My mother made the request to my older brother that she be cremated but did not put this into writing. There are 9 of us kids and we had never experienced anything other than a regular funeral. I'll never forget making the trip to the funeral home to pick up my mother's cremanes. It didn't bother me because of my familiarity with cremanes for burials at sea (I've been the command bugler). One of my older sisters just freaked when she saw the small box of ashes.
At the gravesite, I opened up the Bible to a passage of scripture that reads: "Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God:" 1 Cor 15:50
A few verses later, it goes on to state the we will be changed into an imperishable body.
This leads me to believe that whether our bodies are naturally turned to dust in the decomposition process or into ashes thru incineration, neither of those will be allowed entry through the pearly gates.
At the end of the day, if your loved one has requested to be cremated, I feel that request should be honored. Just another reason to have our last wishes in writing.
Zaphoon
