In sum, burial has happened in Christian history because Christians view the body as being sacred, part of a person who is made in the image of God. In addition, the Bible pictures “death” as sleep from which we will awaken, and that image is made more clear in the practice of burial rather than cremation.
Aboveground cemeteries were also popular during this time in Rome, but for many reasons, Christians preferred underground cemeteries. Mostly, Christians preferred burial because Christ was buried, as opposed to the pagan ritual of cremation which they felt disrespected the dead.
The overall purpose of a Christian funeral is to help the deceased's soul enter into Heaven, while offering comfort and support for mourners.
Burial provides a permanent resting place for the body, and a solemn and meaningful memorial for the eternal soul. In many families, a child or grandchild may eventually find comfort in visiting the gravesides of family members. With burial, this is possible and the soul has a permanent resting place.
In the light of the dogma of the resurrection of the body as well as of Jewish tradition, the burial of the mortal remains of the Christian dead has always been regarded as an act of religious import. It is surrounded at all times with some measure of religious ceremony.
The Bible held several customs for burial. Traditions affirmed that after a person breathed the last breath, the eyes were shut and closed (Gen 46:4). The law required that burial of the dead occurred the same day, before sundown (Lev 10:4; Deut 21:23).
Whoever touches the dead body of anyone and fails to purify himself defiles the LORD's tabernacle. That person must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean; his uncleanness remains on him.
An ancient practice of burying dead people six feet underground may have helped mask the odor of decay from predators. Similarly, random disturbances, such as plowing, would be unable to reach a person buried six feet underneath. Preventing the Spread of Disease was another major reason.
People may have also buried bodies 6 feet deep to help prevent theft. There was also concern that animals might disturb graves. Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing.
It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life.
For most Christians today, the question of cremation is largely left to individual discretion. Many Christians choose cremation as an alternative to burial, while still retaining those aspects of their traditional funeral practices that allow them to honor the lives of their loved ones and glorify God.
But mainstream religions in the US do not require attendance at a funeral. There may be social or familial issues that arise from non-attendance, but it does not constitute a sin.
We are told to be wise with the resources God has given us. A Christian Funeral is a special service to say good bye until we see each other again. The body should be buried with loving care, just as Christ's body was cared for lovingly (John 19:39-40). We should pay our respects, not our life savings.
In Christian countries, cremation fell out of favor due to the Christian belief in the physical resurrection of the body. Christians also used burial as a mark of difference from the Iron Age European pre-Christian Pagan religions, which usually cremated their dead.
While the Bible does not explicitly contain any directions on burials, some passages may help you decide what is best for you and your family while still honoring your religion.
Alongside serving the poor, burying or interring of the dead is a very important aspect of our Catholic faith. remembering and honoring them called a funeral which prepares the person who has died to enter into new and everlasting life with Jesus and helps the family mourn their loss.
Caskets made from either metal or wood will take an average of 50 or more years to decompose underground. The casket's duration depends on the type of wood used to build it and the composition of chemicals found on the grave.
In a hundred years, the last of your bones will have collapsed into dust, and only the most durable part of your body, such as teeth, grave wax and some nylon threads.
For example, human burial legislation in NSW requires the top of the coffin to be buried no less than 900 millimetres below the natural surface level of the soil. This works out to around three feet. When you take the cask dimensions into account, you're looking at an overall single-coffin depth of four to five feet.
The body takes between ten to fifteen years to decay to a point where you may just find bones, teeth and hair remaining in the casket. There may also be some excess tissue and clothing fibers that withstood the ten years of decay.
(Note: If you're buried alive and breathing normally, you're likely to die from suffocation. A person can live on the air in a coffin for a little over five hours, tops. If you start hyperventilating, panicked that you've been buried alive, the oxygen will likely run out sooner.)
According to Rodney Davies, author of The Lazarus Syndrome: Burial Alive and Other Horrors of the Undead (1998), the percentage of premature burials has been variously estimated as somewhere between 1 per 1,000 to as many as 1 or 2 percent of all total burials in the United States and Europe.
Matthew 5:4
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." The Good News: God will never abandon us during our times of grief.
According to most Biblical study websites, there is no explicit scriptural command for or against cremation. There are no passages that forbid cremation, according to most Biblical scholars.
But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.” Historically, scholars have often understood this as a warning against pagan practices of mourning.