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SUBJECT: CREMATION—and Organ Donation
QUESTION: What does your church believe regarding cremation
and organ donation?
ANSWER:
The Intercontinental Church of God does not have an official
position on this subject, as we feel that people must make
up their own minds in these matters. In the past, the parent
church strongly recommended against cremation.
We now encourage members and others to make up their own
minds on this matter in thoughtful meditation and prayer.
The Bible does not specifically offer commands about what is
to be done with human bodies after death. There is much
information and specific example to the practice of burial.
The patriarchs went to great lengths to secure places of
burial (as did Abraham for Sarah); the kings were buried in
important sepulchres; Christ was buried in a new tomb; the
dead are said to be "sleeping," which hardly describes a
nonexistent body, reduced to heat, light, gas, and a small
handful of ash.
There is simply too much in the Bible about the burial
places of the dead. Remember, Satan "disputed about the body
of Moses,". Today, cremation is chosen largely for economic
reasons, or for sentimental reasons (people wish to have
their ashes scattered over a favored place, etc.). We
encourage that people gain a good concept of what the Bible
says about death, the state of the dead, the burial of the
patriarchs and Christ Himself and about the resurrection.
Having said that we acknowledge the countless thousands if
not millions who died in fires, were vaporized in atomic
blasts, placed in ovens in concentration camps or eaten by
animals. Millions have been lost at sea or have long since
returned to dust from which they came. These people are not
lost. God speaks of the valley of dry bones and how the sea
will give up her dead. Nothing can be hidden or lost from
God.
Our aversion to cremation stems from the fact that death and
destruction of the human body by fire is the method God will
use to utterly eradicate all incorrigibles from the earth in
the end time. We are speaking here of a lake of fire…
Revelation 20: 9-10, 14-15
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved
city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and
devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This
is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.
ORGAN DONATION
Mr. Armstrong has made the following statement about organ
donation:
While medical science CAN transplant organs, and I find it
hard to pontificate against such a procedure to one who has
had his vision restored by a corneal transplant, or one who
is only alive because of a heart or liver transplant, I
nevertheless never sign the form when I obtain my driver's
license which would allow them to use my organs in the case
of an automobile crash in which I perished. Again, each of
you must make up your own minds on this issue. We are not
going to take a position on this issue other than what is
said in this document already.
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