Do you visit graves?

[RedTent]

When my daughter left she left orders that her casket was to be closed, as she was not in her body any more. I would love to visit her grave. I did once, I thought it would be fine, that I would know she was alive but I couldn't visit her. it wasn't fine. I had to be carried back to the car. I have never been back.

 

[p_rehbein]

I feel the same way. Once someone is dead they know nothing, the Bible says. Its all based on TRADITION. Not common sense.

What did Jesus say? 'LET THE DEAD BURY THE DEAD'.

Visiting a dead person's grave is more revolving around spiritualism, not true Christianity.

Its the Catholics that go praying to the dead and so forth. Spiritualism/Paganism/Superstition.

Ok, so when the women went to the tomb of Jesus to tend to Him on Resurrection morning, they were NOT practicing "true Christianity?"

Look, if folks don't want to visit the grave sites of loved ones who have passed on, that's fine, but let's not try to make it out to be some unforgiveable sin for those that choose to do so.........goodness...........

 

[notuptome]

I hadn't given much thought to this subject. I have visited some of the graves of my relatives but not often. I can say that it is my flesh that remains sentimental about the graves of loved ones who have gone ahead into glory. Spiritually I full know that they are in God's hands and most of them had a good testimony of salvation although some were clearly depending on something other than grace.

Certainly it does no good to weep for those who are lost now that they are in the grave unless God uses it to burden one for the living who are lost.

I have been considering cremation and leave no grave but is that fair to those who are left behind? I prefer to go by way of rapture and leave nothing but the clothes off my back.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[MaggieMye]

I rarely ever visit someones grave. Most people don't have a problem with that, but from time to time, I find someone that thinks it is horrible that I don't. My closest loved ones that have died are an older sister and my dad. I thin about them frequently, but just never saw any benefit in going to the grave and sitting there for a bit.
Some folks will say it is out of respect for them. I prefer to honor my dad's memory by trying to serve God. That is what he wanted. Once someone is dead they have no way of knowing you did, or didn't, visit their grave. To the OP title: what for? I totally agree that there is NO benefit in going to a grave and sitting there for any length of time...to me that is a total Waste of time. Showing respect?? To a dead person?? A dead person that cannot receive? The living are to attend to the LIVING.
Ps 88 I am reckoned (considered to be) among those who go down to the pit;
I have become like a man without strength,
[SUP]5 [/SUP][SUP][e][/SUP]Forsaken among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And they are cut off from Your hand.
NIV v. 5"I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care."
We can see from scripture that there is to be "NO CARE" given to those that are dead. We are not to attend to the dead once they are buried. This is NOT to say say that we are not to remember them. But in reality, to speak to one in the grave is necromancy, which is forbidden. To give any kind of attention to the person in the grave....even flowers in my personal opinion... is a form of worship, not remembrance. Laying flowers at the grave is no different than laying any other kind of offering at grave or tomb. It is idolatry. Harsh words, true. But just how many things do people do that are, if studied and researched, that while are 'tradition' are in direct defiance to God's written word? No where in scripture does one find anyone putting anything but rocks over a grave. And that was ususlly done for one of two purposes: to mark the grave for the purpose of futute identification (such as a man wanting to be buried next to his already dead wife) or to prevent animals from tearing into the carcass.
My dad has been dead 5 or 6 years. I've been to his grave only once since then and then I wondered as I was there, WHY I was there. The going served no one and no purpose.
...oh...and for those that think they have to go to have some sort of closure or to deal with some sort of issue that was had with the dead person? FORGIVENESS can be done at home.
Maggie

 

[LNCSW1982]

this may sound slightly morbid, but the graves i enjoy visiting are at those really old, old cemeteries (like those attached to a church).

i find it sort of fascinating - ages, names and the what i can deduce based upon the obvious clues.

i don't visit graves in memory to anyone i've lost, though. it seems... weird to me.

This is exactly what I do. These are the only graves I visit. Graves from the early 1900s and older in order to gain knowledge from a historical virwpoint. I think about what their lives must have been like; what their jobs were; what they did for fun, compared to what things we have today; could I have enjoyed those times, etc.

I don’t visit loved ones graves. They are not there. They have gone in to a much better place. If you ask me, life on Earth is a form of Hell.

 

[JaumeJ]

Once walking by a cemetary in Springfield, Missouri I read tombstones, and one was of an adolescent drummer boy from the civil war...…...I stopped reading at that point, I do not go to funerals and I do not look upon the dead……..of course there are other reasons for the latter two

God bless you that you do not come upon a stopper as I did.

 

[tourist]

This is exactly what I do. These are the only graves I visit. Graves from the early 1900s and older in order to gain knowledge from a historical virwpoint. I think about what their lives must have been like; what their jobs were; what they did for fun, compared to what things we have today; could I have enjoyed those times, etc.

I don’t visit loved ones graves. They are not there. They have gone in to a much better place. If you ask me, life on Earth is a form of Hell.

Your last sentence is true for some. It is hard down here. Even Jesus wept when He walked the earth. Regarding graves, no, I don't visit any graves 'cause that's where the dead people are and I prefer the land of the living. This thread is over 4 years old and yours was the first response in 4 1/2 years but you are still free to express your views on this thread. Some call it a zombie thread but regardless, it is indeed dead or at least it was. It apparently came back from the grave.

 

[Hevosmies]

I hate funerals, and if im forced to attend a funeral, I will.

BUT: After the funeral is over, dont expect me to sit around next to a stone talking to someone thats dead!

The saved people that I know in my family have all told me that when they go, DONT come and weep for me, for I am in a better place and we will MEET AGAIN.
Thats the comfort of the Christians! THANK GOD

 

[Adstar]

I never visits graves on my own initiative.. The last two times i went to graveyards i was asked to go and help do acquaintance on deceased family relatives graves.. I had no problems doing this..

 

[JaumeJ]

Your last sentence is true for some. It is hard down here. Even Jesus wept when He walked the earth. Regarding graves, no, I don't visit any graves 'cause that's where the dead people are and I prefer the land of the living. This thread is over 4 years old and yours was the first response in 4 1/2 years but you are still free to express your views on this thread. Some call it a zombie thread but regardless, it is indeed dead or at least it was. It apparently came back from the grave.

Jesus wept because of Martha's inability to understand what He was about to do, that is, raise Lazarus.

You are spot on though because Marth's lack of understandig reflected that of mankind in generaql. A reminder of this is His plea to the Fathr from the Cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Sadly, for our joy, we now know what we all did. Praise Jesus Christ always, amen.

 

[tourist]

I hadn't given much thought to this subject. I have visited some of the graves of my relatives but not often. I can say that it is my flesh that remains sentimental about the graves of loved ones who have gone ahead into glory. Spiritually I full know that they are in God's hands and most of them had a good testimony of salvation although some were clearly depending on something other than grace.

Certainly it does no good to weep for those who are lost now that they are in the grave unless God uses it to burden one for the living who are lost.

I have been considering cremation and leave no grave but is that fair to those who are left behind? I prefer to go by way of rapture and leave nothing but the clothes off my back.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

We shall not all die but we all will be changed in a twinkling of an eye at the sound of the last trump. Yeah, rapture is the way to go but even so, the living will not precede the dead in this event.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Love will never die. Love will last forever (1 Cor. 13:8). I will go to my love ones (2 Samuel 12:23).

 

[danja]

my family and I go each year at our loved ones graves .Just to honor their memory .

 

[Kaps89]

I've been fortunate in that I've not had any close family pass however a friend of mine died off a drug overdose a couple of years ago. I missed the funeral and didn't know where the grave was. I searched local records for two years and they finally updated them and I found out where she was buried. I've still not gone to see her. It's been nearly three years and it's only a 20 minute drive but for some reason I can't bring myself to do it.

T

 

[Locutus]

So who decided to visit this dead thread from 2014?

 

[Deade]

My family came from the Indianapolis area; most moved to LA in the forties. We did not visit graves in Indiana and we still didn't in California. It appears it is mostly a Southern thing. Well established in Oklahoma. Both my wives were Okies. They call Memorial Day Decoration Day, because they go out and decorate the gravesites.

I wasn't aware of their custom when I agreed to bury my stillborn son in 1972. My wife was out at that gravesite every day at first. Then she cut back to 3-4 times a week. I decided it was time to leave California so we could get on with our lives. The best decision of my life. I do not want a memorial/shrine dedicated to my life. I stipulated no gravesite for me: cremation and scatter the ashes.