Chaplain's Corner

Last weekend many in Canada celebrated Easter, the Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That event, the resurrection of Jesus, is, according to Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church the proof that those who trust in Jesus will also be raised.  When we consider resurrection, we also think of how a body is to be treated after it dies.  As a minister who has officiated at hundreds of Christian funerals, I have often stood at the side of an open grave and acknowledged both the “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” reality of the future of a body laid to rest in the earth; but also the Christian teaching that when Jesus returns “the dead in Christ will rise…” and that “the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed.”

I am writing this article a week after the horrible earthquake that decimated Haiti back in January.  One of the troubling realities that many of us were confronted with as we witnessed the scenes in that nation via our televisions was the fact that bodies, dead bodies were strewn about like discarded garbage, some still half buried in collapsed buildings, others covered with something by the side of the road and some simply forsaken where death occurred, in what ever condition they were when the person died.

Why did this bother us?  Well, probably for a couple of reasons.  It bothered us because in our Canadian culture, most of us only see a dead body either immediately after death in a hospital, many times after the nursing staff has tidied things up or in a coffin in a funeral chapel.  Seeing these dead bodies may have bothered us because of the indignity of the situation.  Others may have been bothered because in order to deal with the thousands who died, the bodies were being cremated where they lay or gathered and dumped in large mass graves.

We have certain sensitivities around how a body is handled after death.  Some of us are old enough to remember a time when the only way the disposition of a body was handled was burial.  Some of us have dug the graves of our loved ones and friends.  Others may have even built the coffin in which a father or mother was lovingly laid to rest in a sacred space we call cemeteries.  And many of us can remember the first time we were confronted with cremation.  Is it right?  Is it wrong?  Is it pagan?  Should a Christian person even consider cremation?

In some sectors, there is heated debate over this issue.  Some have tried to prove from the Scriptures that cremation is wrong. James W. Fraser’s booklet Cremation: is it Christian? was first published in 1965 but has been used widely by many more conservative Christian groups as a definitive word on the subject.  In this booklet Mr. Fraser states, “This question of cremation is not even debatable, for God has spoken the final word.” (page 21).   Well, in all honesty, I have spent considerable time studying the Scriptures related to this question and I cannot find a “Thus saith the Lord…” prohibition to cremation in either the Old or New Testament Scriptures.

However in my search, I have found a very reasoned paper written by Rodney J. Decker, TH.D. titled “Is it better to bury or to Burn?  Is Cremation a Christian Option”.  The paper was first presented on March 15, 2006 at the William R. Rice Lectures at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary.  The paper can be read or printed in full by Googling the title and the author’s name, for those who would like to read the paper.
 
In this paper Dr. Decker looks at the question from many perspectives, he looks at the Scriptures, he looks at Jewish and Christian tradition, he looks at those cultures that have practiced cremation and he looks at the rise of the practice in North America from a cultural, theological and business perspective.  He concludes that the practice of cremation is never “commanded, encouraged or condoned as an acceptable practice for disposing of a believer’s corpse” in the Bible.  He further concludes that the practice of burying the corpse of a dead believer best reflects the “Christian hope of the gospel” and the “honor due the human body”.  He further concludes that the development of the practice of cremation in North America “has been based on an actively nonchristian worldview.”

Timothy George in the January 18, 2010 on-line version of ChristianityToday in an article titled “Good Question: Cremation Confusion: Is it unscriptural for a Christian to be cremated?” concludes “The real question for Christians is not whether one is buried or cremated but the meaning given to these acts…Whether final disposition of the body is by burial or cremation, the Christian church should offer a funeral liturgy in which the reality of death is not camouflaged, and the resurrection of the body is affirmed.  We solemnize the departure of our loved ones by reminding ourselves that we brought nothing into this world, and that we carry nothing out.  ‘Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust in sure and certain hope of the resurrection unto eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ.’”

I know some of my readers would like to me take a stand on this but this is one of those matters of conscience that I believe each of us has to come to a studied conclusion about ourselves.  It is one of those matters that we need to respect the various and different convictions that each comes to, for there is no clear and certain word in the Bible that would allow us to sake a stand on this matter.

However, I will share that my personal convictions on this matter allows me to serve others as an officiate at funerals regardless of the choice the person or family makes to either bury or cremate the remains of their departed loved one.  The value I place on respect, would not allow me to refuse services to a person who reach a conclusion on this matter that might be contrary to mine.

I want to thank a gracious woman I visited in the hospital not long ago for planting the seed and asking me to consider writing an article on this subject.  I appreciate the fact that you read my column and if you ever have a question or and idea that might stimulate my thinking and preparation of an article, just let me know.  You can leave a message on my office phone anytime (346- 5166).

Certainly more important than what is done with my body when I die is the business of being ready to die.  I spend much more of my time caring for  people around that question and will continue to do so as long as the Good Lord gives me opportunity to serve our region as the Chaplain at Bethesda Hospital and Place.  God Bless!