Miguel Núñez
If the word is "may", it has already happened several times with the martyrs; If the word is "must", I am deeply convinced today, that this should not happen among Christians. The reasons are multiple:
What is done with garbage in a dumpster? They burn it. I do not believe that something that was created by God, that served as a temple of the Holy Spirit, and that God intends to use in glorification, where he will unite that body with my soul, should receive the same treatment that garbage receives in a garbage dump. I do not think those two things are comparable.
We live in a reductionist society where we reduce the value to everything. At this time we say that shorts and sandals do not make us more or less holy-which is true-but that does not mean that on a Sunday a pastor should preach in shorts with a T-shirt. I agree that clothes do not make us saints or less holy; a coat and tie do not add anything to salvation. But when one reduces to nothingness what are the visible expressions that God has used from the Old Testament to convey respect or reverence, all value is lost from this side of glory. God has left us visible reminders from the Old Testament of what should be revered and respected so that we do not end up vulgarizing what He considers sacred. In ancient times, people buried their dead and gave them honorable graves.
The only reason why cremation has become popular is because it is cheaper, especially in countries like the United States. There we find ourselves with a problem of pragmatism.
Now, when the deceased has expressed that his desire is to be cremated, and he does not die in the Lord, one has no control over that. But, as Christians, I do not believe that it is the best way to express respect towards what is the human body that God created, that was the temple of the Spirit and that He intends to glorify and re-use tomorrow. Why am I going to burn it if God wants to use it again? Although God can use it however He wants, cremating still reduces value to the body He created.
Héctor Salcedo: Now, if someone genuinely Christian was already cremated, that has no impact on his eternal destiny.
Miguel Núñez: Talking about these things helps us to continue raising the value of life. That is why we have reached the point of thinking that a fetus of 18 weeks is not life, we take that body and throw it in a trash can, giving it the same treatment as garbage. We have not learned to appreciate what God has given him courage. That fetus has a soul inside, and although the dead does not have a soul, it is also God's creation like no other because it carries the image of God.