That time of week for maps! This Friday I am looking at cremation geography. From Statemaster, I pulled percentage of deceased persons who are cremated for 2003.
Looking at the statistics, cremation is significantly higher in Northeast and West and significantly lower in the South. Why? Although, no biblical text actually forbids cremation there is a strong tie between the two.
“While the weight of tradition clearly favors burial, the Bible nowhere explicitly condemns cremation.”
The most prevalent Southern Christian denomination is Southern Baptist. In an article pulled from the Southern Baptist Convention,
“Just as we should not be flippant about our lives thinking we can do whatever we want with them, we should not be flippant about our deaths and the burial of the dead,” he said. “In this light, though cremation is possible, it’s important to bury or keep the dead in cemeteries with other people. Cemeteries indicate that we are part of many generations of families and others. They also become witnesses of a community awaiting the resurrection of the dead. The various Christian symbols and Scriptures on graves and headstones indicate we approach death with an anticipation of the resurrection when Christ returns to bring all to God the Father in a new heaven and new earth.”