what the bible says about cremation

The Bible does not give any specific teaching about cremation. There are occurrences in the Old Testament of people being burned to death and of human bones being burned. Cremation was practiced in biblical times, but it was not commonly practiced by the Israelites or by New Testament believers. While burial was the common practice, the Bible nowhere commands burial as the only allowed method of disposing of a body. The first reference to cremation is found in 1 Samuel 31, where Saul and his sons are burned and then their bones are buried. In another instance, Achan and his family were cremated after being executed for sinning against Israel. Since the Bible does not ban nor promote cremation, most Christian denominations do not consider cremation to be sinful. The Catholic Church, however, discouraged cremation for many years. Therefore, it is up to individual Christians to decide whether to choose cremation or burial.