Cremation

Paper Summary:

This paper defines and discusses the history of the cremation of bodily remains after death. The paper discusses how the funeral industry in the United States has been offering new alternatives to the traditional burial plots to cope with new developments and problems and looks at the popularity of cremation in the US. It finally looks briefly at the impact on cremation of globalization.

From the Paper:

"More and more people are also mobile in response to global trends. We are now a transient society. Cremation responds to that need to transport to a burial site (Forrest-Riley and Krug 2005). The trend to share or scatter remains has also grown. Members of the family may live in separate and distant parts of the country. No single location was convenient for burial so sharing the remains is the best option. However, there are individuals who object to cremation because it goes against their belief in the resurrection. They respect the body and will not burn or destroy it. They consider it part of what the person is. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit. While they understand the reasons for the preference for cremation, they suggest that those who opt for it bury the remains. Judaism essentially requires that the body should remain intact. The Holy Society or Chvrah Kadisha in the Jewish community prepares the corpse for burial. But since the Holocaust, things have changed. Now, current-day Reform Judaism allows cremation but recommends burial of the ashes as a show of respect for the soul of the deceased (Forrestt-Riley and Krug)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Davies, Douglas J. Cremation. 5 pages. Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, 2003
• Forrestt, F. Riley and Krug, Nick. End-of-Life Options Demand Growing for Cremation Services. 2 pages. The Topeka Capital Journal: Cremation Association, 2005
• Lutheran, The. Cremation Gaining Acceptance. 2 pages. Evangelical Lutheran Church: ProQuest Information and Learning Company, 2000
• Rutledge, Raquel. Choosing Cremation. 2 pages. The (Colorado Springs) Gazette: Cremation Association, 2000

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