pagan peoples of the Dark
Ages...those whose minds were distorted by sin, of whom Plato said, “Man has
sunk below the beast of the brutes”...people who bored out the eyes of their
fellows, tore out their tongues by the roots, burned them alive, and also fed
them to the lions...people who practised many other methods of fiendish
cruelty. And yet, in these days of boasted, civilized culture and Christian
refinement, some are still following this primitive fell custom of burning the
bodies of their friends. This custom is positively unrefined, unholy, and
pagan.
When asked
recently to officiate at the funeral service of a body that was to be cremated,
I sympathetically refused. When asked why, I replied, “As a minister of Jesus
Christ I officiate only at Christian burials.”
In answer
to the question, “Is cremation Christian?” my answer is, “Positively no! It is
of heathen origin, an aid to crime, a barbarous act, also anti-Biblical;
therefore, unchristian!”
Cremation
In The Bible
The graven
images of their gods shall ye burn with fire (Deuteronomy 7:25).
He that is
taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath
(Joshua 7:15).
After
giving my first message over the radio against the practice of cremating our
Christian dead, I received a large number of letters from correspondents in all
walks of life, in which were liberal expressions of appreciation for help received.
I had expected to receive some letters approving of this primitive practice,
but not even so much as one correspondent objected to my position in relation
to this subject.
No doubt
it is due to the fact that there cannot be found in the early writings and
practices of the Christian Church on writer or leader who supported the heathen
custom. Also, there is not to be found in the Holy Scriptures one sentence that
even sympathizes with such an unholy practice as cremating the Christian dead.
Down through the years Christians have shunned and disapproved of this
uncultured practice. It was in the year 1886 that the Roman Catholic Church
officially banned this gruesome practice. Long before that date, however,
baptist pastors and their congregations spoke against and abhorred the pagan
rite. Not only these but any group of people who accept the Bible as the Word
of God and as their criterion for faith and practice can only condemn this
heathen way of disposing of a Christian’s body.
So, our
stand against this barbarous practice is certainly not a new Christian
attitude. It is a position that is easily supported by the Scriptures - that
is, among those who accept the Holy Bible as adequate and final on all
questions of religion and moral conduct. Against the sacred Scriptures there is
no court of appeal, for they are settled and accepted in Heaven (Psalm 119:89).
This question of cremation is not even debatable, for God has spoken the final
word. I am aware that there are some professing Christians even today who are
semi-pagan in their concepts of life, who do not accept the Scriptures as
sufficient in such a matter as the disposal of a redeemed body. They have
practically forsaken divine revelation; from a position of human reasoning they
have interjected their own compromising interpretations on the subject and have
fallen prey to the ancient, heathen custom. However, I will endeavour to state
four further reasons why the cremating of the human body is anti-Christian.
I have
chosen these texts (Deuteronomy 7:25 and Joshua 7:15) to show that cremation
was, in God’s sight, the most dishonourable of all disposals. When God
commanded it, it was in severe punishment of an unworthy individual or of the
abominable idols of the heathen. Whenever the gods of the heathen nations fell
into the hands of the Israelites, they were to be reduced to ashes immediately.
This was the law of God (Deuteronomy 7:555, 25), and we see how it was obeyed
by David and his men in 1 Chronicles 14:12 and by Jehu in 2 Kings 10:26.
Also,
during the life of Moses we have an incident recorded in Exodus 32:1-24 as to
how this was done. When he went up into the mountain to receive the tables of
the law, he was absent fro the people of Israel for forty days. They became
restless and, like the Egyptians, wanted a god they could see. They brought
their gold trinkets to Aaron, and of them he made a calf. The calf was one of
the prominent gods of Egypt at that time. When Moses came down out of the mount
he saw the golden calf and the people dancing about it. He made the sad
discovery that they had fallen into idolatry. He took their god and burned it
in the fire and ground it to dust. Why did he burn it? Because this was God’s
sentence against all such abominable idols. Does it seem right, therefore, that
the body of a Christian friend should be treated like that of a heathen idol?
Then, too,
in Joshua 7 we have the sad record of Achan’s sin against God, his people, and
himself. In this incident, wee are given to see that cremation was to be the
disposal of the accursed and unforgiven! A person’s body ordered cremated was
the divine sentence for wrongdoing! To be burned instead of buried was only for
the person who had been guilty of special, aggravated sin. It was God’s curse
upon Achan. In our previous message we pointed out that, according to divine
law, it was a supreme dishonour for a person to have no burial. It was so in
the case of Achan, because he disgraced himself and his family by disobeying
the command of God. He was cremated as part of the divine punishment for his
sin. It was a harsh sentence, but Achan had troubled his own household and
nation and was the cause of the death of thirty-six soldiers in Israel. Since
this is the picture as found in the Bible, do you think it proper to have the
body of a Christian friend disposed of in this way? Would you wish to have your
remains disgraced in this retributive, abhorrent manner? In the Bible such
treatment was reserved for deliberate disobedience to the command of God.
Now then,
I must proceed to mention my four further reasons why a refined,
Bible-enlightened Christian cannot endorse or request in his will that his body
be cremated.
1.
Cremation Is Contrary to the Example and Teachings of Jesus and of the
Apostolic Church
If only
Christian people were better acquainted with the Bible, they would not do such
a dishonour to their deceased friends. From any angle you may look at this
subject, the fact remains that an honest soul who is familiar with the Bible
will confess that cremation does not belong to a refined Christian culture, nor
is it the request of one who has surrendered soul and body to Jesus Christ. We
do not take issue with non-Christians in this matter. If they do not accept the
Bible as God’s Word, in reality they have no criterion by which to judge right
and wrong. Their own thoughts and personal views are to them supreme. It is a
most foolish and dangerous attitude toward life, we know. In fact, King Solomon
said under divine inspiration, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool”
(Proverbs 28:26). This deceitful attitude of setting aside or rejecting the
Bible and its message is a foolish philosophy, to say the least. It is like a
man going to sea without a chart or compass, like climbing a mountain without a
guide or equipment, like a student without a teacher or textbook. An unbeliever
has no supernatural guide or spiritual understanding that would enable him to
make the right and proper choice.
One of the
great disadvantages of this generation is a limited or partial knowledge of
only certain parts of the Bible. This has given rise to many false statements
by those who claim to know it. Recently, I read of a certain religious leader
who said, “There is nothing in the Holy Scriptures that forbids cremation.”
Whoever he was, I think he would do society a kindness if he would carefully
re-read the sacred Book. There is certainly sufficient to show that creation
was held in disfavour and was associated with the abominable and cursed! To
reason that there is nothing in Scripture which directly forbids the cremation
of Christian bodies reveals a shallow mental attitude of compromise toward that
which God abhors.
However,
for the Christian, Jesus Christ is our example in life and in death, and that
should be sufficient. But can you imagine a sincere person claiming to be a
Christian and yet refusing to follow the example of Christ? Such an attitude is
paradoxical and a direct contradiction of his profession!
The burial
of Jesus was not coincident or accident, for previously the bodies of godly men
and women were disposed of in that way. Burial was God’s only method of
disposal of the bodies of His people. Jesus Christ was buried, because burial
was in harmony with the purposes of God (Isaiah 53:9). Burial is the only
Christian method and scriptural disposal of a believer’s remains.
As
previously mentioned, in 1886 the Roman Catholic Church banned the practice of
cremation for her priests and people for at least two very good reasons. First
of all, historically cremation has been associated with the efforts of
unbelievers in their denial of the resurrection of the body. The disposal of
the body by cremation has, in recent years, been largely the choice of
unbelievers and notorious characters. It is true that some good-living people
have requested it, but you will agree that the vast majority have been
questionable characters. Such men as Josef Stalin requested cremation, although
in his case it was not carried out. Adolf Hitler, Andrei Y. Vishinsky, Adolf
Eichmann, and nearly all of the notorious criminals of our day have also made
that same request. There is a great deal of evidence that cremation is not
usually the choice of the scripturally enlightened or moral-living individual.
It is
folly of the most puerile kind to entertain the though that by cremation one
will escape the resurrection of the last day. However, since cremation largely
is the choice of the unbelieving and ungodly, that alone is enough to cause
refined Christian people to refuse to be partakers with them in this supposed
attempt to escape the judgment.
Another
reason why the Roman Catholic Church banned its practice was because it shows
an irreverence for the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. This, too, should
be sufficient reason for any intelligent Christian to reject openly this
ungodly pagan practice. The Greek Orthodox Church does not favour cremation either.
A discussion was touched off in the United States in 1961 by the cremation of
the famed conductor, Dimitri Mitropoulos, a member of this church. Archbishop
Iakovos, head of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, asked the ecumenical
patriarch of Constantinople for a clarification of the Orthodox attitude toward
cremation. This patriarch responded by saying, “There is no formal Orthodox
rule against cremation, but there is a heavy weight of custom and sentiment in
favour of Christian burial.”
There is very
little that can be said or written in favour of cremation. Even that which has
been said by the International Cremation Federation is weak. In the
federation’s resolution passed at their three-day congress in Stockholm,
Sweden, in May 1961, which was attended by 120 delegates representing fifteen countries,
they recommended disposal by cremation on the grounds that it was aesthetic,
sanitary, and economical.
Christian
conviction compels me to point out that their resolution contains a mixture of
truth and error. To those who know nothing about the ugly truth of cremation,
this may sound rather pacifying. I do agree that it is economical. It is the
cheapest legal disposal of a human body that I know of in this land. But to say
it is aesthetic could sound like the truth only to those who know nothing of
the unpleasant and grotesque process of cremation. There is really nothing
beautiful or graceful about any process of the disposal of a body but this is
definitely less so when we revert to this modernized, heathen custom. How can
one, who knows of the twitching and jumping and noises that there are when the
heat is turned on to 2,000 F., look upon the process as aesthetic? It is anything
but aesthetic. It is most revolting and repulsive to think of the body of a
refined Christian being burned to a crisp and finally to ashes. There is
absolutely nothing beautiful or graceful about it.
Some argue
that it is sanitary - well, of course, so is burial. But then, this is why, in
the larger-populated areas, they gather and burn the refuse and garbage of our
cities. Does a human body that has served God, that has been purchased by a
divine price (1 Corinthians 6:15,20), that has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit
(1 Corinthians 6:19), and served its generation in the will of God, deserve
this kind of uncultured treatment? Because of the example of Christ, the claims
of God, and the divine ownership of body and soul, there is a sanctity to the
believer’s body that the average individual has not realized. If he did, no
Christian would ever will that his body be destroyed by the fire of a
crematory. Then, too, a Christian objects to cremation because:
2.
Cremation Is a Supreme Dishonor to a Redeemed Body
“Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
The body
of every Christian belongs not to himself but to God in the very same sense in
which the spirit or soul belongs to Him. Therefore, to subject that which
belongs to God to an immoral, heathen custom is sin! This body of flesh and
blood, as well as the resurrection body to be, equally belong to God, because
of redemption.
Ethonologists
have listed about thirty methods of disposing of the human body, but there is
only one honourable way of disposing of a Christian’s body - and that is
burial. I have yet to meet or read of a recognized Bible teacher who teaches
that cremation is Christian. I know there is a small class of professed
Christians who actually think it brave and smart to violate the customs and
laws of Christian society. They have asked that their ashes be strewn along a
railroad track, or scattered on a river, lake, or at sea, and others that their
ashes be cast to the winds anywhere -anywhere rather than have them deposited
in consecrated ground. Such requests and decisions indicate an unspiritual
character. There seems to be a strong desire by such a class to break away from
the teaching and example of Christ and His apostles.
We have
already stated that cremation is a pagan custom which has come down to us from
the uncivilized, uncultured, heathen people of the Dark Ages. Long before the
time of Christ it was an accepted practice of the backward, primitive,
superstitious tribes and nations. It was a custom of the Gentile nations
surrounding Israel at the time of Christ and His apostles. Neither He nor they
ever looked upon it with approval, either by precept or example. To Jesus
Christ and the early Church, cremation was one of the abominations of the
godless and unenlightened peoples. For Christians in this age of learning to
adopt such an unholy custom is the equivalent of taking a long step backward to
the uncouth and primitive customs of the unlearned of the superstitious ages.
No man of
any academic standing can find one sentence of Scripture to support the burning
of the bodies of honourable Christian people. When I preached and published my
first sermon against cremation, I expected a letter or two of protest but was
surprised, for not one was received. But I have received literally thousands in
commendation and also telling of the changing of wills from cremation to
Christian burial. These were unsolicited. I haven’t room in this brief message
to insert excerpts from letters of some of Canada’s and the United States’ most
distinguished citizens. The reason for such a response is that every
intelligent Christian knows that Jesus and the apostolate in spirit and example
witnessed against such a sacrilegious act.
3.
Cremation Destroys the Sacred Memory Of Our Beloved Dead
The Bible states that one of the degenerate evils of the last days is the absence of natural affection in family and social life - “without natural affection” (2 Timothy 3:3). In no other manner is this lack of affection being exhibited so forcefully as by the many who have friends cremated!
A friend
of mine, who visited a crematory, noticed a pile of urns stacked one upon
another. He asked the attendant if they were his stock of empties. Reluctantly
he said, “They contain the ashes of bodies that have been cremated, but the
relatives never thought enough of them to return and claim them.” What a cheap
way of unloading a sacred responsibility, isn’t it? It is also a quick way of
destroying the memory of the deceased.
Where
there is a sacred respect for the deceased, it is evidenced by a reverent
committal and a marking and a protecting of the place of internment. But usually,
following the average cremation, there are no markers, tombstones, or monuments
erected to one’s memory. I believe it to be a most cruel and dishonouring act
against the memory of the dead. Usually there is no grave to visit and
decorate; no sacred spot where the remains of a friend lie. It is a demoralizing
practice when you think of it in this way. It is a cruel way of desecrating the
memory of a loved one, isn’t it?
When the
devoted wife of a certain citizen passed away, the husband had her body
cremated. He was loath to part with even her ashes. For years he kept the urn
in the home with an expensive wreath over it. It was really not the proper
thing to do. However, after awhile, the daughter became tired of having it in
the home, so she had it buried in the backyard. The following year the property
was sold; the family moved out and left the sacred remains of the mother in an
unmarked spot in unconsecrated ground. How unintentionally cruel! The circumstances
produced and unholy disrespect for the sacred remains of the devoted mother. Do
you think that was a Christian think to do?
I have
been informed, by one who was in a position to know, that the remains of a
certain family who have been cremated were finally put out with the local
garbage and carried to the dump. How repulsive this is, even to tell of it!
What a brutal dishonour done to those loved ones! There are similar incidents
that could be repeated, but I must refrain. I just wish to emphasize that cremation
is one of the quickest ways of destroying the sacred memory of the deceased!
4.
Cremation Is the Cheapest Way of Discharging a Sacred Responsibility
There is
no Biblical or Christian position that can favour cremation of an honourable
believer’s body, because it is wholly pagan and is nowhere favoured by God nor
practised by the godly. There is no period in the early history of the Church
when deceased believers were cremated.
In the
time of the catacombs under the city of Tome, when the Church went underground
because of bitter persecution, deceased believers were carefully laid away in
the rock-hewn toms, sealed and marked to identify them. If ever sanitary
conditions would have excused cremation, it was then. but the abhorrent
practice was never allow, and, although the unbelieving Romans practised it at
that time, the Christians looked upon it with disfavour because it was an
ungodly, heathen custom. It is estimated that about 3,000,000 believers were
buried in those subterranean passages.
Usually,
where there is warm affection, no man will dispose of a loved one, because the
method is the cheapest. I think of Abraham, when Sarah died in those primitive
times. He could have buried her somewhere in the wide open spaces, and it would
have cost him nothing. But he didn’t because he loved her, and, too, he was a
God-fearing man. The whole of Genesis 23 is occupied with the death and burial
of Sarah. There is a reason for this. Abraham never owned a foot of land, but,
when his wife died, he bought a piece of land that would serve as a cemetery.
He would not accept it as a gift; he paid 400 pieces of silver for it. To him,
the laying away of his wife was a sacred matter. This became consecrated ground
and was kept solely for the purpose of a cemetery. The three covenant fathers
and their wives were later buried there.
There is a divine reason why all this account was written
into the sacred Scriptures. “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written for our learning” (Romans 15:4). It is not only folly but ignorance for
one to argue that cremation is now Christian. it never can be while the whole
spirit of Scripture is against it. Even if certain so-called Christian groups
were to endorse it, that does not make it Christian. It is still a cruel,
uncultured, pagan way of disposing of the dead.
It is true
that the majority of cremated remains are never deposited in consecrated,
marked, burial places. This is, to say the least, doing a supreme dishonour to
the deceased’s sacred remains.
In
conclusion, let me recapitulate:
-
Cremation is contrary to the example and teachings of Jesus and of The
apostolic Church.
-
Cremation does a supreme dishonour to a redeemed body.
-
Cremation destroys the sacred memory of our beloved dead.
-
Cremation is the cheapest legal way of discharging a sacred responsibility.
BARBARIANISM
A mother was kind and
gentle and true,
Had three little angels;
oh, how they grew;
With dimples and curls, and
contagious smiles;
Were fat and chubby: at
play they ran miles.
They were healthy and happy
and winsome, too:
Were the loveliest darlings
this mother knew.
This charmed mother was a
willing slave.
Her three from disease she
fought to save.
She toiled all day and
nursed all night,
And put up for them a
terrific fight.
Through the help of God and
by her care,
He raised them up in answer
to prayer.
With mother’s help they
grew mature;
Men and maiden were taught
to be pure.
The three all married and
moved away.
With the promise to return
some better day.
Mother became lonely and
rather poor.
She rented a room on a Rue
Lefleur.
Her form was stooped, her
face was drawn,
Her hair was grey and her
children gone.
She fainted one day while
on the street,
And could stand no more
upon her feet.
That saintly mother, with a
love so true,
Was left alone to battle
through.
She was weak and sick with
none to care,
Not even a friend to say a
prayer.
But God’s angels came and
took her home,
That forsaken woman, so sad
and lone.
This mother, who was once a
willing slave,
Was denied the favour of an
earthly grave.
The one-time dimpled and
angelic three
Were now cold and cruel, as
you will see;
For they ordered her body
reduced to ashes -
The cheapest disposal, the
burial of asses.
A pagan ordeal, so godless
and cruel;
Don’t treat your mother as
you would a mule!
J.W.Fraser
About the Author
JAMES W. FRASER was born in the
Highlands of Scotland. His parents belonged to the Plymouth Brethren, among
whom he received his early Christian training. He says, “I came to know Jesus
Christ savingly while reading John’s Gospel, on July 7, 1918.” He was educated
in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Entering the gospel ministry in
1921, he served as a missionary in the Bahamas until 1930, and since then has
served in evangelical Baptist pastorates in Drumheller, Alberta, Niagara Falls
and Hamilton, Ontario. He is presently pastor of the Verdun Baptist Church, Verdun,
Montreal, Quebec, where he has since 1953 carried on a radio ministry that has
been blessed by God to many.
He has ministered at many Bible
conferences in Canada and the United States, and his articles have appeared in
various evangelical magazines. He is author of several pamphlets, as well as of
a large number of Christian poems.
When a portion of Cremation—Is
It Christian? appeared in a leaflet and in the Sunday School Times several
years ago, the author received over 3,000 letters—not one of which was critical
of his stand or interpretation of Scripture references.