Cremation or not ?

[personne]

hello .. I wanted to know, what's happen after the death ? cremation or not ?, when someone dies what happens if it was of different religion; the family can decide it for the deceased? Or the person is alive when she gave her opinion on who decides after his death?

Excuse me if the question was asked, and excuse me for mistakes .

death is that like a sleep ?

...... ......(on ne vit qu'une fois)

[Gwen]

in the usa, most people communicate what they want before they die, either by will or telling close family. if they don't have a will the closest living family member makes the decision (thus the need to tell people around you what you want). sometimes how the person dies dictates what must be done (my grandmother had to be cremated - fortunately that's what she wanted).

i think most people in the church choose not to be cremated. though i don't know if that's doctrinal or tradition. it is also customary for someone that is endowed to be buried in their temple clothes, just as one would wear them in the celestial room. endowed members of the church (men for men, women for women) would help dress them to ensure the process is done respectfully and the clothes are on properly. if there are no endowed members available to dress them (or the situation makes it inappropriate for them to be dressed in their clothes) then the clothes are simply placed in the casket with them.

does that help answer your questions?

[Blackmarch]

hello .. I wanted to know, what's happen after the death ? cremation or not ?, when someone dies what happens if it was of different religion; the family can decide it for the deceased? Or the person is alive when she gave her opinion on who decides after his death?

Excuse me if the question was asked, and excuse me for mistakes .

death is that like a sleep ?

...... ......(on ne vit qu'une fois)

hmmm well we have two parts- we have a spirit which makes our bodies alive, and makes us us, and the other part is our physical body.

at death the spirit and the body seperate, the spirit lives on to return to God, and the body will return to the earth from which it was made (some may choose burial for this, others may choose cremation, in the end it doesn't really matter much how one's body is returned to the earth).

Then at some point in the future when CHrist returns people will have their spirits reunited with a new perfect body, that will not die. We call this the resurrection.

Between the time of death and when Christ comes again, Spirits will live in either a place we call paradise if they've accepted Christ and his teachings, or a place we call spirit prison if they have not accepted Christ.

[gabelpa]

The last time I had my grubby paws on something from the Church that had direction regarding burial etc. was that the preference is for burial except where circumstances prohibit it. There wasn't anything saying you must not be cremated, or that you must be buried.

[mnn727]

Death is not sleep, Your spirit leaves the body and goes to the Spirit world to await the resurrection, eventually you will be resurrected with a perfect body, not the same old body.

[ryanh]

Although I have not read it myself, it was mentioned in passing at a meeting last night while discussing guidance in the Church Handbook of Instructions that the official position of the church is to discourage cremation except in circumstances required by country laws. It's not prohibited - it is the person's choice. But burial is preferable when available.

[Saguaro]

The CHI says, "Normally, cremation is not encouraged. However, in some countries the law requires it. The family of the deceased must decide whether to cremate the body, taking into acccount any laws governing burial or cremation."

I know of no doctrinal reason to discourage cremation. It seems that cremation is becoming more common as burial costs keep going up.

[Dravin]

T

I know of no doctrinal reason to discourage cremation. It seems that cremation is becoming more common as burial costs keep going up.

Me neither. I'm kinda mildly curious why the policy is the way it is.

[Saguaro]

Me neither. I'm kinda mildly curious why the policy is the way it is.

I think it's purely cultural. If the church had started in India instead of the United States cremation would be the normally accepted practice.

[Gwen]

when i was younger i always thought it had something to do with the desecration of a "temple".... then when i learned endowed members were supposed to be dressed in their temple clothes i thought it had to do with that.

now i understand it better and realize the embalming process isn't exactly pretty. go figure.

[Saguaro]

when i was younger i always thought it had something to do with the desecration of a "temple".... then when i learned endowed members were supposed to be dressed in their temple clothes i thought it had to do with that.

now i understand it better and realize the embalming process isn't exactly pretty. go figure.

To me cremation seems like a clean and efficient way to dispose of one's remains. Embalming only puts off the inevitable, which is the slow process of decomposition. Allowing a body to slowly decompose and putrify in the ground, though natural, seems more desecrating to our "temple" than quickly burning it up. I'm currently reading "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach, though it focuses on cadavers, there are a couple of chapters about how we as a society deal with death, bodies, and burial, it's a fascinating read about a subject we don't normally discuss around the water cooler.

[Dravin]

To me cremation seems like a clean and efficient way to dispose of one's remains. Embalming only puts off the inevitable, which is the slow process of decomposition. Allowing a body to slowly decompose and putrify in the ground, though natural, seems more desecrating to our "temple" than quickly burning it up.

We burn things out of respect, for instance it is the preferred method of retiring a worn US Flag, to wit.

The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

It is also as far as I understand it (in part with some other processes, you don't just chuck them in a campfire) a respectful way of retiring garments.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Dravin

[Gwen]

so does the church have a policy regarding donating your body to science.... or just some parts of it? organ donation?

is embalming a legal issue, are you required to be embalmed if you want to be buried?

[Saguaro]

so does the church have a policy regarding donating your body to science.... or just some parts of it? organ donation?

is embalming a legal issue, are you required to be embalmed if you want to be buried?

Organ donation is encouraged. The CHI states, "The donation or organs and tissues is a selfless act that often results in great benefit to individuals with medical conditions."

I don't have an answer regarding embalming.

[Dravin]

I imagine the laws requiring embalming (or the absence of them) are gonna vary by state. The Utah Funeral Directors Association states:

Does a dead body have to be embalmed, according to law?

No. Most states, however, require embalming when death was caused by a reportable contagious disease or when remains are to be transported from one state to another by common carrier or if final disposition is not to be made within a prescribed number of hours.

Not the best cite I suppose, but it'll do.

[Truegrits]

My sister will be buried the next full day after her death...no embalming. I will be cremated, because I have always, since a child, wanted that. We are both organ donors, and we will be buried on our family farm. No fancy headstones, no hoop-la.

[Bini]

so does the church have a policy regarding donating your body to science.... or just some parts of it? organ donation?

is embalming a legal issue, are you required to be embalmed if you want to be buried?

I heard that the Jewish don't embalm but they still bury their dead. Is this true?

[rameumptom]

We're leaning towards cremation as a cheaper alternative to burial. Plus, we can be scattered over our favorite places. Or, flushed down the toilet....

[Moksha]

I think it's purely cultural. If the church had started in India instead of the United States cremation would be the normally accepted practice.

It is important to remember that the early Utah Saints placed their dead on long boats engraved with Deseret runes, set them afire and let them sail down the fjords of the Great Salt Lake.

[Dravin]

It is important to remember that the early Utah Saints placed their dead on long boats engraved with Deseret runes, set them afire and let them sail down the fjords of the Great Salt Lake.

Wait... I thought they set them adrift on the ice floes of Utah Lake?

[Moksha]

Wait... I thought they set them adrift on the ice floes of Utah Lake?

No, that was the Lamanites on Lake Bonneville during the last part of the past ice age.

[personne]

Merci pour tout.

[theoriginalavatar]

To me cremation seems like a clean and efficient way to dispose of one's remains. Embalming only puts off the inevitable, which is the slow process of decomposition. Allowing a body to slowly decompose and putrify in the ground, though natural, seems more desecrating to our "temple" than quickly burning it up. I'm currently reading "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach, though it focuses on cadavers, there are a couple of chapters about how we as a society deal with death, bodies, and burial, it's a fascinating read about a subject we don't normally discuss around the water cooler.

Hello Saguaro! I, too, have read (and own) that book. There is a lot of interesing (and entertaining) information to be found there. I used to work in a morgue, and I have seen just about everything there is to see when it comes to human remains. My degree is also in forensic anthropology. If anyone is interested and has any questions, I would be happy to share!

[Dominic_Korozya]

I would like to be buried, as I just like the thought of it.

Hey, the New Jerusalem!

LOL it's bowser from super mario world!

Mega man!

Sonic!

These emoticons are brilliant!

[HEthePrimate]

It is important to remember that the early Utah Saints placed their dead on long boats engraved with Deseret runes, set them afire and let them sail down the fjords of the Great Salt Lake.

LOL!