Latter-day Saint Views on Cremation: What the Church Teaches Today

Updated October 12, 2026 · Written by Jordan Colton, founder of Cherished Emblems · Checked against each tradition's published sources

Does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints allow cremation?

Yes. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints allows cremation and leaves the choice between burial and cremation to the family of the person who died. The current General Handbook states that the family decides, that the body should be treated with respect and reverence either way, and that the power of the Resurrection always applies.

For years the Church's handbook said it did "not normally encourage" cremation, and burial was the strong cultural norm among Latter-day Saints. That sentence carried over into the first edition of the General Handbook in February 2020, and it was gone after the Church revised the burial and cremation section later in the rewrite (the section was updated on December 18, 2020). What remains is a family decision, one practical instruction for members who have received their temple endowment (the body should be dressed in temple clothing where possible, whether buried or cremated), and full permission for a funeral in a meetinghouse. Many people still search for this topic using the older nickname "Mormon Church," which the Church's Newsroom style guide asks people not to use; this page uses the Church's full name and the term Latter-day Saints.

Key facts at a glance

• Official position: Cremation is permitted. General Handbook 38.7.2 states that "the family of the deceased person decides whether his or her body should be buried or cremated."
• Since: Cremation has never been forbidden. The older wording that the Church "does not normally encourage cremation" appeared in Handbook 2 (2010), section 21.3.2, and was dropped during the 2020 to 2021 General Handbook rewrite; the burial and cremation section was revised on December 18, 2020.
• Burial preferred? Not in the current handbook, which treats both options neutrally. Burial remains the cultural norm among Latter-day Saints, and a 1991 Ensign article called it "the preferred method" where there is no overriding reason to cremate.
• Scattering ashes: No Church rule. It is a family decision subject to local law.
• Keeping ashes at home or in jewelry: No prohibition. The handbook is silent; the only instruction is that the body be treated with respect and reverence.
• Funeral with cremated remains present: Allowed. A bishop conducts a funeral in a meetinghouse whether a casket or an urn is present.
• Temple clothing: "If possible, deceased members who are endowed should be buried or cremated in temple clothing" (38.5.8). If that is not practical, the clothing may be folded and placed beside the body.
• Who decides: The family, respecting the wishes of the person who died.

We are not a religious authority. This page is for information only; please confirm anything here with your own spiritual leader.

On this page

• What the Church officially teaches about cremation
• How Latter-day Saints approach cremation today
• Common questions families ask
• Where personal choice and memorial keepsakes fit
• Related traditions
• Update history
• Sources

What The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially teaches about cremation

The historical position

Latter-day Saints have never had a doctrine that forbids cremation. What they had was a strong preference for burial rooted in two ideas: reverence for the body as a creation of God, and the symbolism of burial itself, a body laid in the earth and raised again, mirroring the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That preference was written into Church policy for decades. Handbook 2, the 2010 leaders' manual that governed local congregations until 2020, said in section 21.3.2 that "the Church does not normally encourage cremation," that "the family of the deceased must decide whether the body should be cremated," and that an endowed member who is cremated should be dressed in temple clothing where possible (Handbook 2, 2010, PDF hosted by the Church; the wording is also quoted in a March 2020 Ask Gramps column). A 1991 question and answer column in the Ensign, the Church's magazine at the time, put it this way: "Where there is no overriding reason to cremate, burial is still the preferred method of handling our dead." The same article noted that "as the Church has moved into nations other than the United States, there has been recognition that cultural practices differ," and that "nothing that is done to the body will in the end prevent the purpose of our Lord from being fulfilled."

What changed and when

Between February 2020 and December 2021 the Church replaced its two printed handbooks with a single online General Handbook, rewriting every chapter in the process (Deseret News, December 15, 2021). The change to cremation did not happen on day one. When the General Handbook was first published on February 19, 2020, section 38.7.2 still carried the Handbook 2 sentence word for word, which is why a March 2020 column could quote both editions side by side and find them identical. The burial and cremation section was then revised in the update of December 18, 2020, which added the sentences about countries where the law requires cremation, families for whom burial is not practical or affordable, and the reassurance that the Resurrection always applies (Deseret News, December 18, 2020; Salt Lake Tribune, December 18, 2020). By November 2021 the section read as it does today, with no sentence discouraging cremation (LDS Living, updated November 2021). The current section names neither method as preferred, and the phrase "does not normally encourage cremation" does not appear anywhere in the current General Handbook.

The current guidance

General Handbook section 38.7.2, "Burial and Cremation," is short. In the Church's own words:

"The family of the deceased person decides whether his or her body should be buried or cremated. They respect the desires of the individual."

General Handbook 38.7.2

The section goes on to note that "in some countries, the law requires cremation," and that "in other cases, burial is not practical or affordable for the family." Then the two sentences that matter most to grieving families:

"In all cases, the body should be treated with respect and reverence." … "Members should be reassured that the power of the Resurrection always applies."

General Handbook 38.7.2

The section closes with one practical line: "Where possible, the body of a deceased member who has been endowed should be dressed in ceremonial temple clothing when it is buried or cremated (see 38.5.8)."

That reassurance about the Resurrection answers the question underneath most cremation worries. Latter-day Saints believe in a literal, physical resurrection. The Book of Mormon teaches that "the spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form" and that "there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost" (Alma 11:43 to 44). Because that restoration is the work of God rather than of an intact body, cremation is understood to have no effect on it.

Three other handbook passages complete the picture. Section 38.5.8, "Temple Burial Clothing," says: "If possible, deceased members who are endowed should be buried or cremated in temple clothing. If cultural traditions or burial practices make this inappropriate or difficult, the clothing may be folded and placed next to the body." Section 29.5, "Funerals and Other Services for the Deceased," repeats the instruction in 29.5.5 ("Deceased members who were endowed should be buried or cremated in temple clothing") and adds that "if a funeral for a member is held in a Church building, the bishop conducts it," that the comfort offered by Jesus Christ through His "Atonement and Resurrection should be emphasized," and that services "should not last more than 1.5 hours, as a courtesy to those who attend" (General Handbook 29.5). And section 18.16, "Dedicating Graves," addresses cremation directly: "If a Church member's body is cremated, the presiding leader uses his judgment to decide whether to dedicate the place where the ashes are kept. He takes into account the family's wishes and local customs and laws. The brother who acts as voice adapts the instructions for dedicating a grave" (General Handbook 18.16).

Put together, the official teaching is simple. Cremation is allowed. The family chooses. The body is treated with reverence either way. The Resurrection is not in question.

How Latter-day Saints approach cremation today

Policy and practice are two different things, and here they diverge more than in almost any other Christian tradition. Utah, where half of adults identify as Latter-day Saints (Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study, reported February 2025), has one of the lowest cremation rates in the United States. The National Funeral Directors Association's 2024 Cremation and Burial Report put Utah's cremation rate at 38.9% in 2020 and projected 46.1% for 2024 and 47.9% for 2025, against a national rate of 56.1% in 2020 and 61.9% in 2024. Only a few Southern states such as Mississippi (34.3%) and Alabama (42.3%) were projected lower for 2024 (NFDA, 2024, state table on page 9). NFDA's 2025 report, released October 6, 2025, projected a national cremation rate of 63.4% for 2025, rising to 82.3% by 2045, and expects every state to pass 50% by 2035 (NFDA, 2025). The Cremation Association of North America reported a 62.8% national rate for 2025 (CANA). Utah is catching up, but it is starting from a long way back, and the religious preference for burial is the most common explanation.

That gap is narrowing for the same reasons it is narrowing everywhere: cost, mobility, and a younger generation that sees cremation as no less sacred than burial. Outside the American West the picture is different again. The handbook itself notes that "in some countries, the law requires cremation," and in parts of Latin America, Africa, and Asia its line about burial being "not practical or affordable" describes everyday reality.

When a Latter-day Saint family chooses cremation, the funeral usually looks almost exactly like a burial funeral. If the family wants a viewing, it is held before cremation. The bishop conducts the funeral in the ward chapel, with hymns, a family prayer, a life sketch, talks, and a closing prayer. An urn may sit at the front where a casket would be, often beside a photograph, and the Relief Society typically serves a luncheon afterward. The one visible difference is what happens at the cemetery. With burial, a Melchizedek Priesthood holder (usually a family member) dedicates the grave. With cremation, that step is adapted, as the next section explains.

Most Utah funeral homes are experienced with dressing an endowed member's body in temple clothing before cremation. Families outside the Intermountain West may need to tell the funeral director what is needed and ask their ward for help with the clothing.

Common questions families ask

Can Latter-day Saints scatter ashes?

Yes. The General Handbook does not address scattering, and nothing in Church teaching forbids it. The only instruction is that the body be treated "with respect and reverence," which families honor in different ways: scattering in a place that mattered to the person, burying the ashes in a family plot, or placing them in a columbarium niche. Check local and state law on where scattering is allowed. Because a grave dedication is written for a burial plot, families who scatter usually ask a Melchizedek Priesthood holder to offer a family prayer at the site instead.

Can we keep a loved one's ashes at home?

Yes. There is no Church rule against keeping ashes at home, and many Latter-day Saint families do, sometimes for a season and sometimes permanently. The handbook's guidance on dedicating "the place where the ashes are kept" assumes ashes may rest somewhere other than a cemetery. If it would bring comfort, a priesthood holder in the family can offer a prayer of dedication or a simple family prayer over the urn wherever it is kept.

Is it all right to divide ashes among family members?

Yes. The Church has no teaching against dividing cremated remains, and the belief that the Resurrection restores the body "to its perfect frame" regardless of what happened to it means there is no doctrinal concern about ashes resting in more than one place. Families split ashes so that children in different states can each bury or keep a portion, so a portion can be scattered while the rest is buried, or so that a small, symbolic portion can be kept close. Talk it through as a family first so no one is surprised later.

Does the Church allow cremation jewelry or keepsakes?

Yes. Nothing in the General Handbook or in the Church's teachings prohibits keeping a small, symbolic portion of ashes in a pendant, ring, or keepsake. This is a family decision, and Latter-day Saints fall on both sides of it: some find it a quiet, grounded way to keep a parent or child close, and others prefer that all of the ashes rest in one dedicated place. Neither choice is more faithful than the other.

Should an endowed member be dressed in temple clothing before cremation?

Yes, where possible. General Handbook 38.7.2 says the body of an endowed member "should be dressed in ceremonial temple clothing when it is buried or cremated," section 38.5.8 says endowed members "should be buried or cremated in temple clothing," and section 29.5.5 repeats the instruction. Tell the funeral home before arrangements are finalized, and ask the bishop or Relief Society president if help is needed with the clothing or the dressing. If the body cannot be dressed, for example after a long delay, a death abroad, or a medical situation, the handbook's phrases "where possible" and "if possible" cover it, and 38.5.8 adds that the clothing "may be folded and placed next to the body." The family should not feel that anything was lost.

Can we hold the funeral in the meetinghouse with the urn present?

Yes. A bishop conducts a funeral in a Church building in the same way whether a casket or an urn is at the front. The handbook asks that funerals emphasize the comfort of Christ's Atonement and Resurrection, stay simple and dignified, and generally run no longer than an hour and a half. Cremation can happen before the funeral, with the urn present, or after a funeral held with the casket present. Both orders are common.

What about dedicating the grave when there is no grave?

A grave dedication is a priesthood prayer that "dedicates and consecrates the burial plot as the resting place for the body" and asks that "the place will be hallowed and protected until the Resurrection." When ashes are buried in a cemetery plot or placed in a columbarium niche, the presiding leader can simply adapt those words, and many families ask a son, brother, or grandson who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood to do it. General Handbook 18.16 leaves this to the leader's judgment, who "takes into account the family's wishes and local customs and laws," and adds that "a graveside prayer may be offered instead of a dedicatory prayer. It may be offered by anyone the family chooses." When ashes are scattered or kept at home, most families choose the family prayer.

Should cremation happen before or after the funeral?

Either is fine. Church guidance does not set a timeline. Families who want a viewing and an open casket at the service usually cremate afterward; families who prefer a simpler service, or who are gathering relatives from far away, often cremate first and hold a memorial with the urn present days or weeks later. The handbook asks only that the casket be closed before the funeral service itself begins.

Where personal choice and memorial keepsakes fit

The Church has placed this decision exactly where it belongs, with the family. That freedom can feel heavy when you are the one holding it, so it may help to know that within Latter-day Saint teaching there is no wrong answer here. Burial is beloved because of what it symbolizes. Cremation is permitted because the thing burial symbolizes, the Resurrection, does not depend on it. A family who buries and a family who cremates are hoping for the same morning.

Some families need all of the ashes in one place, dedicated and marked, where grandchildren can visit on Memorial Day. Others find that a portion of ashes kept at home, or worn close, steadies the ordinary days more than a headstone an hour's drive away. There is no right or wrong way to carry a loss.

If keeping a portion of ashes close is something your family wants, cremation jewelry is one way to do it; our cremation jewelry holds a small, symbolic portion of ashes in a sealed chamber and is laser engraved in Oregon with a name, a date, or a line from a favorite hymn or scripture. It is an invitation, not an expectation.

And if your family would rather every ash rest together, there are other ways to keep them near: a pendant engraved with a name and dates and no ashes at all, a lock of hair, a tree planted in a yard where they once sat, or the temple clothing folded and kept. What matters is that the way you remember them fits the life you shared. Latter-day Saints already hold a deep sense that families are forever. A keepsake is only a small, steady reminder of what you already believe.

If you are choosing a memorial gift for a Latter-day Saint family

The Church leaves cremation and what follows to the family, so a keepsake holding a small portion of ashes is a family decision and often a welcome one. Many Latter-day Saint families still choose burial, and the handbook asks that remains be treated with reverence, so ask before giving a piece made for ashes. A pendant engraved with a name, dates, or a line of scripture, or a design that echoes a temple the person loved, fits whether or not ashes are involved.

Related traditions

• Christian Views on Cremation
• Religious Views on Cremation
• Catholic Views on Cremation
• Evangelical Views on Cremation
• Protestant Views on Cremation
• Jehovah's Witness Views on Cremation
• Eastern Orthodox Views on Cremation
• Is Cremation a Sin? What the Bible Says
• Southern Baptist Views on Cremation
• Methodist Views on Cremation
• Lutheran Views on Cremation
• Jewish Views on Cremation
• Compare two traditions side by side

Update history

October 12, 2026: Linked the related pages in this series, including Is Cremation a Sin? and the comparison tool, so readers can move between traditions. (source)

October 12, 2026: Added a statement that Cherished Emblems is not a religious authority, that this guide is for information only and is not religious advice, and that decisions belong with your own spiritual leader. (source)

September 5, 2026: Added a "Next step" box linking to the new Memorial Gifts by Faith page. (source)

September 4, 2026: Added guidance for anyone choosing a memorial gift for a person of this faith, as part of reframing the whole series around families and gift givers navigating a difference of faith. (source)

September 3, 2026: The original 2020 post quoted the handbook as saying the Church did not "encourage" cremation. That sentence came from Handbook 2 (2010), section 21.3.2, and was still in General Handbook 38.7.2 when the new handbook launched on February 19, 2020. The Church revised the burial and cremation section in its December 18, 2020 handbook update, and by November 2021 the section read as it does today: the family decides, the body is treated with respect and reverence, and the power of the Resurrection always applies. The phrase "does not normally encourage cremation" no longer appears anywhere in the General Handbook. (source)

September 3, 2026: Corrected the temple clothing citations. The sentence "should be dressed in ceremonial temple clothing when it is buried or cremated" is in 38.7.2; section 38.5.8 reads "If possible, deceased members who are endowed should be buried or cremated in temple clothing" and allows the clothing to be folded and placed next to the body where dressing is not practical. (source)

September 3, 2026: Removed a claim that the 1991 Ensign article called the burial preference "cultural rather than doctrinal." The article does not say that; it notes that cultural practices differ as the Church has grown outside the United States, and we now quote that line instead. (source)

September 3, 2026: Added the NFDA 2025 Cremation and Burial Report (released October 6, 2025), which projects a 63.4% national cremation rate for 2025 and 82.3% by 2045. State figures still come from the 2024 report, the most recent state table we could verify. (source)

September 3, 2026: Replaced the unsourced line that "roughly half" of Utah's population belongs to the Church with the Pew Research Center finding that half of Utah adults identify as Latter-day Saints, and added the Church Newsroom style guide as the source for the note on the "Mormon" nickname. (source)

Sources

1. General Handbook, Chapter 38: Church Policies and Guidelines (sections 38.5.8 Temple Burial Clothing and 38.7.2 Burial and Cremation), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, current edition
2. Selections from the General Handbook, Chapter 38 (sections 38.5.8 and 38.7.2 in full), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
3. Handbook 2: Administering the Church (section 21.3.2 Cremation), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2010, superseded
4. Style Guide: The Name of the Church, Church Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
5. General Handbook, Chapter 29: Meetings in the Church (section 29.5 Funerals and Other Services for the Deceased), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, current edition
6. General Handbook, Chapter 18: Performing Priesthood Ordinances, Including Blessings (section 18.16 Dedicating Graves), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, current edition
7. "Do Latter-day Saints practice cremation?" by Roger R. Keller, Ensign, August 1991
8. Alma 11:43 to 44, Book of Mormon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
9. Church completes two year General Handbook update for Latter-day Saints, Deseret News, December 15, 2021
10. Church handbook updates: racism, vaping, medical marijuana, reliable sources (notes the revised burial and cremation section), Deseret News, December 18, 2020
11. LDS handbook adds warning against prejudice and misinformation, revises entries on sex abuse, conversion therapy, cremation and more, The Salt Lake Tribune, December 18, 2020
12. Has the Church's policy on cremation changed? (quotes Handbook 2 section 21.3.2 and the February 2020 General Handbook 38.7.2 side by side), Ask Gramps, March 27, 2020
13. What the Church has actually said about cremation, LDS Living, updated November 2021
14. 2024 NFDA Cremation and Burial Report (state table, page 9), National Funeral Directors Association, July 2024
15. NFDA Releases 2025 Cremation and Burial Report, National Funeral Directors Association, October 6, 2025
16. Industry Statistical Information, Cremation Association of North America, 2026
17. How many Utahns are Latter-day Saints? (reporting the Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study), Deseret News, February 28, 2025