WHILE one religious leader has warned of the spiritual implications of performing exhumations without prayer and religious intervention, another has dismissed such concerns as superstition and expressed that there’s no need for the Church’s involvement.

Exhumation is the process of removing and relocating the remains of an individual, often done by people seeking to sell property that has family plots on them, correct illegal burials, uncover evidence for investigations, and more.

Bishop Dr Grace Ade-Gold shared that while she has no objections to the practice, it is imperative that it is not conducted for unnecessary reasons such as rituals and is done according to government standards.

She further claim that religious intervention is needed in this process to prevent spirits unleashing havoc on the families and the nation.

“For any unnecessary reasons, ritualistic or anything like that, I would say no [to exhumation] because several things can happen. Duppies will follow you. People who have duppies inside them who have died, the duppies don’t just go like that, sometimes they can trace the family or whoever is around and enter into them,” said Pastor Ade-Gold.

She said these spirits can influence individuals to cause mischief and disrupt communities, and proper prayer by strong religious leaders is needed to ensure this does not happen.

Pastor Ade-Gold further stated that in the case of sale of land and investigations, exhumation is a reasonable practice. However, there is a spiritual aspect that must be observed.

“Some prayers, some serious prayers, have to be done because after, with some people… they can be having some problems, so some prayers have to be done properly. That aspect should not be neglected. It is not all about money, they have to be very guided in terms of doing something like that,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“After all of these things, if prayers are not properly done, lives may be lost, people might die because they are evoking spirits. This is a spirit of death and they have been in the grave. They are dormant and then when you do that, they become active and they might cause evil in the nation, in the families or to the individual that has gone to do those things, so the person has to be properly guided by the Holy Spirit,” she said.

With four local funeral home directors who offer exhumation services confirming to the Sunday Observer that the service is most popular among family members seeking to sell land that houses the remains of their ancestors, Pastor Ade-Gold stated that proper care and consideration should be taken when relocating the remains of the deceased.

“They have to choose a place that is very far from where developments and developing is taking place, because if not, exhuming them again to cut a road or develop some areas for houses or construction and so on is not good. Don’t put them on development-rich land,” she said, urging relocation to designated burial zones.

The remains are either reburied at another location or cremated.

While Pastor Ade-Gold has expressed that some religious intervention should take place during an exhumation, Pastor Sean Major Campbell said blessings or religious ceremonies should be determined by the faith community, where applicable. However, he does not see where it is necessary.

While it is a cultural belief that disturbing the resting place of the dead can upset the spirit of the deceased and cause them to create mischief, Pastor Campbell said he does not subscribe to this belief.

“Leviticus 19:31 mandates, ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritualists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.’ The Prophet Isaiah in 8:19 asks, ‘When someone tells you to consult mediums and spirits, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?’ There is also Deuteronomy 18:10-12, where a stern warning is given: ‘Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.’ In all these cited contexts, the issue was not exhumation,” he said, citing that the issue the scriptures speak to is people seeking to communicate with the dead.

He stressed that exhumation within the context of the law is not a problem, but some reasons for exhumations do cause concern.

“The idea of family members exhuming the remains of their loved ones to sell the land raises other concerns, such as whether the ancestors would have wanted that to happen. There is also the matter of whether those remaining should not be able to make decisions considered best in the interest of the present generation,” said Pastor Campbell.

However, he stressed that he does not see where the Church should have a role to play in the process.

Exhumation is the process of removing and relocating the remains of an individual.