I continue to be troubled by the structure of David Jones’ argument regarding the ethics of cremation.
Let’s review his conclusion:
After reviewing some of the key historical, biblical, and theological considerations that have been a part of the moral discussion of cremation within the Judeo-Christian tradition, ultimately the practice must be viewed as an adiaphora issue [i.e. an issue that Scripture is indifferent on]. This being said, however, it seems legitimate to draw the following three conclusions. First, church history witnesses considerable opposition toward cremation with the normative practice of the church being burial. Second, while Scripture is silent on the specifics of how to treat the deceased, both the example of biblical characters and the general trajectory of related passages seem to be in a pro-burial direction.Third, the body is theologically significant; thus, both the act of and the imagery conveyed by the treatment of the deceased ought to be weighed carefully. (emphasis mine)
At first glance, it’s a judicious conclusion. It does allow for freedom in the individual believer’s decisions, while still preserving a place for Scripture as counsel.
But the structure of has troubled me throughout the long (and excellent!) conversation we’ve had on the matter below.
Jones seems to suggest that it’s ultimately an adiaphora issue because there is no clear prohibition against the practice within the pages of Scripture. Fair enough. But what of slavery, where there is also no clear prohibition in Scripture?
Let’s rewrite the second of his mitigating points.
“Second, while Scripture is silent on the specifics of [whether to abolish slavery], both the example of biblical characters and the general trajectory of related passages seem to be in a [pro-abolition direction].”
This is the exact argument that is often made to suggest that slavery is, in fact, not a “Biblical” practice. The anthropology of Scripture undermines the institution, and any consistently Christian society or individual would work for abolition. Or so the argument goes.
If that argument is correct–and like a lot of folks, I think it is–then it’s hard to see how the Bible is indifferent toward slavery as an institution or a practice. There’s a moral judgment against it that is biblical, even if Scripture doesn’t explicitly prohibit it.
There are, of course, relevant differences between slavery and cremation, the most significant of which is that the one treats humans who are alive, and the other treats humans who are deceased. My point here is also not about the morality of cremation (or slavery) per se. That conversation is still going on of at my other internet home, and there’s no reason to repeat that all here.
Instead, I want to know (and this is a real question): If we adopt Jones’ conclusion that cremation is an adiaphora issue, despite the pro-burial trajectory within Scripture, must we also say the same thing of slavery?
July 30th, 2010 | 11:02 am | #1
What’s interesting to me is that in both situations the matter is really about the moral *interpretation* of the institution, which seems a cultural and/or personal matter.
Slavery seems abhorrent to us here because we (Westerners, and Americans especially) don’t really have a conception of human dignity apart from economic autonomy.
Cremation is off-putting to some people because it seems … incompatible? … with the resurrection to me. I actually have the opposite interpretation. Cremains in an urn are a lot more permanent than a body decomposing in a humid climate. (John Henry Newman’s body totally dissolved into the ground, for instance.)
Making a big deal of it, from my perspective, would only seem to scandalize the faith of people who have lost a relative in a fire, or who for some other reason don’t have the body.
July 30th, 2010 | 3:25 pm | #2
From http://www.ehow.com/about_5196905_cost-average-funeral.html:
Funeral Costs
According to FuneralTips.com, in 2009 the average funeral cost is around $7,500. While the casket alone can range between $600 and $10,000, the average cost was about $2,300. The basic service fee for the funeral director was $1,400, plus $600 for embalming, $400 for calling hours, $450 for a ceremony, $625 for transportation and $500 for miscellaneous expenses including writing and placing the obituary, obtaining the proper permits and providing a register book.
Cemetery Costs
Cemetery expenses in 2009 include purchasing the plot for an average of $1,000 and opening and closing the grave for $500, according to FuneralTips.com. Gravestones can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a small, simple stone to several thousand for a more elaborate monument. The average gravestone cost is $1,500.
On average, over $10,000 to put a body in the ground. Versus this at http://www.ehow.com/about_5453254_average-cost-cremation-services.html#ixzz0vCOuEEYd:
Cost
When considering the cost of cremation, one of the biggest factors is the region you live in. More densely populated areas have higher costs. A lot of this comes as a result of high demand and local competitors driving up the price. The range of the cremation process itself runs from $360 to $1,100, with a more concentrated average ranging between $700 and $1,000.
Funeral Home Expenses
The cost of cremation itself is one of the cheaper elements of what can be an expensive enterprise. With the most limited services of the funeral home staff, you could still be looking at paying between $1,000 and $1,200. This is even with them not holding any services at the funeral home or at graveside. What they will do is handle the body, transport it to a crematory, deliver it to you and arrange the basics of the process for you. If you’re looking to cut costs, you can deal with the crematory directly and eliminate that fee.
Additional Costs
Even though the price of cremation is lower than burial, other expenses must be considered. Transporting the body can cost hundreds of dollars, depending on the destination. If you’re going to keep the ashes, you’ll need something to store the ashes in. An urn can cost anywhere from $100 to an astronomical amount depending on how lavish you want it to be. A lot of the costs can be kept relatively low, but it does have the potential to become expensive.
In other words, as little as $300 or $400.
Does good stewardship enter into the conversation?
July 30th, 2010 | 3:25 pm | #3
I don’t see that big of an issue.
There are countless versus in the bible that discuss how we should treat each other, how we are all one in Christ, that all have sinned, that may lead one to the conclusion that to treat another (in particular how slavery is done today) is wrong from a biblical standpoint
There are no such versus when it comes to cremation v. burial
July 30th, 2010 | 11:24 pm | #4
I think both the issues of slavery and cremation center around the issue of human dignity. We say that slavery is wrong because the image of God is on a person. The logical question is whether or not the dignity of a dead person is violated by cremation (I would argue that it is not).
We see that burial does seem to be the norm in scripture. Yet, the end result of the buried or cremated person is the same: they will be resurrected by God. If God created man (and even more so the universe), then he can just as easily raise the person cremated as the person buried.
July 31st, 2010 | 7:54 am | #5
burial practices in the bible – descriptive events
how to treat others in the bible – prescriptive instructions
July 31st, 2010 | 6:46 pm | #6
I don’t follow the comparison of cremation with slavery, other than the unclear way in which they are treated in Biblical texts. The person who has deceased is presumably alive in a glorified body in the Kingdom of Heaven. To treat the body as nothing of special value in that context seems to me to be sacreligious. The early Christians treated the remnants of the martyrs after their executions as holy relics to be preserved and venerated. I think that this is the more appropriate attitude toward the bodies of Christians who have died.
August 1st, 2010 | 6:40 pm | #7
“let the dead bury their dead” . We should concern ourselves about the persons soul (before he croaks) rather than worry about his body after its too late.
Slavery was accepted back then and it wasn’t a bad thing like it is now. We who work for a “living” are enslaved to our jobs without the benefit of having our home and provisions provided for. Call it what you want but it is still slavery.
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact