What can you do with the cremated remains of the deceased? Are there legal or religious rules about them, and how are those rules made?
by 
iwnit
ANSWERS: 6
-
You can do whatever you want with them. Dump 'em in a lake or shelf them. Ignore theism when it comes to cremated remains -- it's nonsense to let strangers dictate what to do when it comes to your deceased loved ones.
-
Belief net has an excellent article on "Transition Rituals-Death rites for the worlds major religions. They are many and varies, and this article covers only about a dozen of them. Since there hundreds of current religions, and thousnads of historical ones, it is not practical to answer here. http://www.beliefnet.com/story/78/story_7894_1.html This is four different questions bundled up in one. Try to be more specific with questions of this complicated nature. What can you do with cremains? Are there legal rules about cremains? What is your religious rules about cremains? How did rules about cremains come about?
-
If you have no religious issues with it, and your deceased loved ones wishes aren't being ignored, several options have been made available for the designation of cremetory ashes: place them in an urn (traditional), scatter them in a special place (traditional), or you can shoot them up into space through a rocket program, or even have them compressed to create a manmade diamond! Some people have even used ashes to make tatoo ink for a memorial tatoo, but its very hard to find an artist who'll do that. As for legal issues, very few would stand in your way.
-
The regulations of such matters come from politicians and lawmakers elected or appointed to make these rules. There are also professional organizations in the deathcare industry that regulate the conduct of their members in this regard. There may be some places or situations where disposal may not be allowed for health reasons. A good place to check is with the local mortuary or the local health authorities. As for religious practices, I believe you should check with clergy on that issue as it varies widely as to what is acceptable. Start with the local funeral home. It is their business to know this information. In some places you can't "do as you please" with them. Check to be certain,
-
In America, "LEGALLY" you can't just dump/spread cremated remains anywhere you like. You'll find you're bucking everything from actual local regs for the handling of human remains to EPA regs and anti-littering laws. (Knew a woman got arrested and fined for dumping and pollution when she scattered her late hubby's ashes on a lake, in accord with his wishes... while the sherif boat was on patrol nearby.) Of course, if it's a secluded spot, on private property, and you don't publicize it, who's to know? Otherwise, you have to consult a lawyer, and probably go through a lot of bureaucratic red-tape in your area, and may still find the answer is NO -- or even, "Oh, did we say yes? It doesn't matter because there's actually a half-dozen other ordnances you just violated and now you owe us $15,000." -- God, I'm so glad I don't live in America anymore!
-
When we die , the principle concerns , apart from religious dictates ; are related to common respect for the dead body , but more importantly , sanitatiion. We are organic matter , and lots of it. So decomposition can raise issues related to infection in the community.Embalming, or "preservation" as the funeral industry prefers to call it , does a good job of removing all fluids ( water), in which bacteria , etc. could thrive, and I'm told by a friend who is an excellent 'embalmer'and widely respected ; that a good job of preservation should keep the remains relatively intact almost indefinitely. Cremation resultas in a large amount of easy to deal with ; purified skeletal fragments.All organic tissue has been destroyed , so public health should never be an issue. Also , it is important to keep in mind that with cremation , one essetially ceases to exist ; in that all DNA is also destroyed. So , after my long diatribe : Do what you want with them.
FauxLo RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC