Like Orthodox Judaism, Islam has very strict views in opposition of cremation; of all the major faiths it is perhaps the most strongly and universally opposed to the practice. For Muslims, cremation is totally forbidden because it is viewed as sacrilegious and haram, meaning a sinful and unclean practice.
Of all world religions, Islam is probably the most strongly opposed to cremation. Unlike Judaism and Christianity, there is little diversity of opinion about it. Cremation is considered by Islam to be an unclean practice.
The consensus among most Christian traditions—including evangelicals—is that because the Bible does not directly forbid cremation, it is not a sin. As Timothy George says, “While the weight of Christian tradition clearly favors burial, the Bible nowhere explicitly condemns cremation.”
A: In the Bible, cremation is not labeled a sinful practice. Frankly, the topic is not dealt with at all in terms of the detailed lists of instructions for living and dying set forth by almighty God in the Old and New testaments. The short answer to your question appears to be no, cremation is not a sin.
No matter what a person's preference is, from the Christian perspective, cremation does not prevent one from going to Heaven. So there's no need to worry, if God can create life from dust, surely he can restore life from ashes.
In Christian countries, cremation fell out of favor due to the Christian belief in the physical resurrection of the body. Christians also used burial as a mark of difference from the Iron Age European pre-Christian Pagan religions, which usually cremated their dead.
Although traditional burial procedure which reflects respect for the body is still normal Catholic practice, cremation is allowed by the Catholic Church for justifiable reasons. Cremation would ordinarily take place after the Funeral Liturgy.
It reminds to Catholics inter cremated remains in cemeteries or other sacred places and that remains "should not be scattered in the air, on land, or at sea." The Vatican also decreed that ashes should not be divided, kept at home, or transformed (e.g., keepsake jewelry).
Although the Catholic Church prefers in-ground burial or entombment of a deceased person's body, cremation of the body prior to burial is allowed within the confines of the religion.
Cremation does not “prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life,” the Vatican says, but it does raise the possibility that the deceased's body, which the church believes is sacred, will not be properly respected by ancestors and relatives.
A deceased loved one, said Father Salsa, should be in a place “accessible to everyone, where they can be venerated,” so a cemetery is preferable to a home. And scattering ashes can be “misunderstood as a sort of religion of nature, while we believe in resurrection,” he said.
Muslims are always buried, never cremated. It is a religious requirement that the body be ritually washed and draped before burial, which should be as soon as possible after death. Those carrying out this duty should be immunised against hepatitis B and be aware of the hazards of AIDS.
HAVING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SPOUSES, LOVED ONES IN HEAVEN
A. Yes to both. The reunion will take place, but not as husband and wife. We learn this in Jesus' explanation to the Sadducees: "When people rise from death, there will be no marriage.
We enter heaven immediately upon our death, or our souls sleep until the second coming of Christ and the accompanying resurrection.
What's really returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissue, organs, skin, hair, cremation container/casket, etc., what you're left with is bone. When complete, the bones are allowed to cool to a temperature that they can be handled and are placed into a processing machine.
In fact, Hinduism is the only religion that mandates cremation, which is known as antim sanskar, or last rites. It is usually performed within 24 hours of death or as soon as possible, due to the fact that Hinduism also doesn't traditionally use embalming or other preservation tactics.
The newest guidelines from the Vatican state that Catholic people can be cremated, but their ashes should not be scattered at sea, and the urn should not be kept in the home. The guidelines state that the cremains should be kept in a sacred place like a church cemetery.
Both burial and cremation are acceptable according to the Anglican faith. An Anglican/Church of England service is usually carried out before a cremation. Crematoriums have special grounds called 'gardens of rest' where you can bury the ashes.
Cremation is permitted for Catholics as long as it is not chosen in denial of Christian teaching on the Resurrection and the sacredness of the human body.
Christians who know and love each other on earth will know and love each other in heaven.
Many Christians rely on Matthew 22:30, in which Jesus tells a group of questioners, "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”
Technically, your in-laws are no longer in-laws after your spouse dies. Your spouse's family becomes your former in-laws. Although the relationship between the parties remains the same, the legal terms to describe those connections often do change on top of the legal consequences or legal meaning of the relationship.
Buddhists and cremation
Due to their belief in reincarnation, cremation is seen as the preferred choice when a loved one dies. The physical body holds little significance to the Buddhist faith, it is merely a vessel for holding the soul. Buddhists also believe in organ donation as it is seen as a good deed.
For thousands of years, Jewish law has held that burial in the ground was the only acceptable option for the Jewish faith. And yet today, despite tradition and continued opposition from some in the Jewish community, many Jews are choosing cremation instead of – or as part of – traditional burial.
Eastern Orthodox Catholicism (Greek and Russian)
Eastern Orthodox churches strongly oppose cremation. This is because these orthodox religions associate cremation with a deliberate desecration of the body. These churches prefer the natural decomposition of a traditional burial.