In Answer to Your Question
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department
Hello, and welcome again to the Chaplain’s Corner. Here it is September again…time for me to stand in traffic on Friday nights. The Sheriff couldn’t believe it when I first volunteered to work traffic after football games. No one ever volunteered for that duty. That’s been 5 seasons ago now, I guess, and I think I have missed one game in that time. For me it’s fun, but then y’all know I’m a bit strange. J
Way back in my very first column I said that from time to time we might have a question-and-answer month. I recently got a question from one of my readers concerning burial vs. cremation. Since one of the “two things that are certain in this life” is death, it’s possible that others of you may be having to deal with these decisions or have wondered about it too. I’m sure that some religions and Christian denominations have very concrete teachings concerning what should be done with the body when a person leaves this life, but I was asked “what does the Bible say about it,” so I did a little research and offered my opinions. What follows in the next few paragraphs is essentially my return email to the one who asked. I have expanded my thoughts a little in a place or two…
In answer to your question, I can't find that there is a "thus saith the Lord" in the matter of what to do with the body after the spirit departs. Which doesn't help at all, does it?
The thought that did come to me regarding this was the death of Moses. The Scriptures record that "Moses died and God buried him." Conceivably it could be argued that since God had the option, and since burial was the one He chose, then burial would be His preferred method.
http://www.equip.org/free/DC765.htm is a document on the Christian Research Institute's web page that makes an attempt to deal with the question. The writers of the article quote someone named Phipps (I have no idea of who this Phipps is or why his opinion should be considered), and the arguments that Phipps makes for cremation are almost all totally wrong to my thinking. The writers of the article used Phipps’ writing as a starting point and rebut his arguments. The writers of this article conclude that burial should be the preferred method.
http://ag.org/top/beliefs/christian_doctrines/gendoct_18_death.cfm is a document on my denomination's website. It basically says that it doesn't matter relative to one's eternal destiny, but that “cremation is not the ideal method of interment for the Christian. This feeling is not based on any direct command of Scripture, for there is none, but on the practice established in both the Old and New Testaments.”
The webpage for the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod states that “the LCMS has no official position on cremation.” And concludes: “In itself, the practice has no theological significance.” (http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2124)
My personal belief is that funerals are for the living, and the method of dealing with the body should be one that brings the most comfort to the survivors. We have had personal experience with having a loved one cremated because that was the deceased's wish. It was very hard on the ones left behind, more so than a funeral would have been. What the motivation was for desiring cremation, I do not know.
I'm thinking back on the funerals of my parents. I think that, especially since I lived far from my parents, a "Christian" burial gave me a sense of closure I would not otherwise have had. As hard as it was to lose them, I was able to at least look at them one last time as I said my goodbyes in my heart. I don't remember them as they looked in the casket. I remember them as I saw them last alive. I think my aunts and uncle who came for the funerals would say the same.
Don't know if any of that helps at all.
But to recap...you need to talk through the whys and how will it affect
those left behind.
I tried checking some of the Baptist webpages and couldn’t find any official positions on the topic.
Although this topic is somewhat of an uncomfortable one, it is something which may confront all of us at some time or other. Talking it over with loved ones and your own clergy now could save a lot of hard feelings later on.
Until next time: Blessings to you and yours. And hey! – be careful out there. J
Chaplain Bill
chappy@chaplainscorner.org
