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Friday, April 26, 2019

Human Composting


According to a Washington State senator, people from all over my state are excited about the prospect of becoming trees.

Photo by Skitterphoto from Pexels

Sir William Gladstone, four-term Prime Minister of Great Britain in the late 1800s, said:

"Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals." 

Gladstone's observation came to mind when I heard about a bill in my state which, if signed into law on May 1, will make Washington State the first to allow human composting.

What does this mean? It means human remains can be used to fertilize household gardens.  

The "organic reduction" Bill 5001 passed with bipartisan support.

A state Senator, Jamie Pedersen, told NBC News: “People from all over the state who wrote to me are very excited about the prospect of becoming a tree or having a different alternative for themselves.”

No doubt many view this as a step forward. But I see it as a step backward. 

I see it as another indicator of our steady rejection of those "high ideals" Gladstone had in mind: Judeo-Christian ideals rooted in a biblical worldview.   

This process of rejection began when Descartes birthed the Age of "Reason above Revelation," which eventually squeezed authentic Christianity out of Europe. The process is now finding its stride in popular America. 

The difference between our current hour and those leading up to it, is that until now, the rejection of Judeo-Christian "high ideals" in American society did not have wide, cross-parties, cross-class, cross-education support. But today it does. 

The Judeo-Christian "high ideals" which once provided a common rudder for Americans and Brits alike, no longer directs our ship.  

When it comes to human burial, I see no need for fancy caskets, or cosmetic display. I see no problem with immediate burial, and no embalming. That's legal, too. But this is a far cry from composting the garden with Mom's remains. 

Gladstone is also famous for saying, "Justice delayed is justice denied," and, "Nothing that is morally wrong can be politically right."

Give us more Gladstones! 

Better yet, give us a generation who will re-plant the ideals of a biblical worldview in the soil of American society once again, and bury the pagan ideals of Naturalism, which are dear to most of our current legislators.

If there ever was a time for authentic Christian re-education, it's now. We're moving backwards with breathtaking speed.