A Letter to The Editor in today's Washington Post caught my (cynical) eye"
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The Body's Eternal Future
Monday, October 15, 2007; A14
Regarding the Oct. 8 article on cremation interment ["Green Memorial Concept Growing in Virginia," Business]:
Enfolding human ashes into the roots of trees and around coral reefs might make sense if one believes that remains go back into the earth forever. But what if the human body has an eternal future? If so, it is equally reasonable that the body be buried in sacred ground, awaiting its destiny with a community of family and friends.
Catholics bury their dead in cemeteries and are forbidden to scatter cremated remains because they believe in the resurrection of the human body. While the Catholic Church does allow for cremation, the faithful are asked to inter the remains as they would a body that is still intact. Why? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that: "In death, the separation of the soul from the body, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body. God, in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power of Jesus' Resurrection" (CCC 997).
JEFFREY HODES
Director, Catholic Cemeteries
Archdiocese of Washington
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If I follow this guy's self-servng argument, if one's cremated ashes are scattered, then God "in his almighty power" will have a tougher time reuniting body and soul if the cremated ashes are not interred in sacred ground??? Since cremains typically weigh 5 lbs or so and the rest of the body has already been dispersed into the atmosphere by the cremation, what difference does it make if the cremains are interred in sacred ground or under a tree somewhere? And, since he mentions corral reefs, what about the bodies of all the sailors lost at sea?
This reminds me of the argument that some Christians make that at Cana Jesus turned water into grape juice, cause obviously there was not enough time for it to ferment into wine!
3 comments:
It just seems that some people view too many things literally rather than figuratively. Whatever Jesus created at Cana doesn't matter - it's the fact that he performed a miracle. It's the same with the loaves and fishes. One gospel claims he fed 3000, another 5000. The actual number, or type of bread, or breed of fish, does not matter - it's the miracle that counts. In the case of death, the location or condition of the corpse does not matter - our return to life is figurative. Ask the question - would Christ have returned on Easter morning if he had been cremated? Or would he have returned if he'd been buried at sea?
I guess what irks me that well-intentioned people who take their religous beliefs too literally, become prey to those who exploit them for economic gain. Is selling the concept of burial in "sacred ground" all that different than the concept of selling indulgences? It's bad enough when vultures prey on the greedy through get-rich-quick pyramid schemes, but I think it is far far worse to prey on those seeking salvation.
And to Richard's questions about Christ returning had he been cremated, or buried at sea, I think he has hit the nail on the head. It doesn't (expletive deleted) matter!
If the creator of the universe can create the universe out of NOTHING... then I'm sure that same creator can work with ashes that have been scattered around where-ever.
My thoughts at this point go to the meaning of the funeral service and the pastoral care to the family. And I'm at this point thinking of the Bunt family becasue it is freshin my mind. And another person I know that used to go in to the men's prison at Jessup with me also died this week. Her funeral (cremation) will be next Fri.
If the person requested that they be cremated, or buried, or scatter at sea... and if the family wishes to honor the deceased by doing what they requested prior... more power to them!
I think, at this point, the funeral issues are more for the living than the dead. They are the ones that are going to honor the person they loved by cremating them, or scattering their ashes in a place they loved to spend time at while alive, or whatever (I must add- within reason and good taste - there are some people that might want to do some wierd things thinking it's to "honor" the person)
Can God deal with us scattering the ashes of the person in a special grove of trees? If God CAN'T put that person back together in a "new" body... what's God going to do with a BURIED body that has been "in the ground" for 5 hundred years? I wouldn't suppose there would be much there to work with after that long... even IF they are buried!
Look at the early Christians... that was what... fifteen hundred years ago? There's not much there left from those dead and buried people. WHatever is left from them has been "part of teh earth" now for a very VERY long time. Now if God can "put them back together"... I don't suppose God would have much difficulty "putting together" a person that has been cremated and scattered somewhere!
My 2 cents
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