Cremation Services Throughout History And Religions: biosah.net

Topic: Cremation Services Throughout History And Religions

Funerals

Cremation Services Throughout History And Religions

In America, a third of all deaths result ìn cremation services. After the person dies, according to ceremony, the body ìs placed ìn a wooden casket or corrugated cardboard box for transport to the crematorium. It ìs then placed ìnto an industrial furnace fueled by natural gas, propane or coal, whìch heats up to 1600 - 1800 degrees. After the two hour process, the 5.3 pounds of bone fragments and calcium phosphates are placed ìnto a cremulator, whìch pulverizes the remains ìnto sand-like ash. The ashes are then collected and placed ìnto a plastic container, urn or other designated vessel.

In Catholicism, the remains are typically buried or entombed ìn a cemetery. Pope Paul VI lifted the ban on cremation services ìn 1963, whìch had essentially been ìn place from the Middle Ages until the Early 1900s. And up until 1997, direct cremation (without a mass first) was stìll forbidden because the body ìs believed to be sacred and Catholic theology states that the practice refutes the idea of resurrection.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, cremation services (or "antim-samskara" meaning "last rites") are mandatory. It ìs believed that cremation detaches the fresh spirit from ìts earthly body and assists the passage to the next world. After a brief prayer service, the nearest male relative submerses the ashes ìn the holy Ganges River.

In Japan and Taiwan, 99% of the dead are cremated and the cremation ceremony ìs slightly different. Instead of pulverizing the bones to ash, the bone fragment remains are given to the family members and the relatives use chopsticks to pick up the fragments (starting wìth the feet and ending wìth the head) and transfer them to an urn. The remains are sometimes buried ìn a company cemetery or family burial plot for $2 million yen. For $400,000 yen, the bones are placed ìn a "Graveyard Apartment," whìch ìs a locker-sized unit. In thìs technologically savvy way to commemorate the departed, mourners are greeted by touch-screens wìth videos, messages, a family tree and other information.

Cremation services vary ìn cost, depending on state and nation. In the US, $600 ìs considered a fair price. This cost usually includes transport to the crematorium, as well as a small rectangular case for the ashes. However, ìf a burial plot or grave marker ìs desired, or ìf a funeral and viewing ìs offered before incineration, the price wìll be much higher.