Cremation vs. Burial
Today the society is looking for ways to ease life and to find solutions for problems which oppress our lives and make it hard to live through. Because of many reasons, the traditional burials in this century are becoming a problem. (Prothero,2001). The fact that they cover a lot of land to build cemeteries and other things that are attached to these traditional burials is enough for us to search for a practical solution. About a century ago the term "cremation" was unknown to many people. It is believed that it began to be practiced during the early Stone Age and still exists today. Since that time cremations have been made all over the world, but they have never been so popular as they are now in this century. First and the most important to us all are the costs which are much less expensive for cremations than for funerals . Second, cremation does not contaminate the earth and cause a foul odor in the ground. Third, a lot of land is saved which means that it has an environmental impact.
Throughout the past hundred years, all over the world the number of cremations done exceeded burials and left a shocking number behind. As it was in 1968 with 35 % of funerals being cremations, today in the UK, Japan, Canada, USA and many other countries it is growing and reached over 79 %. (Mayers, 2013). This is becoming so popular that even small companies for constructing crematoriums are becoming larger and turn into very well-paid businesses. As a matter of fact, with present day people choose their best options for funerals and do not take into account the so called old beliefs that religion forbids cremations. Peo...
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...ffer" which means that it will be of great importance to take in mind the opportunity to have a crematorium. To summarize cremation is a far better choice than burial and offers better opportunities which can be seen as a step forward towards a better way of living.
Mayers, K. ( 2013, May 21). CREMATION:THE HOT BURIAL TREND[wordpress ]. Retrieved Marh 13, 2014 from http://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/cremation-the-hot-burial-trend/
D.J. (2014, January 16)."Butel" Slab e interesot za otkupuvanje na grobnite mesta. Telegraf.mk. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://www.telegraf.mk/aktuelno/91612-butel-slab-e-interesot-za-otkupuvanje-na-grobnite-mesta
Prothero, S. (2001). Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America. Los Angeles :University of California Press.
Campbell lll. George. D. (1996 - 2013). Exit Strategy. New Paltz, NY 12561-2811
The grandeur with which Egyptians regarded their funerary customs does not come without explanation. They delighted in tying the occurrences of the natural world with supernatural dogma, and their burial practices exemplified this deluge of religion. A special deity was even attributed to cemeteries and embalmers: Anubis (Fiero, 46). Due to this deep sense of religion, a fixation with the afterlife developed within their culture. The Egyptian afterlife, however, is not synonymous of heave, but, rather, of The Field of Reeds, a continuation of one’s life in Egypt meant “to secure and perpetuate in the afterlife the ‘good life’ enjoyed on earth” (Mark 1; “Life in Ancient Egypt” 1). The pursuit of this sacred rest-place prompted the arousal of intricate Egyptian funeral rituals.
Habenstein, Robert Wesley, and William M. Lamers. The History of American Funeral Directing. 7th ed. Milwaukee, W.I.: Bulfin Printers, 2010. Print.
When someone dies their bones are burned and crushed into ash and consumed by the relatives. It puts a persons soul at peace to find a resting place within their family, it would be an abomination to bury them in the ground. Once this ceremony is finished the person is gone. Their name or person is never to be mentioned again.
During the Middle and Upper Paleolithic era, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis started to create works of art such as cave paintings, rock art and jewelry as well as religious behavior through burial rights and rituals. These burials are important since it signifies a "concern for the dead that transcends daily life,” (Lieberman). These burial rights and rituals can be dated back to the Middle Paleolithic era, overlapping with the first appearance of Homo neanderthalensis. While it may be disputed, evidence suggests that the Homo neanderthalensis were the first to intentionally bury the dead in shallow graves along with what is assumed to be their possessions (Wikipedia).
The ninteeth century was a turining point for mourning, grief, and funerals. During this time, the care and ceremonies for the deceased loved one were held at the home. The body was washed and prepared for the ceremony by the family and a family member usually built the coffin. Friends and family went to the home to view the body and pay their respects. After the body had viewed, it was carried to the church or cemetary for the commital. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the undertaker’s role had grown. He was no longer just the man who furnis...
When discussing any topic, from medicines to death, history is always relevant. Funeral service dates back to 1685, which involved providing mourning merchandise to the society. Many undertakers at this time in history were also furniture builders, building the coffins for burial, as well as other household furniture. It wasn’t until the 19th century that funeral directors were utilized often. Before this time, families took care of their deceased loved ones. Around the time of the civil war embalming was introduced and shed a new light on funeral service. Listed below is a brief summary of some important events in funeral service history.
Death is the equalizer of all life. Throughout time people have constructed death in many different ways. For ancient civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Ugarit, Greece, and Rome, death consisted of burial rituals and practices, the construction of monuments, murals, and stele, and offering libations to the dead. These civilizations shared many aspects in their perceptions of death and the afterlife, but those perceptions also varied enough to be individualistic and unique to each civilization. Among the many differences between civilizations’ perceptions, some of the variations involved the location of graves, the type of monuments constructed, the structure of the funeral, and preparation of the dead body for the funeral. The relationship
In modern day America, a lot of changes have occurred with a standard funeral. A standard funeral is viewed as a coping mechanism for the living. While coping with death, there are several ways that a body can be disposed .A body can be buried in the earth, buried in the sea, burned (cremation), exposed to air or preserved. After the body is buried, a memorial service is held in honor of the deceased. The manner in which the body is prepared for the funeral and the manner the memorial service is held is determined by the person’s culture and religion.
Tibetan Buddhists perform sky burials in the mountains of Tibet signifying the beginning of a new life for the deceased who is being “buried”. The sky burial is a ritual that is practiced only by Tibetan Buddhists and is different from many other rituals from around the world. Throughout history, the Tibetan sky burial has been regarded as a unique practice in regards to its meaning, the process, and the reasons behind the practicing of the ritual.
Mortuary science has several different certifications and understudies and can be dated back to 3100 B.C. http://www.preceden.com/timelines/45056-timeline---funeral-practices--3100-bc-1700-ad- Certified embalmers, funeral cosmetologists, directors, and in most funeral businesses, certified retort operators can be found within the business or local establishment. Embalming is a technique used to artific...
When death occurs, the body is prepared for viewing. People of the same gender prepare the body by laying their “hands across the chest, closing the eyelids, anointing the body with oil, and placing flower garlands around it.” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, pg. 384). According to Leming and Dickinson, Hindus believe that cremation is “an act of sacrifice” because they are offering their body to God. The body is usually cremated on the bank of a sacred river. The book, Understanding dying, death, and bereavement offers an “invocation” that would be close to what a priest would recite, “Fire, you were lighted by him, so may he be lighted from you, that he may gain the regions of celestial bliss. May this offering prove auspicious.” Leming and Dickinson (2011) state that between 10-31 days post cremation, a feast (shraddha) is shared among mourners and priests. Shraddhas can last hours to days, depending on the wealth of the family. Once this shraddha is over, the mourning period comes to a close. It is said that the funeral is the second most important ritual, following a wedding, and that many families spend all the money they have on them, leading to impoverishment (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p.
The elders have asked for a moral opinion. What is one to say? If the belief that the man must be buried is one deeply ingrained in the hearts and minds of the community, then a decision to cremate him would cause an uproar. On the other hand, if there are some who sympathize with the man, either decision might cause a schism within the community. The ultimate action would have to depend on much more than the culture's belief about burial. It would have to take into account the culture's beliefs on individual rights, freedom of belief, and the validity of the man's will. It would also have to take into account the moral implications of carrying out a man's dying wish and the repercussions of violating a sacred social institution. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, but by stepping back and weighing the options carefully, one can come to a conclusion which would be the most moral given the situation. I say most moral because there really is no right choice here. Any action taken will most definitely be wrong to at least one group of people. Here no plea can be made to universal morality because neither belief in its specific sense appeals to any pure moral intuition. People on the other side of the world might have neither the belief that the man should be buried, nor the belief that his ashes should be spread. Each person's choice would be too influenced by his own cultural morality, and so nobody would really have a right to judge.
According to the textbook, memorial services are becoming increasingly popular in many Protestant churches. This coincides with my family’s faith; we belong to a local Presbyterian church. The memorial will take place at The West Metro Chapel, part of the cremation package through Newcomer Funeral Homes and Crematory. This will reduce the costs significantly, consolidating the facility rental fee to only $675. Considering their will be no open casket or closed casket display the cremation will take place shortly after death, making the date of the service more flexible ensuring everyone who wants to attend the service can make it. Cremating the body will also be universally ideal for any condition the body is in from the cause of
... learning about ancient medical practices in Egypt, therefore I have decided to continue research and expand my paper into a twenty page research paper for my final research paper at the end of the semester. In my next portion of my ten page paper I will explore the other topics stated in my thesis. My final paper will merely be a continuation of the topics that I have written about in this paper. I will explore and go into depth with the topics of human embalmment and its significance to the work of modern medicine today. I would also like to compare modern day embalmment for funerals with embalmment rituals used in Ancient Egypt. Another primary focus for the next installment of this paper will be a detailed argument of why it would be a wonderful and scientifically beneficial idea to fund and continue research of medical practices in Ancient Egypt.
If the individual is Catholic, the funeral will be held at the church that the individual attended, and the Priest of the church will hold a typical Mass. For Christians and Catholics there is no set guidelines for if the individual would like to be cremated or buried, it is up to what the individual left in their will or what the family decides to do. For the Islamic religion, they believe the body just be laid to rest as soon as possible. They do not believe in embalming the body unless the state calls for it, so they was the body and then lay a shroud over the body. Because they believe that the body should be buried as soon as possible after death, they do not perform any kind of viewing for the body. The Islamic religion does not believe in cremation whatsoever. The body is buried and then the family goes through what they call a “mourning period” where friends and family will get together and typically will bring food to the family. Cremation is coming to be a preferred method of burial. It is more cost efficient, and people would rather be cremated rather than being buried. In 2017, 1 of 2 American chose cremation over burial. (Cremation: The New