Cremation vs. Burial: considerations for Believers

I don't believe that it is possible to make a case for or against cremation from the Bible.  The Bible never speaks of cremation.  The reason is rather clear.  Cremation was unknown to any of the Middle Eastern cultures.

The Hebrews adapted much from the cultures around them.  During the 430 years of exile in Egypt, they would have been influenced by the Egyptian respect for the dead (mummification, pyramids, etc.), and they would have known no other way of doing things.

Respect for the bodies of the dead is carried through the Old and New Testaments.  We learn in Exodus that the bones (mummy) of Joseph were returned to the Promised Land with the Hebrews when they escaped from Egypt, and that Joseph had communicated his desire to be buried there.

The Bible doesn't just say that Moses died on the mountain, but that God buried him.  In Jude v. 9, we learn that Michael the Archangel fought with the devil over possession of the body of Moses.

Throughout the Old Testament there is a lot of mention of buying caves for burial and of burying people with their ancestors.  Evidently proper care for the deceased was of concern.

The Bible is specific that John the Baptist's disciples obtained his body and buried it after the beheading.  And Joseph of Arimathea risked his reputation by asking for the body of Jesus.  In both cases they could have just allowed the government to dispose of it.  Mary Magdalene's pouring very expensive perfume on Jesus' feet was "to prepare me for burial".   Taken together, there is a lot of mention of care for the body in a book as "short" as the Bible.  The body was always treated reverently.  In my opinion it should still be treated reverently because it housed the Holy Spirit.

Since cremation was unknown to Middle Easterners in Bible times, we have no idea whether or not the Jews and early Christians would have considered cremation to be reverent care.  

There is one similarity between ancient burial and modern cremation that is worth noting.  In Jesus' time the body was "anointed for burial" and wrapped in spices.  This was not to preserve the body but only to keep down the smell of decay.  After a year, when the body had decomposed, the bones were removed from the tomb and pulverized and placed in a small carved stone box (called an ossuary), which was then stored in the back of the tomb / cave.  So the end result of burial and cremation were the same, at least by Jesus' time.

Another consideration for some people is that, in the earlier days of Christianity after people learned of other cultures, cremation was seen as associated with pagan religions.  It's an individual choice whether to make that mental or spiritual connection or to ignore it.

Some people believe that cremation is the more "Christian" thing to do because of the "waste" of thousands of additional dollars for a traditional burial, the "waste" of natural resources (aluminum, steel, concrete)and the ecological effects of embalming fluid going into the ground and the "waste" of space for burial.  That is an open question.  

It is generally agreed that we have "liberty" (freedom of conscience) in areas in which the Bible is not specific. 

My strong personal preference is for burial because of the Biblical precedent, because of cremation's association with paganism, and because I do not see the cremation process as showing respect for the body which housed the Holy Spirit.