The only thing I disagree with about Catholicism

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Mike_from_NJ said:
What was the reasoning why for the longest time the Church forbade cremation?
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As the Catechism mentions, it was due to cremation being associated with a denial of the resurrection of the body. This association existed because cremation was prominently associated with pre-Christian (“pagan”) European funerary rites. Many of the “pagan” revivalist movements in the 19th century publicly also used cremation of their deceased followers to confront the Church theologically.
 
God will not remove himself from you; he heartily desires your salvation. Remember the story of the lost sheep that the shepherd went in search of? That’s Jesus talking about him searching for you.

After communion, i always pray the ancient prayer that starts “Soul of Christ, sanctify me,” and includes: “Kind Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from Thee . . .”
 
How is cremation different than a body burning in a fire, so long as the person believes in Christ’s Atonement & the Resurrection?
 
I was thinking something similar; for example, those poor people whose remains were scattered all over the place in the 911 plane crashes into the Twin Towers in NYC. Their ashes are not intact.

My guess is that since their ashes were not voluntarily scattered by the owners in denial of the resurrection, this may be an exception.

In the movie, ‘The Way’ starring Martin Sheen, who is described by some as a devout Catholic, the father (Sheen’s character) purposely spreads the ashes of his son in many places along “The Way” to Santiago de Compostela as a way (presumably) of honoring his son.

Although a fictional story, is what Sheen’s character did in spreading the remains of his son in different places against Catholic teaching or was it a reverent expression of his love for his son that the Church allows?
 
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Tommy999 said:
Although a fictional story, is what Sheen’s character did in spreading the remains of his son in different places against Catholic teaching or was it a reverent expression of his love for his son that the Church allows?
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The movie was made in 2010, and the Church’s teaching against the scattering of ashes began - as far I know - in 2016. Prior to that, it was ambiguous as to what was considered appropriate treatment of cremated remains.
 
Tommy999 said:
My guess is that since their ashes were not voluntarily scattered by the owners in denial of the resurrection, this may be an exception.
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If a person denies the Resurrection, a person cannot be saved. That comes from Scripture. So, whether a person dies in a fire, or they are cremated, if they reject it, they aren’t saved. If they believe in it, what difference does it make “how” their body was burned?
 
Hear. There are so many infinite “extreme” examples one could ponder that teeter on legalistic interpretation vs say a contrite heart…that it reminds me of the passages somewhere in Matthew where Jesus called out something like… woe to lawyers, pharisees…inside dead mens bones, etc…

My take away is that getting too dogmatically involved on the letter of the law CAN, not always, miss the spirit. Just my two cents. I read scripture, consider my knowledge of sacred teaching, consider the status quo, consider the magisterium stuff I might know, and form a choice …if it’s a bigger moral choice, I wait it out in prayer in front of eucharistic adoration
 
I would guess the extra cost for refrigeration, including the extra transporting of the body to/from the refrigeration facility, would make this not so green. I wonder why people think embalming is not green. Cremation takes a lot of energy and by the carbon emitted in the atmosphere, it likely affects the environment negatively more see o than embalming. As to cemeteries, they are a permanent green belt, that’s not a bad thing environmentally.

Of course, burial within 24 hours would be the must green, but certainly difficult for most people to pull off.
 
Whenever this topic comes up, I always think of St Augustine’s description of his mother St Monica’s death in Book IX of the Confessions. After describing how she was always concerned that she be buried beside her husband, he tells us how she changed:
I heard afterwards also, that when we were now at Ostia, she with a mother’s confidence, when I was absent, one day discoursed with certain of my friends about the contempt of this life, and the blessing of death: and when they were amazed at such courage which Thou hadst given to a woman, and asked, “Whether she were not afraid to leave her body so far from her own city?” she replied, “Nothing is far to God; nor was it to be feared lest at the end of the world, He should not recognise whence He were to raise me up.”
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You can be cremated, but I believe the remains need to be buried in one place.
 
Powerful words from St.Monica. Worth reflection. I also recall the 7 sorrows of our lady of sorrow, and the message I gather about a sort of legit compassionate sorrow at sin in life and oneself, not in advocacy of depression or nihilsm. However, in some ways, I think that wisdom and boundaries in “how to grieve”,…or self dignifyingly to the Christ aliveness measure one has within oneself to give honor in sharing the cross with HiS mercy, glory, justice. I carry a sense of care to collaborate with Christs work in me, and careful boundaries not to do the work that only Christ do in others and the world. Thank heaven for eucharistic adoration
 
Delia_button said:
I wasn’t raised catholic. I became Christian when I was 12 then converted to Catholicism when I was about 22. I am all about what Catholicism stands for and all the doctrines. I just don’t understand why you can’t get cremated. I feel like it’s such a waste of money to have to be in a cemetery and have a gravestone. To add, why does it matter what happens to your body after you die because your soul is all that matters in the end? I just really don’t want my family to waste money on me when I’m dead and I don’t want my body to be pointlessly sitting in the ground for years. Can anyone help me change my mind or explain why this is part of Catholicism?
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“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

We believe in a bodily resurrection. This means that when the last trumpet is blown on the last day your body, your physical body, will be raised from the dead to life. Scripture does not hold that we have just a spiritual afterlife, but a physical resurrection from the dead. Your body isn’t just some throwaway item that God doesn’t care about. Through Christ, your whole self, to include your physical body will be redeemed from sin, death, and the devil. This is why the Church does not encourage cremation. We have respect for the body that will rise again at Christ’s command. What we do with our dead says a lot about what we believe, or don’t believe, about our soteriology and eschatology. If I were you, I would consider the message that gets communicated to those outside the faith, and to your family and friends by being cremated. I personally think cremation sends a message that is at best confusing about what we believe about resurrection, and at worst leads people to reject the bodily resurrection.

Also, when you really look into it, cremation is not as cheap as you think it is.
 
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Hodos said:
Also, when you really look into it, cremation is not as cheap as you think it is.
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I had occasion to “look into it” when my first wife died suddenly. Not what I would call cheap, no, but only a fraction of what a typical funeral with casket and embalming would have run. If there had been advance warning, I could have possibly arranged a green burial with no embalming and a basic casket or only a shroud, but having investigated since, direct cremation is still the lowest cost option for the area where I currently live.
 
Mhkc said:
k, but i think u can do a green burial.? Meaning, pay for a plot, ,…just lay u in a shroud
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because graveyards have zoning codes. All the graveyards in our area require vaults. If you are cremated an urn is required.
 
Hodos said:
Also, when you really look into it, cremation is not as cheap as you think it is.
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I just made my funeral plans. Body burial was $10,000 and cremation was $5,000. That’s quite a price difference.

Please do your families the favor of planning your funerals. My mother had hers all laid out and paid for. We had a few things to cover such as obits, flowers, and grave open/closing costs. Otherwise we had only one visit to the funeral home to finalize everything. Made is so easy on all of us who were mourning.

I have a cousin who passed away last summer. They never had a funeral at all. I have no idea where her remains are.
 
whatistrue said:
I had occasion to “look into it” when my first wife died suddenly. Not what I would call cheap, no, but only a fraction of what a typical funeral with casket and embalming would have run. If there had been advance warning, I could have possibly arranged a green burial with no embalming and a basic casket or only a shroud, but having investigated since, direct cremation is still the lowest cost option for the area where I currently live.
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Yeah, the direct burial or direct cremation options are significantly cheaper.
 
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Our family has opted for cremation for financial reasons and also because we have a family plot on private land that does not require special zoning if our remains are cremated.

That being said, I’m disturbed by the current trend to turn cremated remains into paperweights and jewelry. A co-worker’s stepdaughter died unexpectedly in a drowning accident a few months ago. The family and friends were devastated and decided to turn their child’s ashes into memorial jewelry… in fact, they took orders from family and friends and acquaintances to determine how many heart shaped charms would be made and then they asked for each person who requested one to contribute about $20 for each charm they wanted to help pay for the arrangements.

Aside from the fact that it seems rather gruesome to divide this child up as jewelry for friends and family, not to mention ask them to pay for it, but I couldn’t help but think what will happen when eventually the person may decide to no longer wear the charm (let’s face it, people do move on, especially if they really didn’t know the child personally and just obtained a charm so as to share in the parents’ grief) and it ends up in a jewelry box, forgotten and then passed on to someone who has no idea that it is, indeed, human remains. I understand the pain that caused them to make this decision so that their child wouldn’t be forgotten, but I can’t help but think it clouded their ability to think rationally about what this would eventually mean.
 
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