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...

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).#
Cremation is preferable, Cheaper cost reduces the stress the family undergoes with the death of a loved one. The speed of procedure is another advantage it has over earth burial. The convenience feature is attractive to surviving family members who live or work in separate or distant parts of the country. And permanence provides both an enduring link with the deceases and a place to go to for reflection and solace.

Bibliography

Davies, Douglas J. Cremation. 5 pages. Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying,

Forrestt, F. Riley and Krug, Nick. End-of-Life Options Demand Growing for Cremation Services. 2 pages. The Topeka Capital Journal: Cremation Association,

Lutheran, the. Cremation Gaining…