Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Burning question
Do you reckon that putting the bodies of the Christian dead to sleep in the earth is a more appropriate testimony to the hope of the resurrection of the body than cremating them?
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6 comments:
That was the traditional view -but people probably wouldn't have a clue about the symbolism of the witness today. Personally I have a morbid irrational phobia of being cremeated alive and want to be (dead)
You could argue that cremation shows even more faith in the re-creative ability of Christ when he redeems our earthly bodies. Plus you don't have to deal with the gruesome Stanley Spencer images of bodies climbing out of graves.
And I think the pragmatics of not enough space to bury people sanitarily is probably sufficient argument in favour of cremation for some.
Ros, whilst I realise that bodies decay after burial, it seems to me that the symbolism of burial rather than cremation importantly highlights the value of the body (not just waste to be burned up), the physicality of the resurrection, the continuity between earthly body and resurrection body (not at a biological level, but at the level of personal identity). Burial seems to be the Scriptural norm - being laid down to rest with one's fathers, and cremation is a form of desecration.
WSC Q/A captures it beautifully, I think (and moves me close to tears every time I think of it):
Q: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A: The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.
Dave, I personally would far rather be cremated alive than be stuck in a tiny wooden box underground...Didn't some Victorians have a morbid fear of being buried alive, and so attach bells to the top of coffins, attached to a rope that was placed in the deceased's hand, so if they woke up inside the coffin, they could ring for attention?
Also, the idea of a seed sown into the ground, that will in due course be reaped as a glorious plant...
intersting - I thought about this a little while ago. Prior to reflection, I thought I'd rather be cremated - issues of pragmatics as Ros mentioned where one reason, and also probably not wanting to foster a place of mourning, but more romantically being scattered in the wind, or something like that (my grandfather's ashes are in several bunkers in his golf club, though they've probably replaced the sand since 1992).
Since reflecting, I wonder if there is something in the picture of being buried, as matthew says, giving value to the body and emphasis to the physicality of resurrection.
nevertheless, as Ros says, all the glory will be to the Lord of re-creation at our resurrection. And undoubtedly, there will be many godly people, martyrs among them, who will be made new from their ashes
Ben, Thanks.
I quite like the golf club thing. But it must change the experience of playing a round for his family and friends?
Yes, of course, the Lord's raising of the cremated does show his amazing power.
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