One common reason is that cremation involves the destruction of the physical body, which some people may find disturbing or disrespectful to the deceased. For many cultures and religions, the body is considered sacred, and cremation may go against their beliefs or traditions.
Air Pollution
One cremation is estimated to produce 535 lbs of CO2. This is the equivalent of a 609 mile car journey in an average sized car. The combustion of fossil fuels also causes the emission of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Other noxious substances emitted include fine soot and mercury.
Cremation or burial:
Direct cremations are more cost effective than direct burials, as they do not require embalming. In addition, you have the option of keeping the body in an alternative container instead of a coffin. Cremation is a simpler process that also helps save floor space, unlike in the case of a burial.
History. 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.
Cremation is acceptable in most branches of Christianity, including Baptist, Lutheran, and Methodist. These denominations state that there is nothing in the Bible to condemn cremation, therefore the decision between burial and cremation can be left to personal choice.
However, it's important to remember that the Bible does not explicitly prohibit or endorse cremation or the keeping of ashes. Ultimately, the decision of what to do with the ashes of a loved one is a personal one, and should be made based on what feels right for the family.
What does the Bible say about cremation? 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. However, some passages describe standard death practices during these times.
No matter what a person's preference is, from the Christian perspective, cremation does not prevent one from going to Heaven. So there's no need to worry, if God can create life from dust, surely he can restore life from ashes.
Of all world religions, Islam is probably the most strongly opposed to cremation. Unlike Judaism and Christianity, there is little diversity of opinion about it. Cremation is considered by Islam to be an unclean practice.
During cremation, the body parts that do burn consist of organs, soft tissue, hair, and skin, while the water in our bodies evaporates. The body parts that do not burn are bone fragments. Teeth usually burn during cremation, but not entirely.
The cremation chamber must be clean of ashes before another cremation can start. These rules mean that you don't have much control over how a cremation is done. Does the body feel pain during cremation? The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive.
Allows a Proper Goodbye
For many, a full funeral with a burial service provides the most meaningful way to mourn the loss of a loved one. Watching the coffin being lowered into the ground often gives people the closure they need and is seen by many as a very fitting final goodbye.
Choosing between burial and cremation is a deeply personal decision, and one that is difficult for many people. Over the last several years, cremation has gained in popularity, surpassing burial as the most popular choice.
As the cremation takes place, the tissue and organs from the human remains will be completely incinerated by the very high temperatures within the chamber. All that will be left is bone material.
We refer to cremated remains as ashes but what is left behind is actually bits of bone. After cremation, a special processor grinds the fragments into what we call “cremains.” This is what we mean when we refer to ashes.
All the soft parts — guts, tendons, muscle tissue — turn to a fine yellow-gray ash. Most of the smaller bones turn to ash, too. But some bits of bone — usually vertebrae, skull and teeth — will need a little extra help. After the retort cools, the remains are carefully and respectfully swept out.
Islamic belief holds that only Allah knows what is good or bad for us and that the body should be treated with the utmost respect in life and in death. Burning the dead is considered a form of mutilation, forbidden by Allah.
Instead, upon death, the soul is passed on to another body. Therefore, treatment of the remains does not affect the departed soul, so most funerary practices are accepted. Cremation typically occurs within three days from the time of death.
Yes. In May 1963, the Vatican's Holy Office (now the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith) lifted the prohibition forbidding Catholics to choose cremation. This permission was incorporated into the revised Code of Canon Law of 1983 (Canon # 1176), as well as into the Order of Christian Funerals.
The newest guidelines from the Vatican state that Catholic people can be cremated, but their ashes should not be scattered at sea, and the urn should not be kept in the home.
There's nothing in either the Old Testament or the New Testament that explicitly states that cremation is forbidden to Catholics. Rather, it says that believers will rise again, and the church's stance for many decades was therefore that individuals who wish to reach Heaven and enjoy eternal life need to be buried.
While cremation is not preferred among most Christians, it isn't a forbidden practice. Some more conservative denominations assert that specific content in the Bible discourages the practice of cremation, but other Biblical passages seem to simply support burial over cremation.
The reunion of believing loved ones
When Paul writes to believers who grieve the loss of a loved one, he offers them this comfort: “We who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17, emphasis mine).
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died."
ashes to ashes, dust to dust [Rel.]
A phrase from the burial service in the Book of Common Prayer: 'we therefore commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.