Cremation And Religious Beliefs

In these modern times, many individuals prefer cremation to the tradition of burial.

Head to Head

Before we begin, let us first start by defining some important terms. In layman’s term, cremation is the process wherein the dead body is burned, thus retaining the bones and ashes. The process usually takes about two hours or longer. Recently, especially in the United States, more and more people are getting their deceased cremated. However, there’s a rising debate among some religious organizations when it comes to cremating the dead. Even if there are some religious groups who are now open to it, there are some groups who do not agree with this process.

In fact, they argued that during the time of Jesus, after his death he was later on buried. And the Catholic Church simply wanted to follow the example of Jesus. This is the reason why the church today have doubts regarding the process of cremation. They believe that it does not have the same value in comparison to when the body is buried. However, today, the church are more open to cremating the dead as long as the family making the decision are not doing it because they fear their love ones have no future in eternal salvation.

The Catholic Church allows it on the condition that they place the remains in a vessel and treat it with respect. In addition, the church also requires the cremated body to be buried or entombed just like any normal burial ceremony. However, there are some families, upon the wishes of their dead relatives, chose to scatter the remains of their loves on the sea or in other places. The Catholic Church simply does not agree with this tradition even if it is in fulfillment of the wishes of the dead relative.

On Legal Matters

Today, many things changed. Before anyone is allowed to perform a cremation process, it had to be approved first by the local authorities. It means that the dead person’s relatives must first sign a written authorization before they can perform the process. After getting an authorization from any members of the family, it has to be performed in a funeral home. What if the family lives in one state and the funeral home is located in another state? Then they need to transport the body before it can be cremated.

Again there are some paperwork or legal impediments they need to go through. However, there are some funeral homes that are willing to assist the family with the paperwork and transportation. The only problem with transferring the body is that if they need to travel, which in some cases takes 24 hours – from the family’s abode to the funeral home. What if they need to transport the body by car, plane or other means of transportation? In that case, they need to place the body in a casket and embalm it.

There are a set of rules or standards that needs to be followed when it comes to cremating a body. There are some instances where in the immediate families don’t have anything to do whatsoever with the body. In fact, the funeral homes are now responsible for holding the remains until the time of cremation. They are also responsible for the safety of the crematory chamber, packaging, and disposing of the remains, and abiding with health laws.

If a person is thinking of getting a deceased loved one cremated, it is recommended that they talk it over with all the members of the family. Sometimes, misunderstanding occurs because each one has a different opinion. After everyone has finally agreed, choose a funeral home that can be trusted. After all, everyone wants only the best for their departed.