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Do you consider pre-Christianity the “Dark Ages”?

.....No....but there certainly were the Mid-evil Ages. IE: (Dark Ages)

Where does the Bible say that the remains of the dead are to be despised?

......We are to bury the body of the departed. I said nothing about despising them...they are not there. It's a corpse.

Do you bury them with a headstone?

.....I bury their body, but they are not there.

Do you honor their memory by visiting their graves?

.....No, they are not there.

If so, why? Are you worshipping them?

....Not relevant. When I miss a family member I talk to the Lord and share with Him.

The early Christians, despite the objections of nineteenth century Fundamentalists, venerated relics...

....Well that is why they messed up....they didn't listen to the warnings from the get go. God always warns us when we go the wrong direction.... Had they paid attention rather than have another agenda they would not have veered away from what Jesus said.

Protestants don't realize that they do exactly what they accuse Catholics of.

....I speak only for myself in answering your questions...so I don't .... But the Protestants I know don't do what catholics do in relationship to relics, and certainly not to dead corpses. Ever!

caww:

There body is still there. The soul is not there. But, at the end of time, all the early Creeds affirm the orthodox doctrine of the “resurrection of the body/dead”, which of course goes right against one of the dominate early heresies, Gnosticism.

So honoring the dead is not a heresy, in fact, it actually affirms the reality of the Incarnation of Christ that his death and resurrection overcame sin and death and those who die in communion with Christ will share in his resurrection, entirely, the whole person [Soul and Body]. What that body will look like in heaven, nobody knows, but as the Apostle John says, we will look like him [1 John 3:2] Numerous other passages affirm a resurrection of the body [2 Peter 1:4. Phillipians 3:20-21; 2 Cor 3:18].

I may visit my mom and dad's graves from time to time but I do not do the following:

1) pray to mom and dad

2) expect them to be able to do anything for me

3) don't kneel before their graves

So in short, this Christian does not worship the departed ones who have gone on before us.

As Peter told Cornelius when Cornelius had fallen at his feet to worship him, "Stand up, for I too am just a man." (Acts 10:25-26 NASB)