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CREMATION.

Contrasts Hindus of India & U.S. Protestants re: cremation rituals, practices, role of religion & differences.

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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 cultu

Pottery vesselsfrom the Neolithic period, filled with the ashes of several individuals,have been found throughout Europe. The new (and more convenient) American way of death. ReferencesAlger, A. After the corpse is almost completely burned, the chief mournerperforms a rite called kapalakriya, the "rite of the skull" cracking theskull with a long bamboo stick, thus releasing the soul from entrapment inthe body. How we saygoodbye for the last time is one of the ways in which we learn to definewho exactly it is that we are. 89). What is prepared, ornamented, and offered into the fire is, in this case, the deceased.... The chief mourner at a Hindu funeral - usually the eldest son - takesthe twigs of flaming holy kusha grass to the pyre upon which the dead hasbeen laid, circles the pyre counterclockwise, and lights the pyre, whichconveys the offering to heaven (Eck, 1983, p. While no written documentation exists toprove that such vessels were in fact cremation urns, there is every reasonto believe that this is just what they were and no archaeological evidenceto suggest that they were anything else (Iserson, 1994, p. Death to dust: What happens to dead bodies? (1996, Oct. Christian theologians believed that the body could not beresurrected if it were destroyed and cremation ensured such destruction(Alger and Flanagan, 1996, p. Cremations now account for morethan 15 percent of all final services for Americans. In almost every human society, the human body is prepared in somefashion before it is finally laid to rest. The particulars of cremation have changed across the centuries, forcremation is an ancient human activity. In addition, in-ground burial can contaminate water supplies for entire communities. The chief mourner then takes a large clay pot of Ganges water (orother sacred water), throws it backward over his left shoulder upon thedying embers, and walks away without looking back. 18). However, Protestants, who onceforeswore the rite as ungodly, now see the disposition of the body in bothcivil and religious terms, and have come to embrace cremation in everlarger numbers. 21). Orthodox Jews, members of the EasternOrthodox Christian churches, and Muslims are still forbidden to crematetheir dead for a combination of these reasons. (1983). Butbetween the 3rd and 19th centuries of the current era, Christianity becamewidely accepted and cremation as a practice in Europe and (later) NorthAmerica was almost unheard of because Christian doctrines forbadecremation. US Catholic, 56 (6), 2 -6.Eck, D. Title: Why cremation remains a burning issue for Catholics. 22). Even though cremations are often accompanied byreligious services, they have in key ways during the last half-centurybecome secularized and commercialized (this is true of other forms of lastrites as well) - a fact that has allowed cremation to become acceptable toChristians. L. This is especially serious when death has been caused by a highly contagious disease. and Flanagan, W.G. The deceased is honored as would befit a god (Eck, 1983, pp. The first known deliberateburials were those of early Homo sapiens groups and archaeological evidenceindicates that one of these early groups, the Neandertals, stained theirdead with red ocher - a possible indication of some belief in an afterlife.Washing the body, dressing it in special garments, and adorning it withornaments, religious objects, or amulets were common early procedures.Sometimes the feet are tied together, possibly to prevent the ghost of thedeceased from wandering about (Iserson, 1994, p. Before describing the differences in cremation practicesbetween these two religious groups, a brief general description ofcremation and of funerary rites will be given. "These living haveturned back, separated from the dead," the priests say and 11 days ofceremonies to honor the dead begin (Nandan, 1996, p. (Alger Flanagan, 1996, p. (1994). Expanding populations have created land shortages, causing space for burial plots to become scarce and expensive. Banaras: City of light. Cultural identity consists of a series of actions and beliefs thatone 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 givento such changes. The rite is, indeed, a sacrifice, having a certain structural continuity with all fire sacrifices in India, from the most complex to the most simple. 324). Thepurpose of embalming in the United States is to prevent mourners fromconfronting the process of putrefaction, which can be seen as a relatedreason. Evidence of cremation dates fromantiquity, far back into the prehistory of our species. Beginning 14 years before the present era and lasting for 16 years, cremation was the preferred burial custom, especially among Romanaristocrats; the Caesar family was one of many to choose this mode. Burial is associated with ancestorworship or beliefs about the afterlife; cremation is sometimes viewed asliberating the spirit of the deceased. 342). This paper looks at the ritual of cremation in two different culturalgroups, that of Hindus in India (although American Hindus follow very muchthe same customs, and may even return to India to cremate family members sothat changes do not have to be made in traditions) and of Protestants inthe United States. 325) as a way to meet thecivil, mundane demands of death, leaving the religious needs of thecommunity at the moment of death to be met by the spoken religiousservices. Cremation remains controversial for many Christians - especiallyCatholics - and it would probably not have become as popular as it is ifnot for cultural factors outside of religion that have made it moreeconomical than other forms of last rites. 12). However, some sects of Jewsand Christians today cremate their dead, as do Buddhists, Sikhs, andHindus.Economic and sanitary considerations are the principal reasons for the increased number of cremations in recent years. 42 ). (1996). The most thorough early treatment of the body was embalming, whichprobably originated in ancient Egypt. The basic mechanics ofcremation in the United States are the same regardless of the religion ofthe deceased or of the mourners and are more governed by health codes thanby concepts of the sacred (Deedy, 1991, p. Exposure, another widespreadpractice, may be a substitute for burial in regions where interment isdifficult, such as in the Arctic, where the ground may be frozen too hardto bury the dead. Cremation remains a fundamental and holy rite to Hindus, and it isimpossible to imagine that this will change. 325). Early Jews also prohibited cremation, believing it was the desecrationof a work of God. 341). London: Galen Press.Nandan, S. Indeed, cremation might have remained a rare practice in theUnited States if it had not become disengaged in essential ways fromreligious practice. This may also be a reason for the practice of cremation for somepeople (Iserson, 1994, p. In cremation in the United States and other modern First Worldcountries, the body is reduced to ashes in specially constructed furnacesand the ashes are then preserved in an urn, buried, or dispersed dependingon both culture and historical time period. (Alger and Flanagan, 1996, p. Other customs, such as funerary rites, tend to changeslowly and to reflect large overall changes in the society. Themourners may select a vase and services, but they are essentially outsidersto the process. 34 -341). Less common is water burial such as burial at sea orsending the corpse to sea in a boat - a custom that often serves as ametaphor for a journey to ancestral regions or to the world of the dead.Still less common is cannibalism as a ceremonial act to ensure continuedunity of the deceased with the tribe (Iserson, 1994, p. Forbes 158 (1 ), 324-7.Deedy, J. In contrast to the very active role that Hindu mourners take in therite of cremation and last sacrifice, Protestants in the United States aresimply observers - the way that most Americans are at most funeral rites.The mechanics of transporting the body from the place of death to thecoroner's office (if an autopsy is to be performed) and then to thecrematorium is handled by professionals, who also cremate the body. The Egyptians believed that in orderfor the soul to pass into the next life, the body must remain intact;hence, to preserve it, they developed the procedures of mummification. 21). The various methods used for disposal of the body in differentcultures and historical periods are linked to religious beliefs, climateand geography, and social status. Meanjin, 55 (3), 41 -425. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Iserson, K.V. Cremation is simply the practice of burning human corpses - except forthe 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 definesitself. (1991). (Alger and Flanagan,1996, p. Hindus believe that during cremation, the dead receive theform and emblems of Shiva, becoming three-eyed, wearing the crescent moonin their hair, carrying the trident (Eck, 1983, p. The Last Rite. A description of a typicalcremation demonstrates how important the rite is to Hindu theology: The cremation rite is called the "last sacrifice" - antyeshti. (Since Jews do not believe in the same kind of literalresurrection that Christians do, the destruction of a body needed for anafterlife was not a problem per se). 326.) For Hindus, the rite of cremation is an important one, fundamental tolarger religious beliefs about the dead.

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