ARYANS
AND CREMATION
Cremation
is mostly in Hindus who are Aryans. The word Hindu is not the correct
word because they are originally Aryans. In Vedas, Rahayan and Mahabharat
the word Arya is used for Aryans and not Hindus.
How
did the word Hindu came ? :
The
word Hindu is derived from the Sanskrit word Sindhu which is the
local name for the Indus River that flows through the north-western
part of the Indian subcontinent. Sindhu also means sea. The word
Hindu or Indu was used by Greeks to denote the country and people
living beyond the Indus river. Megasthenes' 'Indica' epitomizes
the name for India and Indians around the 4th Century B.C.E. This
word was misunderstood to be coined by Arabs, by medieval and some
modern Indian Historians. But this was only an extention of the
name used by the Greeks. The Arabic term al-Hind, referred to the
land of the people who live across the river Indus. By the 13th
century, the word Hindustan began to be used as a popular alternative
name for India, meaning the "land of Hindus". Towards
the end of the 18th century, the European merchants and colonists
referred collectively to the followers of the Dharmic religions
in Hindustan — which geographically referred to most parts
of the northern Indian subcontinent — as Hindus. Eventually,
any person of Indian origin who did not practice Abrahamic religions
came to be known as a Hindu, thereby encompassing a wide range of
religious beliefs and practices.
The
word Hinduism was soon adopted by the Hindus themselves, as a term
that encompassed their national, social and cultural identity.
The
original word for the now-so-called Hindus is Sanatan and Arya.
The word Hindu is believed to not appear in the Hindu scriptures,
viz, Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas. The contemporary Hindus are
believers of and accept the authority of the said scriptures, hence,
they are more accurately identified as Sanatanis or Aryans. Another
word which is more accurate than Hindu, is Bhaaratiya. People of
India are believed to be the descendants of King Bharat. From his
name comes the original name of India, Bhaarat, and, those residing
in Bhaarat (India) are Bhaaratiya.
Cremation
:
Cremation
is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning
(combustion).
Cremation
may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative
to the burial or interment of an intact dead body. In some countries,
including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre is an ancient
tradition. Starting in the 19th century, cremation was introduced
or reintroduced into other parts of the world. In modern times,
cremation is commonly carried out with a closed furnace (cremator),
at a crematorium.
Cremation
leaves behind an average of 2.4kg of remains, known as "ashes"
or "cremains". This is not actual ash but unburnt fragments
of bone mineral, which are commonly ground down into powder. They
do not constitute a health risk and may be buried, interred in a
memorial site, retained by relatives or scattered in various ways.
History
:
Cremation
dates from at least 17,000 years ago in the archaeological record,
with the Mungo Lady, the remains of a partly cremated body found
at Lake Mungo, Australia.
Alternative
death rituals emphasizing one method of disposal of a body—inhumation
(burial), cremation, or exposure—have gone through periods
of preference throughout history.
In
the Middle East and Europe, both burial and cremation are evident
in the archaeological record in the Neolithic era. Cultural groups
had their own preferences and prohibitions. The ancient Egyptians
developed an intricate transmigration-of-soul theology, which prohibited
cremation. This was also widely adopted by Semitic peoples. The
Babylonians, according to Herodotus, embalmed their dead. Early
Persians practiced cremation, but this became prohibited during
the Zoroastrian Period. Phoenicians practiced both cremation and
burial. From the Cycladic civilisation in 3000 BCE until the Sub-Mycenaean
era in 1200–1100 BCE, Greeks practiced inhumation. Cremation
appeared around the 12th century BCE, constituting a new practice
of burial, probably influenced by Anatolia. Until the Christian
era, when inhumation again became the only burial practice, both
combustion and inhumation had been practiced, depending on the era
and location. Romans practiced both, with cremation generally associated
with military honors.
In
Europe, there are traces of cremation dating to the Early Bronze
Age (c. 2000 BCE) in the Pannonian Plain and along the middle Danube.
The custom became dominant throughout Bronze Age Europe with the
Urnfield culture (from c. 1300 BCE). In the Iron Age, inhumation
again becomes more common, but cremation persisted in the Villanovan
culture and elsewhere. Homer's account of Patroclus' burial describes
cremation with subsequent burial in a tumulus, similar to Urnfield
burials, and qualifying as the earliest description of cremation
rites. This may be an anachronism, as during Mycenaean times burial
was generally preferred, and Homer may have been reflecting the
more common use of cremation at the time the Iliad was written,
centuries later.
Hinduism
and Jainism are notable for not only allowing but prescribing cremation.
Cremation in Bharat (India) is first attested in the Cemetery culture,
considered the formative stage of Vedic civilization which is approx.
7000 years old (5,000 BCE or earlier). The Rigveda contains a reference
to the emerging practice, in RV 10.15.14, where the forefathers
"both cremated (agnidagdhá-) and uncremated (ánagnidagdha-)"
are invoked.
Cremation
remained common but not universal, in both ancient Greece and ancient
Rome. According to Cicero, in Rome, inhumation was considered the
more archaic rite, while the most honoured citizens were most typically
cremated—especially upper classes and members of imperial
families.
The
rise of Christianity saw an end to cremation, being influenced by
its roots in Judaism, the belief in the resurrection of the body,
and following the example of Christ's burial. Anthropologists have
been able to track the advance of Christianity throughout Europe
with the appearance of cemeteries. By the 5th century, with the
spread of Christianity, the practice of burning bodies gradually
disappeared from Europe.
In
early Roman Britain, cremation was usual but diminished by the 4th
century. It then reappeared in the 5th and 6th centuries during
the migration era, when sacrificed animals were sometimes included
with the human bodies on the pyre, and the deceased were dressed
in costume and with ornaments for the burning. That custom was also
very widespread among the Germanic peoples of the northern continental
lands from which the Anglo-Saxon migrants are supposed to have been
derived, during the same period. These ashes were usually thereafter
deposited in a vessel of clay or bronze in an "urn cemetery".
The custom again died out with the Christian conversion of the Anglo-Saxons
or Early English during the 7th century, when Christian burial became
general.
Middle
Ages :
In parts of Europe, cremation was forbidden by law, and even punishable
by death if combined with Heathen rites. Cremation was sometimes
used by Catholic authorities as part of punishment for Protestant
heretics, which included burning at the stake. For example, the
body of John Wycliff was exhumed years after his death and burned
to ashes, with the ashes thrown in a river, explicitly as a posthumous
punishment for his denial of the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.
The
first to advocate for the use of cremation was the physician Sir
Thomas Browne in 1658. Honoretta Brooks Pratt became the first recorded
cremated European individual in modern times when she died on 26
September 1769 and was illegally cremated at the burial ground on
Hanover Square in London.
Different
religions and Cremation :
Indian
religions :
Indian
religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism practice
cremation. The founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha, was cremated.
For Buddhist spiritual masters who are cremated, one of the results
of cremation is the formation of Buddhist relics.
Hinduism
:
Antyesti
literally means "last sacrifice", and refers to the funeral
rites for the dead in Hinduism, which usually involve cremation
of the body. This rite of passage is the last sanskar in a series
of traditional life cycle sanskars that start from conception in
Hindu tradition. It is also referred to as Antim Sanskar, Antya-kriya,
Anvarohanyya, or as Vahni Sanskar.
The
details of the Antyesti ceremony depends on the region, caste, gender
and age of the dead.
A
dead adult Hindu is mourned with a cremation, while a dead child
is typically buried. The rite of passage is performed in harmony
with the Hindu religious view that the microcosm of all living beings
is a reflection of a macrocosm of the universe. The soul (Atman,
Brahman) is the essence and immortal that is released at the Antyeshti
ritual, but both the body and the universe are vehicles and transitory
in various schools of Hinduism. They consist of five elements –
air, water, fire, earth and space. The last rite of passage returns
the body to the five elements and origins. The roots of this belief
are found in the Vedas, for example in the hymns of Rigveda in section
10.16, as follows :
Burn
him not up, nor quite consume him, Agni: let not his body or his
skin be scattered,
O all possessing Fire, when thou hast matured him, then send him
on his way unto the Fathers.
When thou hast made him ready, all possessing Fire, then do thou
give him over to the Fathers,
When he attains unto the life that waits him, he shall become subject
to the will of gods.
The Sun receive thine eye, the Wind thy Prana (life-principle, breathe);
go, as thy merit is, to earth or heaven.
Go, if it be thy lot, unto the waters; go, make thine home in plants
with all thy members.
The final rite in the case of untimely death of a child is usually
not cremation but a burial. This is rooted in Rig Veda's section
10.18, where the hymns mourn the death of the child, praying to
deity Mrityu to "neither harm our girls nor our boys",
and pleads the earth to cover, protect the deceased child as a soft
wool.
Ashes
of the cremated bodies are usually spread in a river, which are
considered holy in the Hindu practice. Ganga is considered to be
the holiest river and Varanasi, which is on the banks of river Ganga
the holiest place to be cremated at.
Saints
and Small Children's are buried in Hinduism :
Saints
:
According
to the Ancient Hindu tradition, there are four phases of human life,
also called as Ashrams. They are Brahmacharya (bachelor student),
Grihasth (After marriage with family), Vaanprasth (Retirement after
completing his household responsibilities), and Sanyas in the later
part of their life.
There
is no rule that a person has to follow through this cycle to attain
Sanyas. Great souls who renounce worldly pleasures can attain Sanyas
in brahmacharya phase itself to dedicate the rest of their lives
towards spiritual advancement.

The
greatest example of true Sanyasi is Jagadguru Adi Sankaracharya,
who attained sanyas at the age of 8 years.
There
are some duties and responsibilities for leading a life of Sanyasi.
They will attain Sanyas when they are detached from all worldly
pleasures and they have to live a simple life and typically detached
from all relational and emotional attachments. After his death i.e.,
the sanyasi leaves this physical body, he is believed to attain
immortality through kapal moksh (pran coming out of brahmarandhra).
Their mortal remains are buried in the soil.
Why
are Sanyasis buried :
It
is Hindu tradition to cremate their dead to release the soul of
the deceased. It is believed that the Agni sanskar, will help the
departed soul to relinquish attachments on this physical body without
hovering and continue his upward journey towards heaven. The rituals
performed during the cremation and afterward help the soul to severe
ties with earthly life.
According to Hinduism a Sanyasi has already relinquished all his
earthly ties and lost attachments on this physical body. So he need
not be cremated to achieve the moksh. After the burial, a Brindavan
(Tulsi plant) is grown over the site.
As
per the rules of the Sampraday, many Sanyasis are buried, but not
the way of other religions. A pit 10 * 10 * 10 (enough big so that
2/3 persons can go down holding the body). Darbhs are spread at
the base, body is kept in sitting position and pit is filled with
auspicious substances like panchamrit, flowers, scented oils, etc.
Scriptures
related to burying of Sanyasis :
Hindus traditionally cremate their dead because a fiery dissolution
of the body brings swifter, more complete release of the soul than
burial, which preserves the soul's psychic connection to its just-ended
earthly life. After death, the departed soul hovers close to the
earth plane in its astral body, emotionally attached to the physical
body and its old surroundings, still able to see this material world.
The funeral rites and burning of the body signify spiritual release,
notifying the soul that, in fact, death has come. Some of the funeral
chants address the deceased, urging the soul to relinquish attachments
and continue its spiritual journey. The Gods and devas are invoked
to assist the soul in its transition. The fire severs ties to earthly
life and gives momentum to the soul, granting at least momentary
access to refined, heavenly realms.
All
attention is on a singular goal, as expressed in this prayer from
the Rig Ved :
"Release
him again, O Agni, to the fathers. The one offered to you now proceeds
to his destiny. Putting on new life, let him approach the surviving,
let him reunite with a [new] body, All-Knowing One!" (10. 16.
5).
So
a person is cremated for his soul to achieve after death what a
sannyasi has already achieved before death.
The
sannyasin has no sacrament involving the sacred fire: he has the
fire of knowledge (jnanagni) in him. His body is not cremated -
that is there is no Agni-samskar for it- but interred as a matter
of respect. Strictly speaking, it must be cut into four parts and
consigned to the four quarters of a forest. There it will be food
for birds and beasts. In an inhabited place the severed parts of
the body would cause inconvenience to people. That is why they were
thrown into the forest. There it would be food for its denizens;
if buried it would be manure for the plants. Now over the site of
the interment of a sannyasin's body a Brindavana is grown [or built]
: this again is done out of respect. At such sites all that is to
be done is to plant a bilva or asvattha tree.
When
the Yogi separates himself from the physical body at the time of
death, Brahmarandhra bursts open and Prana comes out through this
opening (Kapal Moksh). “A hundred and one are the nerves of
the heart. Of them one (Sushumna) has gone out piercing the head;
going up through it, one attains immortality” (Kathopanishad).
To
attain this or symbolically yogis and sanyasins after death are
placed in yoga posture. Sometimes kapal moksh is made by throwing
a coconut on the head. Then the mortal body is buried.
Brahmarandhra
: When the Yogi separates himself from the physical body at the
time of death, this Brahmarandhra bursts open and Prana comes out
through this opening (Kapala Moksha). “A hundred and one are
the nerves of the heart. Of them one (Sushumna) has gone out piercing
the head; going up through it, one attains immortality” (Kathopanishad).
For the Sannyasis, there is an explanation given in the so-called
Sannyasa Upanishads, which are all minor Upanishads.
I am quoting from the Paingala Upanishad that is linked with
the Shukla Yajurved :
He gives up his body whether in a sacred place, or in a chandal's
(outcaste's) house (without any distinction whatever), and attains
salvation. Such a body (when seen by a person) should be offered
as a sacrifice to dik (the quarters) or should be buried (underground).
It is only to Purush (the wise) that sannyas (renunciation) is ordained
and not to others. In case of the death of an ascetic who is of
the form (or has attained the nature) of Brahman, there is no pollution
(to be observed) ; neither the ceremonies of fire (as burning the
body, hom, eta); nor the pind (balls of rice), nor ceremonies of
water, nor the periodical ceremonies (monthly and yearly). Just
as a food once cooked is not again cooked, so a body once burnt
(by the fire of wisdom) should not be burnt (or exposed to fire)
again.
To one whose body was burnt by the fire of wisdom there is neither
sraddh (required to be performed), nor (funeral) ceremony.
From
the Upanishad's 4th Adhyai.
So,
food once cooked is not to be cooked again is the logic being provided.
Another relevant verse from another Sannyasa Upanishad :
Triple staff, sacrificial string, loincloth, sling, and water strainer:
these he should carry all his life. These are the five articles
of a renouncer. They are declared to be the five parts of Brahman.5
Let him not abandon them until death. Even at death he should be
buried with them.
Initiation and Last Rites of a Sanyasi :
Vamdev
requested Kartikey to enlighten his mind with that knowledge, without
which a Sanyasi can never attain liberation.
Kartikey then told him about the methods how a Sanyasi should get
initiation from his guru. A disciple should worship his guru in
any of the following months - Shravan, Ashwin, Kartik, Agahan and
Magh. He should then establish a Kalash and worship it. He should
again worship his guru considering him as the form of Lord Shiv.
The guru should then initiate him with the Shiv mantra. After getting
the Mantra, the disciple should chant it considering himself as
Shiv - Shivoaham. After this the disciple should get his head tonsured.
The barber who is supposed to shave off the hairs should be given
pure clothes to wear. The barber should also wash his hands with
mud and water. The instruments and apparatus, which he is supposed
to use, should be made pure by the 'Astra' mantras.
First of all the front portion of the head should be shaved off
after that the back portion of the head should be shaved off. The
disciple should then get his beards and moustache shaved off. After
this the disciple should massage his body with mud and take bath
by taking twelve dips in a pond. After taking his bath he should
worship his Guru and meditate on Lord Shiv.
Kartikey told Sage Vamdev that an ascetic does not die but takes
a Samadhi, therefore instead of being cremated he is buried. Therefore
an ascetic must practice the art of Samadhi to perfection. If he
has not yet perfected the art of Samadhi, then he should keep on
practicing yog till he attains mastery over the art of Samadhi.
He should try to concentrate his mind on the Omkar mantra, which
is eternal. If his body has become weak and feeble and incapable
of doing physical exercises like Pranayam then he should indulge
himself in Shiv remembrance. This way an ascetic can attain to heaven.
After his death the rest of the ascetics should perform the rituals
at his place of death for ten days.
An altar should be constructed on the eleventh day. Five quadrangular
mandals should be made facing towards the northern direction. In
each of these mandas, deities like Deveshwari, Atiwahak etc. should
be established first and then worshipped. The worship should be
done as per the instruction of Guru by offering 'Prasad'. This Prasad
should be, given to a virgin girl or cow, later on. The articles
used in the process of worship should be immersed in the river or
pond. In this way, the Parvan shradh ceremony of the deceased ascetic
is accomplished. It is worth nothing that 'Ekodisht' Shradh is not
performed after an ascetic death.
After the completion of 'Parvan Shradh' the ascetic should perform
the Ekadashah Shradh as per the instructions of their Guru. On the
twelfth day, the ascetics should invite the brahmins, after getting
up in the morning and taking their bath. These brahmins should be
feeded.
The ascetics should then take a vow to worship their Guru by holding
a 'Kush' grass in their hands. After that, they should wash the
lotus feet's of their Guru and worship him. Even the worship of
Guru's teacher should be done.
After the worship is over, the Guru should get up by saying 'Shubhamastu'-
benediction to all. He should then sprinkle the purified rice by
chanting mantras. At last donations should be made to the invited
brahmins.
Children's :
Children,
on the other hand, are buried as the soul has not stayed in the
body long enough to develop any attachment.
Cremation
is the norm in Hinduism to dispose of the dead body. However, this
norm does not apply to children. The bodies of young children who
die within a year from the date of their birth are usually buried
rather than cremated. In some instances they are consigned to rivers.
In other words their bodies are offered to water or the earth, rather
than fire. It is because the subtle bodies of children remain underdeveloped
and hence unfit for fire sacrifice.
The final rites of a burial, in case of untimely death of a child,
is rooted in Rig Veda's section 10.18, where the hymns mourn the
death of the child, praying to deity Mrityu to "neither harm
our girls nor our boys", and pleads the earth to cover, protect
the deceased child as a soft wool.
Betake
thee to the Iap of Earth the Mother, of Earth far-spreading, very
kind and gracious. Young Dame, wool-soft unto the guerdon giver,
may she preserve thee from Destruction's bosom.
Satyayaniya
Upanishad
As
regards, the children, then we find the scriptural injunctions,
but i don't think we can find the reasons as well :
Immediate
is [the purification, on the death of a child] who has not teethed;
[and impurity extends over] one night, before the ceremony of tonsure
(Chuddkaranam) [is performed within two years]; and three nights,
before the investiture with the sacred thread (Upanayanam]; and
ten nights, afterwards.
Usana Smriti verses
When
a child dies before it is 3 years old or before teething, no offerings
of food or water are prescribed, and it should not be cremated.
Baudhayana Dharma Sutras 1.11.7
So,
IMO impurities do not result from a child's death depending on whether
it had teethed or not and also on few other factors.
Christianity
:
In
Christian countries and cultures, cremation has historically been
discouraged, but now in many denominations it is accepted.
Catholicism
:
Christians preferred to bury the dead rather than to cremate the
remains, as was common in Roman culture. The Roman catacombs and
veneration of relics of saints witness to this preference. For them,
the body was not a mere receptacle for a spirit that was the real
person, but an integral part of the human person. They looked on
the body as sanctified by the sacraments and itself the temple of
the Holy Spirit, and thus requiring to be disposed of in a way that
honours and reveres it, and they saw many early practices involved
with disposal of dead bodies as pagan in origin or an insult to
the body.
The
idea that cremation might interfere with God's ability to resurrect
the body was refuted as early as the 2nd-century Octavius of Minucius
Felix, in which he said: "Every body, whether it is dried up
into dust, or is dissolved into moisture, or is compressed into
ashes, or is attenuated into smoke, is withdrawn from us, but it
is reserved for God in the custody of the elements. Nor, as you
believe, do we fear any loss from sepulture, but we adopt the ancient
and better custom of burying in the earth." And while there
was a clear preference for burial, there was no general Church law
forbidding cremation until 1866. Even in Medieval Europe, cremation
was practiced in situations where there were multitudes of corpses
simultaneously present, such as after a battle, after a pestilence
or famine, and where there was an imminent fear of diseases spreading
from the corpses, since individual burials with digging graves would
take too long and body decomposition would begin before all the
corpses had been interred.
Beginning
in the Middle Ages, and even more so in the 18th century and later,
rationalists and classicists began to advocate cremation again as
a statement denying the resurrection and/or the afterlife, although
the pro-cremation movement more often than not took care to address
and refute theological concerns about cremation in their works.
Sentiment within the Catholic Church against cremation became hardened
in the face of the association of cremation with "professed
enemies of God." When some Masonic groups advocated cremation
as a means of rejecting Christian belief in the resurrection, the
Holy See forbade Catholics to practise cremation in 1886. The 1917
Code of Canon Law incorporated this ban, but in 1963, recognizing
that, in general, cremation was being sought for practical purposes
and not as a denial of bodily resurrection, the choice of cremation
was permitted in many circumstances. The current 1983 Code of Canon
Law, states: "The Church earnestly recommends the pious custom
of burial be retained; but it does not forbid cremation, unless
this is chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching."
There
are no universal rules governing Catholic funeral rites in connection
with cremation, but episcopal conferences have laid down rules for
various countries. Of these, perhaps the most elaborate are those
established, with the necessary confirmation of the Holy See, by
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and published as
Appendix II of the United States edition of the Order of Christian
Funerals.
Although
the Holy See has in some cases authorized bishops to grant permission
for funeral rites to be carried out in the presence of cremated
remains, it is preferred that the rites be carried out before cremation,
in the presence of the still intact body. Practices that show insufficient
respect for the ashes of the dead such as turning them into jewelry
or scattering them are forbidden for Catholics.
Anglicanism
and Lutheranism :
In 1917, Volume 6 of the American Lutheran Survey stated that "The
Lutheran clergy as a rule refuse" and that "Episcopal
pastors often take a stand against it." Indeed, in the 1870s,
the Anglican Bishop of London stated that the practice of cremation
would "undermine the faith of mankind in the doctrine of the
resurrection of the body, and so bring about a most disastrous social
revolution." In The Lutheran Pastor, George Henry Gerberding
stated :
Third.
As to cremation. This is not a Biblical or Christian mode of disposing
of the dead. The Old and New Testament agree and take for granted
that as the body was taken originally from the earth, so it is to
return to the earth again. Burial is the natural and Christian mode.
There is a beautiful symbolism in it. The whole terminology of eschatology
presupposes it. Cremation is purely heathenish. It was the practice
among the Greeks and Romans. The mass of the Hindoos thus dispose
of their dead. It is dishonoring to the body, intended for a temple
of the Holy Ghost and to bear the image of God. It is an insidious
denial of the doctrine of the resurrection.
However,
Protestant churches welcomed the use of cremation at a much earlier
date than the Catholic Church; pro-cremation sentiment was not unanimous
among Protestants, however. The first crematoria in the Protestant
countries were built in the 1870s, and in 1908, the Dean and Chapter
of Westminster Abbey—one of the most famous Anglican churches—required
that remains be cremated for burial in the abbey's precincts. Today,
"scattering", or "strewing," is an acceptable
practice in many Protestant denominations, and some churches have
their own "garden of remembrance" on their grounds in
which remains can be scattered. Other groups also support cremation.
Some denominations, like Lutheran churches in Scandinavia, favour
the urns being buried in family graves. A family grave can contain
urns of many generations and also the urns of spouses and loved
ones.
Methodism
:
An early Methodist tract titled Immortality and Resurrection noted
that "burial is the result of a belief in the resurrection
of the body, while cremation anticipates its annihilation."
The Methodist Review noted that "Three thoughts alone would
lead us to suppose that the early Christians would have special
care for their dead, namely, the essential Jewish origin of the
Church; the mode of burial of their founder; and the doctrine of
the resurrection of the body, so powerfully urged by the apostles,
and so mighty in its influence on the primitive Christians. From
these considerations, the Roman custom of cremation would be most
repulsive to the Christian mind."
Eastern
Orthodox and others who forbid cremation :
On the other hand, some branches of Christianity oppose cremation,
including some minority Protestant groups and Orthodox. Most notably,
the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches forbid cremation,
as a custom, but not dogmatically. Exceptions are made for circumstances
where it may not be avoided (when civil authority demands it, or
epidemics) or if it may be sought for good cause,[clarification
needed] but when a cremation is willfully chosen for no good cause
by the one who is deceased, he or she is not permitted a funeral
in the church and may also be permanently excluded from liturgical
prayers for the departed. In Orthodoxy, cremation is perceived by
some a rejection of the dogma of the general resurrection.
The
Church of God (Restoration) also forbids the practice of cremation,
believing it to be a pagan practice.
Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints :
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has,
in past decades, discouraged cremation without expressly forbidding
it. In the 1950s, for example, Apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote that
"only under the most extraordinary and unusual circumstances"
would cremation be consistent with LDS teachings.
However,
more recent LDS publications have provided instructions for how
to dress the deceased when they have received their temple endowments
(and thus wear temple garments) prior to cremation for those wishing
to do so, or in countries where the law requires cremation. Except
where required by law, the family of the deceased may decide whether
the body should be cremated, though the Church "does not normally
encourage cremation."
Bali,
Indonesia :
Balinese Hindu dead are generally buried inside the container for
a period of time, which may exceed one month or more, so that the
cremation ceremony (Ngaben) can occur on an auspicious day in the
Balinese-Javanese Calendar system ("Saka"). Additionally,
if the departed was a court servant, member of the court or minor
noble, the cremation can be postponed up to several years to coincide
with the cremation of their Prince. Balinese funerals are very expensive
and the body may be interred until the family can afford it or until
there is a group funeral planned by the village or family when costs
will be less. The purpose of burying the corpse is for the decay
process to consume the fluids of the corpse, which allows for an
easier, more rapid and more complete cremation.
Islam
:
Islam strictly forbids cremation. Islam has specific rites for the
treatment of the body after death.
Judaism
:
Judaism traditionally disapproved of cremation in the past (it was
the traditional means of disposing the dead in the neighboring Bronze
Age cultures). It has also disapproved of preservation of the dead
by means of embalming and mummifying, a practice of the ancient
Egyptians.
Through
history and up to the philosophical movements of the current era
Modern Orthodox, Orthodox, Haredi, and Hasidic movements in Judaism
have maintained a strict biblical line against cremation, and disapprove
of it as Halakha (Jewish law) forbids it. This halakhic concern
is grounded in the upholding of bodily resurrection as a core belief
of traditional Judaism, as opposed to other ancient trends such
as the Sadduccees, who denied it as well as the clear wording of
the Torah in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 21:23 "Bury, you will bury
him the same day; for the (unburied body) is a curse to God"
with both a positive command derived from this verse to command
one to bury a dead body and a negative command forbidding neglecting
to bury a dead body. Some from the generally liberal Conservative
Jewish also oppose cremation, some very strongly.
During
the 19th and early 20th centuries, as the Jewish cemeteries in many
European towns had become crowded and were running out of space,
in a few cases cremation for the first time became an approved means
of corpse disposal among the emerging liberal and Reform Jewish
movements in line with their across the board rejection of traditional
Torah ritual laws having mandatory standing. Current liberal movements
like Reform Judaism still support cremation, although burial remains
the preferred option.
In
Israel, where religious ritual events including free burial and
funeral services for all who die in Israel and all citizens including
the majority Jewish population including for the secular or non-observant
are almost universally facilitated through the Rabinate of Israel
which is an Orthodox organization following traditional Jewish law,
there were no formal crematories until 2004 when B&L Cremation
Systems Inc. became the first crematory manufacturer to sell a retort
to Israel. In August 2007, an orthodox youth group in Israel was
accused of burning down the country's sole crematorium. The crematorium
was rebuilt within weeks by its owner Aley Shalechet and the retort
replaced. Since that incident, cremation has taken place in Israel
without interruption.
Other
:
Baha'i :
The Baha'i Faith forbids cremation, "He feels that, in view
of what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said against cremation,
the believers should be strongly urged, as an act of faith, to make
provisions against their remains being cremated. Bahá’u’lláh
has laid down as a law, in the Aqdas, the manner of Bahá’í
burial, and it is so beautiful, befitting and dignified, that no
believer should deprive himself of it."
Zoroastrianism
:
Traditionally, Zoroastrianism disavows cremation or burial to preclude
pollution of fire or earth. The traditional method of corpse disposal
is through ritual exposure in a "Tower of Silence", but
both burial and cremation are increasingly popular alternatives.
Some contemporary adhererents of the faith have opted for cremation.
Parsi-Zoroastrian singer Freddie Mercury of the group Queen was
cremated after his death.
China
:
Neo-Confucianism under Zhu Xi strongly discourages cremation of
one's parents' corpses as unfilial. Han Chinese traditionally practiced
burial and viewed cremation as taboo and as a barbarian practice.
Traditionally,
only Buddhist monks in China exclusively practiced cremation because
ordinary Han Chinese detested cremation, refusing to do it. But
now, the atheist Communist party enforces a strict cremation policy
on Han Chinese. However, exceptions are made for Hui who do not
cremate their dead due to Islamic beliefs.
The
minority Jurchen and their Manchu descendants originally practiced
cremation as part of their culture. They adopted the practice of
burial from the Han, but many Manchus continued to cremate their
dead.