 Mummiform. |
 Pet mummies also offered by Summum. |
I just found out about these folks, and they’re creepy to say the least: Summum. (The word is Latin for “the sum total of all creation.”) The Salt Lake City-based cult practices the ancient Egyptian religious observance of mummification. Last May, they took a case all the way to the Supreme Court, trying to force Pleasant Grove City, Utah to let them put a granite marker in a local park, right next to a monument of the Ten Commandments. The group, formed in 1975, believes in what they call the Seven Aphorisms, supposedly given to Moses on Mount Sinai. They believe Moses destroyed the Aphorisms tablet because he realized the people weren’t ready for it. Their slogan is, “Eternal Memorialization through Mummification.” They wanted their Aphorism next to the Commandments.
Members of Summum not only plan to mummify their own bodies when they die but also offer their services through funeral homes. They promise to preserve the body in cloth embroidered with “your personal philosophy or religion.” The mummiform “life mask” as they call it (think King Tut here) may be inlaid with gold or jewels if that is the posthumous wish. Each effigy is placed in a casket that can cost over a hundred thousand dollars. The 90-day mummification process itself runs $67,000. Followers of Summum insist that the process is “compatible with any philosophy or religion.” Applicants must fill out a Spiritual Will to accommodate the “transference” of their soul to its “next destination of existence.” This Will is said to be the road map to wherever you are going when you die. The Will declares, “What is your destination? This depends on you. What are your feelings? What attracts you? You may aspire to heaven or nirvana. You may feel a reincarnation towards a certain type of life is in your destiny. You may feel compelled to unite with a clear, bright light of wisdom and understanding. We recommend you designate items to have close to your body such as incense, flowers, icons, statue of a deity, pictures, music, candles, bells, food and/or drink.”
All this is like something out of the Nile Kingdoms of Egypt, and it is. It’s the very sort of thing that God delivered his people from through the Exodus. How odd that in an enlightened scientific age such superstition would again attract people. But our biblically illiterate culture knows no better. There is so much to refute here, but the biggest lie is that you can choose your own destination after death: Hebrews 9:27 — Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. A better way would be to get saved and save the $67,000.
A much misunderstood scripture is Psalm 6:5. Speaking of the Lord the Psalmist says, “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” The Living Bible puts it better: “For if I die, I cannot give you glory by praising you before my friends.” When you’re dead, as a Christian, your opportunities to glorify the Lord to the lost are gone. Take advantage of every opportunity now to lift your voice in praise while you still can. In a world of discouragement, others need to know that God is alive and worthy to be praised, while you are still alive to do it.
