Pros and Cons of Cremation
When faced with the death of a loved one, families are often left with difficult decisions while trying to cope with their grief. If the deceased has not left specifications or preferences for her funeral, family members and loved ones will have to consider the pros and cons of the various funeral and burial options, including cremation.
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Costs
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Cremations generally are substantially cheaper than ground burials. While a conventional burial in 2009 cost an average of $6,560, a cremation with service and viewing starts at $1,280, as of the time of publication. Cremation does not require the use of caskets, which lowers the costs significantly. Burial plots, if chosen, are less expensive due to smaller space requirements, which lowers land cost fees. The lower costs associated with cremation have the biggest impact on people when making a decision . According to statistics released at the time of publication by the Cremation Association of North America, or CANA, 33 percent of those who choose to cremate a loved one do so because of financial reasons.
Religion
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Religious custom and dogma often must be considered when you evaluate the pros and cons of cremation, particularly if the deceased was devout. In 1965 the Catholic Church allowed for cremation, but not without pointing out that burial should remain the preferred method of funeral arrangements, which is a view shared by Baptists and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Jewish law does not forbid cremation but instructs Rabbis not to accept the ashes for Jewish funeral procedures, while Islamic Shariah law strictly forbids the burning of bodies. Most Protestant Churches accept cremation as a suitable funeral procedure and allow for the scattering of ashes, while Hindu and Buddhist funeral rites not only accept but mandate the burning of the body to free the spirit.
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Memorialization
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The way a family traditionally remembers their loved ones must be discussed when you evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of cremation. The average single casket plot on a cemetery measures 4 feet by 12 feet while the plot size for an urn is 4 feet by 8 feet, which reduces the space required for memorials compared to traditional burials. Other possibilities are offered through columbaria, where the urn can be placed in a wall, or memorial gardens that allow for the strewing of the ashes. Wearing cremation jewelry filled with the ashes of a loved one can seem ghoulish to some, while others take comfort in it. According to the statistics by CANA, 24 percent of families who cremated a loved one prefer to bury the ashes in a plot, while 19 percent chose a columbarium and 18 percent keep the urn at home.
Environmental Issues
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Some of the main arguments for and against cremation can be found in environmental issues. Cremation is generally regarded as an environmentally friendly solution because it prevents cemeteries from expanding into natural resources, but the act of burning bodies raises some concern with regard to emissions. The clothes and jewelry a body wears, amalgam dental fillings and medical implants, including pacemakers and prosthetics, can increase CO2 emissions and produce harmful mercury releases into the atmosphere. In addition, some environmentalists point out the extensive use of fossil fuels needed to burn a corpse in two hours at a temperature of between 1,400 to 1,800 degree Fahrenheit.
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References
Resources
- Cremation Society of Great Britain: International Cremation Statistics 2008
- Matthews Cremation: Mercury Rising? Analyzing Emissions and the Cremation Process 2008; Paul Rahill
- Boston.com: Mercury Emissions Fuel Cremation Fight; DeeDee Correll, December 30, 2007
- The Telegraph: Eco-friendly Shrouds to Reduce Cremation Emissions; Matthew Moore, June 15, 2009
- A Will for the Woods: The Green Burial Movement
- FuneralPlan.com: What's the Average Cost of a Funeral?; David R. Shirley
- Cremation Info: Prices
- Schechter Institute: Does Jewish Law Permit Cremation?; Rabbi Isaac Klein; December 2007
- Hatem AlHaj: Is Cremation Haram?; Brother Afzal Mohideen, April 6, 2011
- Iowa State University: Cemetery Regulations
- Photo Credit Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images
