Cremation

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A Consumer Guide

Cremation has long been a common if controversial method of disposing of the remains of the deceased. In modern times it is, probably, most common among those of the Hindu faith – where it is all-but required, especially of those who have great power society. But it is also now becoming more and more common among most of the world’s other major religions as well.

Several hundred years ago, cremation was not practiced among Christians because of the belief that a person’s physical body would, one day, be resurrected upon the return of Jesus Christ. Christian leaders began to change that view of cremation in the 1500’s, however, based on the following logic: “God can resurrect a bowl of ashes just as easily as he can a bowl of dust.” Protestant Christians who adopted this view of cremation were the first to make cremation common among Christians, and other Christian’s soon followed. Roman Catholic Christians, however, continued to be wary of cremation until at least the 1960s, when the church’s formal ban on cremation was lifted. Many people of the Catholic faith continue to discourage cremation, however, and, while, again, most modern religions are no longer formally opposed to cremation, Catholics are not alone in their discomfort with the practice. The Jewish faith has recently changed rules prohibiting cremation, but, at the same time, memories of the German Holocaust – when millions of Jews were cremated in Nazi death camps – makes many Jews uneasy with the idea of cremation.  Many Jews adhere to the religious tradition that holds that the soul of person who has been cremated is destined to spend eternity wandering the Earth aimlessly.

Cremation is now thought by many people across the world to be a practical method for environmental reasons. Many cities planners are now encouraging cremation simply because good land for traditional cemeteries is at a premium today as urban areas continue to sprawl well into formerly very rural areas. One city, San Francisco, California, has recently banned all cemeteries in its city limits, and other major cities are considering the same. With new cemetery construction being discouraged in such fashion all across America (and the world, for that matter), cremation is becoming a much more practical choice for many people.

Practicality has always had a hand in the growth of cremation’s popularity. Even in the days when most major religions banned the practice, it was still allowed – and even encouraged – when practical reasons prevailed. In cases of war and disease – when hundreds or thousands of deaths occurred – cremation has, for centuries, been the most common practice for reasons of health and sanitation.

Today, many people who say they opt for cremation cite a myriad of practical reasons for cremation. Many are simply uncomfortable with the idea of slow, even grotesque, body decomposition. And others say that cremation, with its absence of a burial, can make traditional funeral ceremonies less dramatic and formal and that, they say, is something they want to encourage.