Abstract
This paper looks at the ways in which religions approach the disposal of human bodies after death with a particular focus on cremation. The paper examines religious issues associated with the disposal of the body after death as well as funeral rituals and includes interviews with contemporary religious leaders from different faiths.

From the Paper
"The ways in which various religions approach the disposal of the human body after death vary quite significantly. Dimond explored this issue and commented that the two primary practices of the disposal and preparation of the body are burial and cremation. It is the purpose of this research study to first review the literature on the topic of cremation -- a form of body disposal within funeral rituals of many different religious groups that has gained wider acceptance worldwide except among members of the Jewish faith.

Tags:cremation, burial, religion, funeral

Abstract
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)."

Tags:globalization, ashes, body, soul

Abstract
This paper first the discusses the cremation scandal in Georgia that sparked proposals in many states to tighten the regulation of funeral markets. The paper then looks at different state laws, or lack of state laws, regarding cremation and some of the state laws that have been proposed as a way of safeguarding against more cremation scandals.

From the Paper
"Although it has been over a year since the 2002 cremation scandal in Georgia when hundreds of decaying corpses were found on the grounds of Tri-State Crematory, many people throughout the country still have concerns about how a crematory would treat their own bodies and those of loved ones. An event this gruesome is not forgotten easily. The situation sparked proposals in many states to tighten the regulation of funeral markets. It comes as no surprise that Georgia was the first state to do so (Wyatt). Whether such laws will calm fears as well as help rectify the situation is still debatable."

Tags:funderal, directors, crematory, operators, emissions, regulations, inspections, human, remains

From the Paper
"Cremation is simply the practice of burning human corpses " except for the fact that nothing about a culture's last rites is ever really simple. Last rites are among the most important to any group in how it defines itself. Cultural identity consists of a series of actions and beliefs that one does and has " and that one's neighbor does not do and does not have. Some of these actions and beliefs are relatively inconsequential and can be (and are) changed frequently and without much thought or significance given to such changes. Other customs, such as funerary rites, tend to change slowly and to reflect large overall changes in the society. How we say goodbye for the last time is one of the ways in which we learn to define who exactly it is that we are.

"This paper looks at the ritual of cremation in two different cultures ..."

Tags:DEATH, DYING

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that cremation has long been in practice and once was the only process by which ancient men would dispose of their dead. The writer discusses that cremated bones, though archeologically available only in small fragmented pieces, can become the gateway through which one can travel back in time and study the culture and traditions of a society long gone and lost in the realms of time and history. The writer studies what a cremated bone is and what information can be obtained from cremated bones regarding a person's society. This study aims to demystify the cremated bones and shed some light on them.

Outline:
Cremated Bones - A Definition
Brief History of Cremated Bones
The Process of Cremation
Information available from Cremated Bones about Society & Individual
Dating Cremated Bones
Survival of Cremated Bones
Summary

From the Paper
"The age of civilization can be predicted with the help of this. Study of a cremated bone would also tell us about age of the cremated individual as to whether he was an adult or a child. The age could be ascertained from various remaining bone fragments like parts of the skull having cranial sutures, not completely ossified parts of long bones, unfused epiphyses and diaphyses. Teeth which have not erupted at the time of death, as in a child, generally survive the intense heat and can tell a rough estimate of the age of the individual. Smaller bones like seamaids, terminal phalanges often survive bone fragmentation thus allowing a detailed study. Bones can also be recognised from their fragmentation pattern which follows a regular pattern and is not random. The fragmentation pattern depends on the anatomy of the bone and an experienced person can tell at once just by looking at it as to what part of the bone the fragmented part belonged to."

Tags:human, fragments, crematorium, tradition

Abstract
This paper first relates, that, with an emphasis on individuality in all aspects of social relations, the baby boomers have made the process of death a highly individual rite of passage. Next, the author points out that the popularity of cremation, a way of "giving back" to the earth, reflects this generation's concern with the environment. The paper suggests that the baby boomers are more concerned with personal contributions to a world than with following tradition; therefore, the modern funeral attempts to place the individual within this context to lay claim to a piece of eternity.

From the Paper
"Modern death rites can frequently be seen as attempts on the part of those unfamiliar with death to cope with sudden and painful loss. Studies have shown that death, or thoughts of death, occupy a greater place in the minds of many at the turn of the new millennium. A study of college students in the 1990s - most the children of baby boomers - asked the same question as those asked in a 1935 study. The results were astounding - a society obsessed with death and dying. In particular, participants in the recent study were consumed with thoughts of the process of death, and by images of violent death and death from disease."

Tags:reflection, rite of passage, personal orations, cremation achievements

Abstract
This paper traces the history of funerals and burials in the Catholic Church. There has not been many changes in the standard practices but the Church allowed cremation of the body in 1963 which was one practice strictly forbidden in early times.

From the Paper
"The practice of burying the body among Catholics is as old as the faith itself. Catholic church did not permit cremation and burial of the body was the only practiced ritual in funerals, it was believed that cremation of the body was against the catholic beliefs. Since Catholics firmly believe in the Resurrection of the body, they did not allow the body to be burnt and then its ashes later buried or dispersed in the air. The Church strictly forbade this practice and even after the ban was lifted in 1963, most Catholics do not believe in cremation."

Tags:Resurrection, cremating, Christ, Jews, Greeks, Romans, body, death, life

Abstract
This paper discusses how the funeral rituals for the Buddhist are one of the most elaborate and intricate rituals of the life cycle ceremonies. One of the basic principles of Buddhism is that to live is to suffer and in this regards death is suffering. The paper looks at the different stages of the Buddhist funeral ritual from the dressing of the body, through the wake and cremation. The paper also discusses how the ceremony is marked by a spirit of giving, caring, honor, and respect that may be appreciated by people of every faith or nonbelievers.

From the Paper
"It is customary to place a hanging picture of the deceased in an alcove or recessed area of the room that is believed to be where the spirit of a divine or ancestor comes. This area is considered to be a boundary between this world and the spiritual realm. Throughout the mourning time and in times of praying, the hanging pictures of Gods or Buddha is displayed. Up until the body is cremated, the closest relatives remain near and the doors to their kamidana, a small sacred shrine and the altar, butsudan, are kept closed. The family's ancestors must not have anything to eat until the funeral rites have been performed and the butsudan will remain shut for 49 days. Relatives are informed by two messengers and one messenger goes to the temple to inform the monks of the death. In the period of mourning, the Kichu-fuda, for the family, a lantern is hung outside for the neighbors to be notified of their bereavement. Mourners of long ago would wear white, in particular the chief mourner, but today they wear the immediate family wears the color black. "

Tags:life, cycle, mourning

Abstract
Death is a topic that affects all of us. The Roman Catholic Church has many rituals concerning death, funerals, rosaries and family. The decision to have a burial or cremation is often an expensive as well as difficult decision to make.

Abstract
This paper examines how Tony Harrison extensively features his parents and their death throughout his poetry. It analyzes four of his poems: "Cremation", "Book Ends I & II", "A Good Read", and "Bringing Up". It looks at how he stems from a working class background, and though he moved up the social ladder, his parents remain of the lower class. It discusses how Harrison conveys this social gap superbly with his use of language, dialect, and anecdotal snapshots of his past. Likewise, it discusses how he shows respect for his father's legacy, despite the fact his parents were of working class status.

From the Paper
"For example, in "Cremation" he demonstrates respect for his parents in how he shows them both to be hard working. He describes his fathers, "one huge nightshift". It is almost as though in Harrison's eyes, his father worked all hours to enable them to survive. However, Harrison's presentation here can seem negative as it is almost as though his father's huge workload takes over his life and takes up the time when family bonding traditionally occurs. Similarly he also describes how his mother's hard work led to her demise, "the mangle brought it on". Using plosives, Harrison here shows the sheer physicality that his mother had to cope with."

Tags:class, education, social