So, I've got a question, and I welcome any responses to it. I kinda just want to consider various perspectives and consider changing my own. I just have to ask: Is it wrong to desecrate corpses, and if so, why?
Personally, I don't see a whole lot wrong with it. I, personally, would probably leave a dead body alone, just as I wouldn't bother to mess with an abandoned piece of furniture left by the side of the road. I figure that dead bodies aren't owed much more respect than other objects. The spirit, which does matter, is gone. The body will decay and turn to dust before being restored through the resurrection. My thinking is that, between death an resurrection, a body is just a pile of meat and bones that is bound to be destroyed and restored, no matter what else happens to it.
On the other hand, I know that the desecration of corpses bothers some people. In fact, according to Google, the word "desecrate" means to "treat (a sacred place or thing) with violent disrespect; violate." I suppose it makes a certain amount of sense to treat bodies as being sacred, even if they don't have spirits in them. Our bodies are gifts from God and are referred to in scripture as temples, so they are certainly owed a certain amount of respect. I just wonder, does that continue to remain true after death? Is a temple still a sacred place after the Spirit, for whatever reason, leaves it? Does or can a temple ever go back to being a regular building, which can be remodeled or even demolished without religious repercussions? I'm fully in favor of holding bodies sacred while they're alive, but are bodies still sacred when they're dead?
I welcome your responses and other feedback. I know that many people, and even some animals, treat dead bodies with special reverence. I guess I'm not sure I fully understand why.
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