I heard that TSSC says you shouldn't be cremated because you wouldn't have a body to fly up in the air on doom's day.
I have this picture of the CK with a cremated person's ashes floating in a glob around the other TBMs. Sort of like the cloud of dust over Pigpen's head in the Charlie Brown cartoons.

But I'm a nevermo so what do I know?

Pay Lay Alol

At church they used to tell us that the church had no official position on things like cremation and donating your organs/body for science (i.e. it was allowed).

I wouldn't be surprised to find that Brigham Young or Ezra Taft Benson or someone said it's a sin, but as far as I know today the church has no official position on it.

This is mormonism though. The people in my ward all said it's okay, but I bet in another ward everybody thinks it's not allowed, and so on.

When I brought it up a few years ago with my mo family (that I wanted to be cremated) they all thought cremation was against church policy. I don't have any official citation for it, though.

I've heard there is no official church position on cremation but it is discouraged.

...I think it's horizontal....in a cheap box.

I think it's hot.

So does a TBM who wishes to be cremated get to wear his angel suit and baker hat when he goes into the oven?

I've read the handbook Before cremation they are suppossed to wear the robes and apron and hat.

Unfortunately I have first hand knowledge (from the death of a family member) that this is so. Full temple garb was on said family member when cremated.

This was one of those things that I asked too many questions about as a kid.

I was taught that you shouldn't be cremated because you wanted your body to be there for you when you were resurrected, so I asked about all the people that died in accidents and fires and was told that they would be fine because god would restore 'every hair from their head' or something similar.

Which of course made me ask if we'd all end up looking like Cousin it with a giant fro or that lady with the freaky fingernails from the Guinness book of World Records, which got me in trouble for being flippant and shut the whole thing down. But I really wanted to know...

This is exactly how I remember it as well (I'm 43). I distinctly remember equating cremation with "bad" as a kid. Then I thought, what about all those folks that died on the trail, were buried, and surely were eaten away to nothing? Are they screwed?

"Geeze, kid, just stop asking questions and doubt your doubts."

My extended family has had TBM cremations in SLC and no one has batted an eye.

One of my TBM uncles recently raised a lot of eyebrows in the family when he announced in a recent e-mail that he was to be cremated. Given the high cost of funerals, he doesn't want his family to have to shoulder that expense.

From the 98 CHI, "Normally cremation is not encouraged." It goes on that if cremated, then the body should be in temple clothes if endowed. And... it says, "A funeral service may be held." How nice of them to give permission to have a funeral!

But like I said, that was the old CHI. I don't know what the new one says. I'm on the road right now, so I don't have access to my "Mormon Doctrine" book, but I'd bet McConkie (and others of that time) had a "don't do it" opinion on it....

As with lots of mormon "positions," good luck finding it, because they're non-committal, frequently changing, and subject to the hearsay and feelings of the local bishop.

when my mother was dying she decided at a last moment that she wanted to be cremated. That was a change in her previous idea. I thought that maybe for her it would be the ultimate thing to do to her body full of cancer. She did get cremated and among the tbms there that topic came up and it seemed that the idea behind it all was not concerning the body but the fact that if the body was cremated with their clothes it would mean the burning of the Melchizedek priesthood temple robe, and that was truly frowned upon. Of course, at that point my mother couldn't care less...

In about 1980, the church sent out a letter stating no cremation. In about two weeks, they came out with a letter stating it was your decision. From what I learned for a 1StQ70, they quickly realized in some countries, burial is not an option (Japan).

From the CHI-2010

From Pg. 16 "The Church does not normally encourage cremation. However, if the body of an endowed member is being cremated, it should be dressed in temple clothing, if possible."

From Pg 162 "The Church does not normally encourage cremation. The family of the deceased must decide whether the body should be cremated, taking into account any laws governing burial or cremation. In some countries, the law requires cremation. Where possible, the body of the deceased member who has been endowed should be dressed in temple clothing when it is cremated. A funeral service may be held"

Well, damn, thanks for letting me decide and letting me have a funeral.

When I am dead I don't care what they do with the body so long as they don't bury it in that ridiculous temple costume!!!!!

I haven't bothered resigning... ( I kind of like playing with them if they come around), but policy says resigned people can't be buried in temple clothes. So... as the probability for my demise increases, it will be time to make it official.

The funny thing is that when the church helps with expenses, they pay for cremation!

My Jack-Mormon cousin died penniless and his TBM mother had no extra change, so they asked for help from TSCC.

The Morg paid for cremation, because it was cheap. My TBM had a really hard time with that, as she had always been taught that cremation was "wrong."

My dear departed Dad asked me to promise him that I would not get cremated. This discussion happened not long before he passed away in 2000. I agreed and will abide by the promise I made to him because of the immense respect I had for him. But, were I in say, Europe on holiday and croaked I would make sure that I left instructions to be cremated as moving a corpse home from far away is anguish I wouldn't put my family through. I'm sure Dad would understand.

Ron Burr



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2014 11:25PM by Lethbridge Reprobate.

It's like getting a tattoo.

Not officially disallowed, but will raise eyebrows of the devout and elderly.

If there is a superior intelligence involved whos plan is to resurrect or rebuild us , then he's going to have to start from scratch and do a better job next time around . Cremation should see to that .

from wherever they were dispersed, except for the atoms that really belonged to someone or something else prior.....

Stupid, convoluted thinking!

Cremation is becoming more and more of a reality. A while back, I attended a memorial service for the father of a friend of mine. This friend is a Baptist minister. His father was cremated. After the service, the ashes were scattered.

If cremation and scattering is becoming more popular among Evangelicals, I think it is probably only a matter of time for it to become popular among Mormons.

There's also a new process of cremation which is becoming available in more and more states. It is called green cremation. Instead of using flame, it uses water and an alkaline solution to dissolve the tissues of the body. I recently came across this video on YouTube which discusses it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stVvCeVy3Sw

have their bodies cremated, something to do with resurrection. It has always bothered me to the point that I haven't been able to have my dogs cremated like other family members have.

My TBM sister told me recently that she wants to be cremated and put into her husband's casket. I was SHOCKED.

I'd lovecto see their stance on a company called Life Gem.

They take a portion of the ashes of your dearly departed and refine them into pure carbon. Then they turn that carbon into a carbon crystal, commonly known as a diamond.

Imagine walking into church a month after the funeral with a lovely diamond ring. Then when complimented on it announcing it was made from the remains of your spouse.

They also can add chemicals to make the stone red, yell8w, blue or green.

They will also make a stone from your pets ashes.

Burn baby burn.

When I go, I want a Funeral Pyre (open air, outdoor cremation). There's a place in Colorado where it's legal.

I want to be cremated, because green lawns are for the living.

I cannot help but think the policy of discouraging cremation happened because some LDS executive was in the funeral business and knew much more money could be extracted from Mormons by this policy/counsel/advice.

I am torn between the simplest burial and small stone and having a tomb bigger than the pyramids. Bigger than the biggest pyramid. One way or the other....

My cremains as well as those of my wife will placed in our niche in our new church, a real Christian church of the Anglican persuasion.