Crossed Over From Death To Life

Eklutna is a Native Alaskan village located on the outskirts of Anchorage. This village is the only one that still remains of the eight Native Alaskan villages that existed before the construction of the Alaska railway in 1915.

Eklutna was settled by the Athabascan people. In the 1800's, the Russian Orthodox Church sent out missionaries to Alaska to convert these Athabascans. Sadly, in 1836, an outbreak of the smallpox epidemic wiped out half the village. The combination of Russian Orthodox faith plus Native culture and beliefs resulted in these brightly coloured spirit houses as their grave yard.

Prior to the Russian Orthodox influence, the Athabascans cremated their dead, depositing the ashes in a birch-bark basket that was then placed in a tree or on a riverbank so that the spirit of the dead would be free to make the final journey into heaven without human interference.

However, the Russian Orthodox faith forbid the Athabascans to cremate their dead, so they came to a compromise. The Athabascans agreed to bury their dead, but over top they built these spirit houses for the spirit of the dead to live in until he/she made his/her final journey into heaven.

Today, the Eklutna cemetery is a historic site, shielded by birch and alder trees.

The first Russian Orthodox Church in Eklutna stands in front of this graveyard.

A new church was built beside the old one in 1962, but today it too stands only as a monument.

At present, the Russian Orthodox influence is still evident in Alaska, as it is the largest Christian denomination in the State.

It is important that all aspects of our faith and Christian belief be supported by God's Word. If one aspect isn't, then it's just a religious practise that should never be enforced upon others.

The Bible says that when we die, our physical body returns to the ground out of which God lovingly moulded the first man, but our spirit — that which was breathed into the physical body of the first man by God Himself — returns to God.

"And the dust returns to the ground it came from,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (NIV)

The Bible also says that whoever hears God's Word and believes in God will have eternal life without condemnation. When such a person dies and leaves the earth, he/she crosses over from death to life.

"I tell you the truth,

whoever hears My Word

and believes Him who sent Me

has eternal life and will not be condemned;

he has crossed over from death to life."

John 5:24 (NIV)

Whether we are cremated and our ashes placed in a basket, whether we are buried deep underground with colourful, miniature houses built overtop of our graves, whether we are drowned in the depths of the deepest ocean, or whether we are eaten by a Kodiac bear, it makes no difference to where we will spend eternity. Our entrance into heaven is based only upon our relationship with God. We become His sons and daughters when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Saviour, and are guaranteed by His Word safe passage into paradise with Him when we die.