Biblical references...
Genesis 3:19... By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
1st Samuel 31:11-13... Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men rose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Job 34:14-15... If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.
1st Corinthians 15:35-58... But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Revelation 20:13... And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
Discussion Thoughts: People die in many different ways... sickness, old age, drowning, atomic explosion, burned in fires, frozen in ice, falling off a cliff, auto accident, eaten by a shark, etc., etc., etc. --- it is easy to conclude that everyone (as the bible decrees) eventually returns to "dust". It really does not matter how we die... we will eventually return to dust (as the bible decrees)! Read below to understand the varied way we can return to dust.
Does the word cremation exist in the bible? No, it does not... based on (1st Samuel 31) the bodies of Saul and his sons were burned, reduced to bones, and the bones were buried. Not exactly "cremation", but close to the same thing!
What exactly is cremation? There are several types of cremation... Direct, Liquid, or Green... Direct is the most common... the body is heated to 1500 degrees which reduces the body to ash and bones... the bones are then crushed which reduces everything to ash (dust)!
Different religions have different beliefs:
Protestantism... Most denominations are neutral on the subject of cremation, leaving it up to the individual to decide. This has resulted in a general acceptance of cremation among Protestants. Protestantism doesn’t dictate what can be done with the cremation remains (The family can keep them in a cremation urn, bury them, or scatter them in a meaningful location... as long as no local laws are broken).
Catholics... In May 1963, the Vatican's Holy Office lifted the prohibition forbidding Catholics to choose cremation. This permission was incorporated into the revised Code of Canon Law of 1983 (Canon # 1176), as well as into the Order of Christian Funerals.
Jewish law strictly forbids cremation... the Jewish belief is that body and soul will be reunited after death!
Hinduism... Hinduism is the only religion that mandates cremation, which is known as antim sanskar, or last rites. It is usually performed within 24 hours of death or as soon as possible. In Hinduism, cremation is a way of separating the physical body from the energies within the body, enabling the soul of the deceased to reincarnate.
Buddhism... There are a variety of funeral and burial practices in Buddhism, cremation is the most common. Buddhists believe that in the cycle of reincarnation, there is no connection between the body and the consciousness, or soul, after death. Because Buddhism already sees death as a transition into another form, cremation doesn’t conflict with any of its teachings.
Islam... Cremation isn’t permitted under any branch of Islam: Sunni, Shi’a, Sufism, Ibadi, or Ahmadiyya. While the Qu’ran does not mention cremation specifically, Muslim scholars have interpreted Surat Al-Ma’idah 5:31 to prescribe burial as the proper way to respect the dignity of the deceased. Islam has one of the strictest beliefs against cremation among the major religions and has a long tradition of prohibiting the practice. Islamic law also states that the body should be buried as soon as possible, which often results in burial within 24 hours.
Eastern Orthodox... Another religion that doesn’t believe in cremation. The Church interprets what the Bible says about cremation to mean that the practice interferes with resurrection (as the body will no longer be in its original form). The Church will not allow funerals for cremated members unless cremation is required by law, or an epidemic.
Greek Orthodox... One of the largest within the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Greek Orthodox Church prohibits cremation, and until recently, it was also prohibited in the country of Greece. In 2006, with rising demand for cremation from non-Orthodox citizens, Greece passed a law allowing cremation.
The Church of Latter-day Saints... The Church of Latter-day Saints doesn’t prohibit cremation, but it’s often discouraged, particularly in the West. Some leaders and members of the Church feel that cremation amounts to disturbing or destroying the body, which is a sacred temple. However, the Church also recognizes that in many countries, cremation is customary and that it’s sometimes required by law. The current interpretation of The Book of Mormon is that cremation does not affect the deceased’s ability to be resurrected because God is omnipotent.
Native Americans... Burial and memorial customs are specific to a tribe and vary widely! Cremation was used by many tribes, including the Odawa Tribe... they believed the smoke sends the body upward in their journey to the afterlife! The Sioux, Ute, and Navajo Tribes used platforms or a tree to bring the deceased closer to the sky... animals consumes the body bringing the life cycle full circle. Some Sioux Tribes chose earth burial... they viewed the earth as our Mother and a dirt burial was the best way free the soul.
Cremation vs embalming... some people oppose cremation because it destroys the body and because it originated as a pagan practice (since they did not have crematories back then one can assume they used procedures like Native Americans used... see above). Some people oppose embalming because of the embalming process... skip this if you have a weak stomach. Embalming is a terrible process... blood is drained from one of the veins and replaced by a fluid injected into one of the main arteries. The fluid is usually Formalin (a solution of formaldehyde in water). If you want to read more about embalming... go on the web and search for embalming... the descriptions are quite grotesque and difficult to accept.
Cremation of embalming... it matters not... the resurrection of the "dust" of those who have died will present no difficulties to God. The omniscient, omnipotent God who created the world out of nothing and who marks the resting place of his saints, will, at His coming, bring them back from the dead and glorify their bodies regardless of their condition in death or if they were cremated or buried. Read 1st Corinthians 15:35-58 above.
Options... in addition to the dictates of a particular religion, decisions of cremation vs embalming may need to be made because of special situations... for instance... a family member, that would expect to view the body and say goodbye to a person in a casket rather than an urn, may be out of the country or unable to attend for an unknown time. A religious service can be held after cremation or after embalming... the cremation urn is usually at the service... read below how my personal service will be conducted.
My Beliefs... This was an interesting study... as discussed above, it matter not to God whether a person is cremated of embalmed. I will be cremated and there will be a visitation followed by a short religious service. At the visitation tables, where the story of my life will be displayed, there will be an urn containing my ashes... at the urn will be a card with the following printed message... please touch the urn and say a final goodbye!