Thursday, November 13, 2014

Burial versus Cremation in the Bible

For all of the ceremony and specificity of God's law, it doesn't address how to dispose of the dead.



3 comments:

  1. Thank you for tackling this topic Steven. I have often wondered what God would want from us as it relates to burial versus cremation of our physical bodies. When I have brought this topic up to several people, I have gotten a large array of answers. I think you are correct in stating that God is more interested in how we are living our lives today than what we do with our physical bodies at death. Thank you for your insight that the Bible does not give specific expectations from God in this matter. Happy Sabbath!

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  2. The Biblical principle is one of burial. That does not mean that cremation is a sin, just that it is best to follow this principle where one can. See the evidence here http://www.friendsofsabbath.org/Further_Research/Cremation/

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment. I can't remember whether I mentioned this specific example in the video (it's been a long time!), but 1 Samuel 31 records the death of Saul. Included there is the detail that Saul's body was burned and the remains then buried. One can argue that it was a special case, but I think it shows that the burning of the body was considered a respectful way of disposing of it.

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