West Michigan Christian News

page 2
Absent from the body, present with the
Lord…but what do we do with the body?
The traditional answer in Western culture
was “Bury ‘em,” but the new answer is
“Burn ‘em”—no disrespect intended.
Burial versus cremation is not an abstract
debate. Since death and taxes this
side of heaven are unavoidable, if you
haven’t yet faced the bury-or-burn question
within your extended family you likely
will.
Cremation, the act of turning a corpse to
ashes, was once virtually unknown in the
United States but not anymore.
Cremation Statistics
The first recorded American cremation,
aside from ones long conducted by some
Native Americans, took place in 1876.
Still, before 1930 cremation was virtually
unknown and by 1975, according to the
Cremation Association of North America,
cremation was chosen for body disposal in
only 6% of all deaths in the United States.
But since that time the number of cremations
has increased dramatically. By 2005
American families opted for cremation
over burial in 32.28% of deaths. The upward
trend continues with a 2010 estimate
of 35.07%. By year 2025 the Cremation
Association projects 57.27% of American
deaths will be administered via cremation,
an amazing cultural shift in just fifty years.
In 2005, more than ten states recorded
cremation rates higher than 50% and four
states topped sixty percent in the number
of deaths administered through cremation:
Hawaii was number one at 66.32%,
followed by Nevada 65.08%, Washington
63.99%, and Oregon 63.74%. The states
recording the lowest percentage of deaths
resulting in cremation were Alabama, followed
by Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky,
and Louisiana. Alabama, the state
with the lowest percentage of cremations,
still logs a number higher than the national
average in 1975, 9.47% to 6%. In 2005,
Michigan stood at 37.13%.
To put this in global perspective, consider
that Japanese families choose cremation
in 98% of deaths. For Great Britain,
the percentage of deaths handled via cremation
stands at 70%. Scandinavian countries
register about 65%, and the Canadian
cremation rate is increasing rapidly, currently
at 42%, lower in the eastern provinces,
higher in the western. So the American
rate of about one-third of deaths resulting
in cremation lags other democracies.
Cremation Rationale
Reasons for increased cremation trends
include:
A) Lower cost than traditional burial—
no casket, usually no gravesite, no
gravestone, less expensive mortuary
process,
B) Declining available space in
crowded cemeteries, while cremated
remains require limited to no
space if ashes are scattered,
C) Convenience
in part due to increased
family
mobility in a
transient society
less connected
to a given area,
D) Easier to transport remains,
E) Generally quicker process,
F) Environmental considerations
or the green movement suggesting
cremation is more hygienic,
protects land,
G) Potential for scattering ashes
or ability to keep “cremains” in
an urn,
H) Changing religious views.
Younger Americans think
less about tradition and
more about what
works. They want
respectful and
creative solutions.
They don’t
care less; they care more about a bigger
picture.
Cremation vs. Burial
Various religions have embraced cremation,
for example Hinduism and Buddhism.
Others rejected cremation in favor of burial:
Orthodox and Conservative Judaism
(Reform Judaism prefers burial but does
not typically proscribe cremation), Christianity,
Islam. For these groups, not getting
a “proper burial” is a dishonor.
Ancient Israel placed bodies in the
ground in a pattern imitating the burials of
the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Phrases like “gathered to his people” suggest
burial in family crypts (Gen. 35:29).
This practice continued in the New Testament
era with burials of, for example, John
the Baptist, Lazarus, Stephen, and the
Savior Jesus.
Historically, Christian tradition
opposed cremation as a pagan
rite that attempted to thwart
the promised bodily resurrection,
rejected the body, or reinforced
the idea
of reincarnation.
Christians
also disallowedmummification
like the
embalming found
in ancient Egypt, because
this practice presented a view
of the afterlife that contradicted
Christian teaching.
Christians preferred to symbolize
in burial the promise of
the resurrection. The word “cemetery,”
for example, has Christian
roots in the term dormitory, a
place where people “sleep,” implying
they will awaken again.
First Century Church
leader Tertullian affirmed
burial and rebuffed
the Roman
Empire’s cremation
practices.
We know from
West Michigan Christian News | AUGUST 2010
Burial, cremation, and the afterlife
Rex M. Rogers
Author and Speaker
17-Year-old leads charge to restore pledge
(EP News)--Sean Harrington is a typical
high school student from Arlington, Mass.;
yet, he seems to be turning political correctness
on its head.
Harrington, a senior this fall, wants to
bring back what Massachusetts educators
deem controversial – the Pledge of Allegiance.
Arlington is the birth place of Samuel
Wilson – the central figure to the mythic
Uncle Sam. Artist James Montgomery
Flagg popularized the flag-adorned Uncle
Sam in his WWI poster, “What Are You Doing
for Preparedness?” that appeared in
the July 6, 1916, issue of Leslie’s Weekly.
Troubled with the hypocrisy of the
state’s tourism promotion highlighting the
Founding Fathers and historic symbols of
freedom, while his school has made a point
to excise such ideas– Harrington asked the
principal of Arlington High School whether
the Pledge could be restored. The principal
said the effort needed to be studentdriven.
So, with the help of his fellow students,
Harrington gathered nearly 700 signatures
and the endorsements of Sens. John Kerry,
D-Mass., Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and
John McCain, R-Ariz. But, that apparently
wasn’t enough.
School committee member Leba
Heigham told the Arlington Patch, “Patri-
otism is a very personal thing for all of us,
but I do not think it is in the school committee’s
best interest to mandate that any
of our employees recite the Pledge.”
Superintendent of Schools Kathleen
Bodie told FOX News Radio that the
Pledge has not been recited in high schools
for nearly a decade. She added, “I don’t
know if it’s all about ‘under God’ but that is
certainly an aspect of it.”
“I don’t know if it’s all about ‘under
God,’” she added, “but that is certainly an
aspect of it.”
With schools officials digging in their
heels, Harrington is considering his next
steps. “I can continue with my petition and
the catacombs that Christians buried
their dead for centuries. With the spread
of Christianity, internment, whether by
land or sea, became so common the term
“Christian burial” became synonymous
with the practice.
The Roman Catholic Church opposed
cremation for centuries and officially
banned it in 1886. But in 1963, the Roman
Catholic Church removed its official opposition
to cremation, now permits cremations,
and provides appropriate liturgies.
Interment or Inurnment in the Bible
In the Old Testament, fire was often used
as a purge of bad people, materials, or evil
acts. Later burning of presumed witches
and heretics fit the pattern. The reality of
Hell as a Lake of Fire punishing those who
reject Jesus Christ completes the narrative.
Fire and sin have historically fit together
in Christian understanding.
Some Christians contend that any use
of fire in funeral ritual smacks of false religion.
Yet this begs the question of why
deaths involving fire should be viewed
any differently, e.g. individuals burned or
vaporized by explosives, people dying in
fiery plane crashes, or individuals perishing
in building fires like and including the
Twin Towers of 9/11.
And what do we do when cremation is
the only option? Famed Southern Baptist
missionary Lottie Moon was cremated in
Japan in 1912 when her body could not
legally be transported from the country.
We don’t know what Lottie would have
thought of this predicament, but given her
lifelong growth in applying Christian truth
cross-culturally she probably would have
considered it more stewardship than scandal.
Some have argued that a gravesite is an
important place for gathering, grieving,
and remembering, and it is. But so, too,
can an urn be a focus of remembering,
and with few exceptions gravesites are not
permanent. Most dissipate with the sands
of time.
Still other Christians believed that a de-
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make the school concede – and I think,
with the public’s help, I could do that,”
he explained. “However, there’s also legal
action. I’m just not sure if that’s the right
thing to do at this time. What I am sure of
is this: I will follow the words of Teddy
Roosevelt, ‘If I have to choose the path between
peace and righteousness, I choose
righteousness.’”
He’s not surprised at the media’s growing
attention to his efforts. “I believe that
I have God’s help – how else would this
have become a national issue? I believe
that it is Divine intervention,” he said. “As
John Brown the abolitionist said ‘I am an
instrument in God’s hand.’”