Cremation Refers to the Burning

Cremation refers to the burning of the human body until fire destroys the soft parts (Davies 2003). Anthropologists consider it a double burial. It consists of coping with the body and its decay in the first and treating the skeletal remains and ash in the second. Cremation differs from burial in the speed of transformation. A corpse burns in two hours, more or less, but a buried body takes months or years to decay. Cremation rituals date back to the ancient period. Roman emperors were cremated in pompous ceremonies. It evolved into a revered social institution in India according to its Buddhism and Sikhism cultures. It was founded on the belief that a person's life force was not limited to a single earthly life but goes through many non-human forms. Hinduism sees cremation as a component of the overall scheme of human destiny. The embryo receives its being from the heat of the womb. At the end of life, the heat of the funeral pyre separates the flesh from the bones. The skull through which the spirit entered the embryo is cracked to free it for its journey. Cremation in India takes place in Banaras, the sacred city, where the body is sacrificed to the gods for the last time. Buddhists perform cremation as their preferred funeral ceremony. Buddha himself was cremated. Soldiers killed in battle were cremated. Victims of plagues are also cremated as in the case of the Black Death of the 17th century. One infamous use of cremation was made during the Holocaust when the Nazi regime killed millions of Jews and other persons who did not please Hitler. Their bodies were disposed of in mass graves by cremation. In this case, cremation became some sort of industrial process the regime of Hitler found necessary (Davies).

With the coming and predominance of Christianity in Europe around the fifth century, earth burial replaced cremation to symbolize and commemorate the burial and resurrection of Christ (Davies 2003). Charlemagne even made it a crime to cremate a corpse in the Christian West in 789 C.E. A host of social, philosophical and technological factors in the 19th century revived widespread interest in cremation. Overpopulation in industrial towns and major cities, threatened by potential health risks of the increasing number of dead bodies in cemeteries was one factor. The freedom of thought from traditional religious constrains and creative options likewise urged the restoration of the practice. It was also a professional trend popularized by interest groups, such as the influential surgeon Sir Henry Thompson of Queen Victoria. He wrote an influential book, entitled "The Treatment of the Body After Death," published in 1874. William Eassie also wrote a book, entitled "Cremation of the Dead" in 1875. In the late 19th and first part of the 20th centuries, most cremation rites were held within a religious framework and supervised by the Protestant clergy. Cremations increasingly evolved into a secular process, which gradually moved away from the traditional Christian focus on the future hope of resurrection (Davies).

More and more American seniors and other elders opt for cremation over traditional burial in the disposition of their bodily remains after death (the Lutheran 2000). The Chicago-based Cremation Association of North America found that more than 20% of all deaths today ended in cremations from 4% in the 60s. It said that older people accept cremation because their bodies were worn out and destroyed by age. On the average, cremated bodies today are more than 70 years old. Cremation was also preferred because of the elders' retirement patterns and migration by their grown children from places where they raised. The convenience of shipping the ashes of their deceased loved one inclined them to favor cremation. It was also always the decision of all the members of the family (the Lutheran).

The funeral industry in the United States has been offering new alternatives to the traditional burial plots (Rutledge 2000) to cope with new developments and problems. Colorado is the ninth biggest user of the cremation option. In 1999, 1,513 or 51% of people who died in El Paso County were cremated. This was an increase by 45% in 1995. The city's cemeteries reflected a 20% slowdown in activity with less than 600 expected burials this current year as compared with 684 the previous year. More investments are turning in for the construction of columbariums, vaults for urns and a cremation garden. Experts attributed the rise in cremation to certain factors. Recent national studies on the funeral industry said 24% chose cremation because it is cheaper, even only a fraction of the costs of a traditional earth burial. Nineteen percent of those surveyed preferred it because it saves on the use of land. Catholics have also permitted cremation since the 90s. In memorial gardens and mausoleum, the family of the deceased can plant a tree to remember the dead or have a bench inscribed. The option of a permanent place is also an important consideration. Those left behind can also find comfort in visiting the place when they want to "speak with the deceased" or simply feel low (Rutledge).

The Cremation Association of North America reported that roughly 21% of families in Kansay choose cremation for the final disposition of the deceased (Forrestt-Riley and Krug 2005). This figure was only 5% of the national average. The Association predicted a 30% increase in cremation in Kansas by 2010. Cremation providers said they help families through a time of stressful decision-making. Another company has been in the business for 15 years. The company representative meets with the family, gathers vital documents, files the death certificate, notifies Social Security and arranges for the pick-up of the body. After cremation, the company delivers the remains to the family in an urn. The current rate for a cremation is $725 or about half of the expense in funeral homes. The family is given three days to notify a funeral home and feels rushed. For these considerations, more and more are deciding not to spend on expensive funerals, which charge between $7,000 and $10,000 (Forrestt and Krug).