What is the Christian Standpoint on Memorial Diamonds?

What is the Christian Standpoint on Memorial Diamonds?

When we lose a loved one, we want to honor their life here on Earth. We want to keep them close to us, or at least be able to visit them from time to time. How do we do this? We bury our beloved, pray for them, and pay homage with a headstone. Of course, there are other ways to pay tribute to the deceased—elegies, memory gardens, and more. But what about cremation and memorial diamonds? And how do Christians feel about using a loved one’s ashes to create a piece of jewelry? Let’s take a look at the Christian standpoint on memorial diamonds from cremated remains.

The Bible and Cremation

It’s necessary to consider how Christians view cremation first, since memorial diamonds cannot be made without cremains. Generally, cremation is considered to be a viable alternative to the high cost of a traditional burial. What does the Bible say about cremation? While Christianity has a strong view on cremation, there are no exact biblical guidelines. However, just a few years ago, the Vatican issued guidelines for cremation, stating that “that a person's ashes must be kept in a sacred place, not in a home or other domestic residence, and should not be scattered or divvied up in any way.” The Vatican prefers that the ashes are buried, sent out to sea, or entombed in a columbarium. The document also put emphasis that burial “is above all the most fitting way to express faith and hope in the resurrection of the body.” Burials are deeply embedded in the Christian tradition. While it may seem that the Bible strongly discourages cremation, some passages seem to only support burial instead of adamantly opposing it. Cremation is not ideal according to most Christians, but it is not an entirely forbidden practice, either. Many believe that the idea of cremation is one’s choice and a matter of their conscience.   According to Heart in Diamond, traditional Orthodox Christians are still against cremation. On the other hand, the Roman Catholic church dropped its ban in 1963. In 1969, they decided to allow funeral rights for those members that chose cremation. Even though cremation is allowed, Catholicism still favors burial. Those who are cremated are still allowed to receive sacraments and funeral rites—but only if the decision to be cremated was not a result of any hatred of the Church, or denial of Christian dogmas. One of the biggest worries for Christians is that their body will be ineligible for resurrection if they are cremated. After all, how can the body rise up by God if there is no body left? The counter-argument? Burial causes bodies to disintegrate, so logically-speaking, there is no intact body after burial, either. Storing cremated ashes in an urn or columbarium are no longer the only options loved ones have to commemorate the memory of their loved ones. Heart In Diamond is a company that can turn a loved one’s cremains into a diamond, which can be made into a cremation ring, cremation necklace, or another type of cremation jewelry. For a long time, cremation has been a forbidden practice by Christians, but some are slowly accepting the practice. This is not to provoke the ritual or disregard the Church, but to fulfill the need of the loved one and close family members. Do Christians approve of memorial diamonds? Christians are coming around to the idea of cremation, but this does not mean that they are keen on turning their beloved’s ashes into a piece of jewelry. The fact that the Vatican does not approve of divvying up ashes or preserving them in memento, makes it nearly impossible for Christians to approve the entire process of making and wearing of memorial diamonds. While memorial diamonds are an excellent option to honor your loved one, they offer many religious challenges and questions that many Christians are simply not willing to budge on.

This article was shared through email to Jason Brye and Jason decided to post... This blog update is a little different, but it's certainly something to think about.