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The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. A cremation service has just finished.

Cremation is the practice of disposing of a corpse by burning. This often takes place in a crematorium or crematory. Cremation and burial are the main ways of final disposition of the dead.

Reasons for choosing cremation

People choose cremation over burial for many personal reasons. One primary reason is to keep their loved one near in such a mobile world. Many people are now converting their loved ones ashes into LifeGem diamonds to have beautiful memorials to keep with them everyday.

Religious reasons in Pagan faiths

Cremation is the usual means of burial in Patriarchal religions, the rising smoke symbolizing the deceased's spirit ascending to the domain of the Father deities in the heavens. Conversely, Matriarchal religions have favoured interment of the corpse, often in a fetal position, representing the return of the body to Mother Earth in the tomb which represents the uterus. Of modern Neo-Pagan religions, Ásatrú favours cremation.

Religious reasons in Dharmic faiths

While the Abrahamic religions prohibit cremation or prefer burial over cremation, the Eastern religions (i.e., Dharmic faiths) such as Buddhism and Hinduism mandate the use of cremation. However, two exceptions to cremation apply in Hinduism. For example, monks, Hijras, and children under five are buried. In Sikhism, burial is not prohibited although cremation is the preferred option. Cremation was also practised in the ancient world, being mentioned in the Old Testament and used widely in the Greek and Roman civilizations.

Resurgence of cremation in the Christian world

In Christian countries, cremation fell out of favour due to the Christian belief in the physical resurrection of the body, and as making difference on the Iron Age European pre-Christian Pagan religions, who usually cremated their dead. Beginning in the Middle Ages, rationalists and classicists began to advocate it. In the Medieval Europe, cremation was practised only on special occasions, such as in situations where there were multitudes of corpses simultaneously present, such as after a battle, after a pestilence or famine, and there was an imminent danger of diseases spreading by the corpses. Much later, Sir Henry Thompson, Surgeon to Queen Victoria, was the first to recommend the practice on health grounds after seeing the cremation apparatus of Professor Brunetti of Padua, Italy at the Vienna Exposition in 1873. In 1874 Thompson founded The Cremation Society of England. The society met opposition from the church, which would not allow cremation on consecrated ground, and from the government, who believed the practice to be illegal.

Cremation was forced through British law when a Welsh doctor, Dr William Price burned his infant son, named Jesus Christ, in a Pagan ritual shortly before 1883 in the historic town of Llantrisant. The doctor was a well known eccentric whose cremation ceremony was initially stopped by people coming home from church. The police returned the partially burned body of his son on condition that it would neither be buried nor burned. Later that year Dr. Price reneged on his promise and burned his son's remains. The townsfolk, unhappy with this sacrilege, went in an angry mob to burn out Dr. Price, but were turned back when they discovered only his wife armed with pistols, and that Dr Price had already left the building. This later resulted in Dr. Price's arrest and an 1884 court case, which resulted in an amendment to legalize cremation in February of that year. An Act of Parliament for the Regulation of burning of human remains, and to enable burial authorities to established crematoria was passed in 1902.

The Roman Catholic Church

For most of its history, the Roman Catholic Church had a ban in place against cremation. It was seen as the most sacrilegious act towards the Christians and their God, not simply blaspheming, but physically declaring a disbelief in the resurrection of the body. In 1963, the Pope lifted the ban on cremation, and in 1966 allowed Catholic priests to officiate at cremation ceremonies. The Church still officially prefers the traditional burial of the deceased. Despite this preference, cremation is now permitted as long as it is not done to express a refusal to believe in the resurrection of the body. [1] Until 1997, Church regulations stipulated that cremation was to take place after the funeral service has taken place.

The Church still prefers that funeral services take place before cremation. Such funeral services are conducted in the same manner as those of traditional burials up to the point of committal, where the body is taken to the crematorium instead of being buried. A burial service is performed after the cremation has finished.

In 1997 the funeral rite was modified so that church funerals can take place when the body has already been cremated and the ashes were brought to the church. In such cases the ashes are placed in an urn or another worthy vessel. They are brought into the church and placed on a stand near the Easter candle. During the church service, and during the committal rite, prayers that make reference to the body are modified. Any prayers that refer to the "Body" of the deceased are replaced with "Earthly Remains."

Since the lifting of the ban, even with the official preference for burial, the Church has become more and more open to the idea of cremation. Many Catholic cemeteries now provide columbarium niches for housing cremated remains as well as providing special sections for the burial of cremated remains. Columbarium niches have even been made part of church buildings - for example the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California has a number of niches in the crypt mausoleum. However, in most cases, church officials tend to discourage this practice because of concerns over what would happen to the niches if such a parish closes or decides to replace the current building.

The Church does specify requirements for the reverent disposition of ashes. This means that the ashes are to be buried or entombed in an appropriate container, such as an urn. The Church does not permit the scattering of ashes or keeping them at home.

Traditional Catholics have objected to the practice of allowing cremation, which they cite as one reason among others to support their claim that the post-Vatican II church is no longer the true Catholic Church.

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church forbids cremation. Exceptions are made for circumstances where it may not be avoided (when civil authority demands it, or epidemics) or if it may be sought for good cause, but when a cremation is willfully chosen for no good cause by the one who is deceased, he or she is not permitted a funeral in the church and may also be permanently excluded from liturgical prayers for the departed. In Orthodoxy, cremation is a rejection of the dogma of the general resurrection, and as such is viewed harshly.

Protestant Churches

The Protestant Churches have approved cremation earlier than the Catholic Church, the rationale being "God can resurrect a bowl of ashes just as conveniently as he can resurrect a bowl of dust". The development of modern crematoriums also helped to make difference on Pagan rite of burning the body on pyre. The first crematorium in Stockholm, Sweden was built 1874; in Finland, the Helsinki Lutheran Parish Union built its first modern crematorium in 1926 (still in use). Nowadays in Lutheran Scandinavia, some 50 to 70 percent of the dead are cremated, and in large towns up to 90%.

In the Scandinavian Lutheran doctrine, the ashes are to be dealt with the same dignity as any earthly remains. They are either to be interred in urn or sprinkled on consecrated ground, thus "dust returning to dust", and not stored at home or disposed in a way which shows indignity. Most large parishes do have crematoriums as part of their chapels, and urns are buried in the cemetery in ordinary manner, or ashes can be sprinkled on special consecrated grounds. Some seashore parishes do have also consecrated sea areas where the ashes can be scattered.

The resurgence of cremation has also seen the resurgence of the old Lutheran tradition of family graves in Scandinavia. As urns require less space than caskets, the family grave on the cemetery can now contain the earthly remains of the family members in many generations.

Religious attitudes to cremation in other faiths

Judaism

Judaism has traditionally disapproved cremation, as it was the traditional means of disposing the dead in the neighbouring Bronze Age Pagan Semitic cultures, but also disapproved preservation of the dead by means of embalming and mummifying, as the Egyptians did. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, as the Jewish cemeteries in many European towns had become crowded and were running out of space, cremation became an approved means of burial amongst the Liberal Jews.

The Orthodox Jews have maintained stricter line on cremation, and disapprove it as Halakha (Jewish law) forbids it, considering a soul of a cremated person will remain as a restless wanderer for eternity. Also, the memory of the Holocaust, where millions of Jews were murdered and their bodies disposed by burning them either in crematoria or burning pits, has brought extremely negative connotations on cremation in the minds of Orthodox Jews, which often view it as blasphemy.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrians have traditionally prohibited cremation, on the grounds of the sacred nature of fire. They consider fire would become contaminated if it is used to dispose dead corpses. Instead they have left their dead on specific Towers of Silence, where birds of prey are allowed to devour their flesh; the bones are then entombed in the ossuary inside the tower. As modern hygiene regulations prohibit this means of body disposal in many countries, Zoroastrians either favour conventional burials, while some sects do allow cremation, though this is forbidden by the Gathas. The former Queen lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who was Zoroastrian, was cremated after his death.

List of religions that permit cremation

Ásatrú, Buddhism, Christianity (containing Baptist Church, Calvinism, Church of England, Church of Ireland, Church of Scotland, Church in Wales, Lutheranism, Methodism, Moravian Church, Presbyterianism, Roman Catholicism, Salvation Army, Scottish Episcopal Church), Christian Science, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Hare Krishna (ISKCON), Hinduism (mandatory except for sanyasis, i.e., monks and children under five), Jainism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Liberal Judaism, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Sikhs, Society of Friends (Quakers), Unitarian Universalism

List of religions that forbid cremation

Bahá'í Faith, Eastern Orthodox Church, Iglesia ni Cristo, Islam, Orthodox Judaism, Zoroastrianism.

• Neo-Confucianism under Zhu Xi strongly discourages cremation of one's parents' corpses as unfilial.

Other personal reasons

Some people find they prefer cremation for other reasons. For some people it is because they are not attracted to traditional burial. The thought of a long, slow decomposition process is unappealing to some, and they find that they prefer cremation for that reason.

Other people view cremation as a way of simplifying their funeral process. These people view a traditional burial as an unneeded complication of their funeral process, and thus chose cremation to make their services as simple as possible.

Environmental reasons

Others prefer cremation for environmental reasons. Some are concerned that during bodily decomposition body fluids and embalming chemicals could contaminate the Earth. Some locations have found that long-buried bodies are now causing groundwater contamination. Arsenic, used as an embalming chemical in the 19th and early 20th centuries, has been known to cause serious pollution later on.

Another environmental concern is that traditional burial takes up a great deal of space. In a traditional burial the body is buried in a casket made from a variety of materials. In America the casket is often placed inside a concrete vault or liner before burial in the ground. While individually this may not take much room, combined with other burials it can over time cause serious space concerns. Many cemeteries, particularly in Europe and Japan as well as those in larger cities, are starting to run out of space. In Tokyo, for example, it is almost impossible to find a traditional funeral plot.

One item of concern has been that the exhaust systems of cremation ovens may contribute to air pollution. In response crematorium manufacturers have built computerized control systems that regulate the exhaust systems to keep crematoriums from contributing to air pollution. Additionally some crematoria remove all plastic handles and fittings from a coffin before cremation and these are disposed of separately for the same reason.

Cost of cremation

The cost factor tends to make cremation attractive. Generally speaking, cremation costs less than traditional burial services, especially if direct cremation is chosen, in which the body is cremated as soon as legally possible without any sort of services. However, there is wide variation in the cost of cremation services, having mainly to do with the amount of service desired by the deceased or the family. A cremation can take place after a full traditional funeral service, which adds cost. The type of container used also influences cost.

Cremation makes possible the scattering of remains over an area, eliminating the need for and expense of a burial space. However, some religions such as Roman Catholicism require burial or entombment of cremated remains, and while not required the church does prefer that cremation take place after the funeral Mass. Burial or entombment also adds to the cost. The price will depend on what the deceased and/or the family has chosen. Cremated remains require far less space than a traditional burial or entombment and cremation plots or columbarium niches usually cost less than a burial plot or mausoleum crypt.

Cremation process

Cremation furnace

The place where the cremation takes place is called crematorium. The crematorium consists of one or more ovens or furnaces and facilities for handling of the ashes. A cremation furnace is a large furnace capable of reaching high temperatures, with special modifications to ensure the efficient disintegration of the corpse. One of these modifications is the aiming of the flames at the corpse's torso, where a majority of the corpse's mass rests.

The crematorium may be part of chapel or a funeral home, or it may be part of an independent facility or a service offered by a cemetery.

The furnaces use a number of different fuel sources, such as natural or propane gas. Modern cremation furnaces include control systems that monitor the conditions inside the furnace while a cremation is taking place. The operator can make adjustments to provide for more efficient burning, as well as ensuring that minimal environmental pollution occurs.

A cremation furnace is not designed to cremate more than one body at a time, and to do so is against the law in all 50 US states and many other nations.

The chamber where the body is placed is called the retort. It is lined with special bricks to help retain the heat. These bricks require replacement after about five years because of continual expansion and contraction due to temperature cycling.

Body container

A body to be cremated is first placed in a container for cremation, which can be a simple corrugated cardboard box or a wooden casket. Most casket manufacturers provide a line of caskets specially built for cremation. Another option is a cardboard box that fits inside a wooden shell designed to look like a traditional casket. After the funeral service the interior box is removed from the shell before cremation, permitting the shell to be reused.

Funeral homes may also offer rental caskets, which are traditional caskets used only for the duration of the services, after which the body is transferred to another container for cremation. Rental caskets are sometimes designed with removable beds and liners, replaced after each use.

Burning and ashes collection

The box containing the body is placed in the retort and incinerated at a temperature of 760 to 1150 °C (1400 to 2100 °F). During the cremation process a large part of the body—especially the organs and other soft tissue—is vaporized due to the heat and is discharged through the exhaust system. All that remains after cremation are bone fragments, representing about five percent of the body's original mass, and the ashes of the cardboard box or wooden container. The entire process usually takes about two hours.

After the incineration is completed, the bone fragments are swept out of the retort, and the operator uses a pulverizer called a cremulator (also known informally as a crembola) to process them into a consistent powder. The cremulator is essentially a rotating drum similar to a spindryer, except it is filled with steel ball bearings whose disturbance powders the weakened bones.

In Japan, the bones are not pulverized.

This is one of the reasons cremated remains are called ashes although a technical term sometimes used is "cremains". The ashes are placed in a container, which can be anything from a simple cardboard box to a fancy urn. An unavoidable consequence of cremation is that a tiny residue of bodily remains is left in the chamber after cremation and mixes with subsequent cremations.

The Pyre alternative

An alternative method used in some cultures, such as Hinduism, is burning the corpse on a pyre. A pyre is a mound of wood upon which the deceased's body is placed on top or inside of. The mound is lit on fire, the fire consumes the wood and the deceased. This method is not commonly found in the western world where crematorium ovens are used, and is forbidden by law in some countries.

Ways of keeping or disposing of the ashes

Ashes can be kept in an urn, sprinkled on a special field or in the sea, or buried in the ground. The final disposition depends on the personal wishes of the deceased, as well as their religious beliefs. Some religions will permit the ashes to be sprinkled or kept at home. Other religions, such as Roman Catholicism, insist on either burying or entombing the ashes.

Hinduism obliges the closest male relative (son, father, husband, etc.) of the deceased to immerse the ashes in the holy river Ganges, preferably at the holy city of Haridwar, India. The ashes may also be entombed, in case the deceased was a well-known person.

In Japan, the remaining bone fragments are given to the family and are used in a final burial ritual before final internment.

Negative recent history experiences with cremation

Environmental Concerns

Cremation is often regarded as a more environmentally responsible alternative to burial; however, in addition to removing the body from the cycle of nature and preventing it from nourishing new life, cremation has a significant impact on our environment:

• The major emissions from crematories are: nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, mercury, hydrogen fluoride (HF), hydrogen chloride (HCl), NMVOCs, and other heavy metals, as well as a number of POP’s. (1)

• You could drive about 4,800 miles on the energy equivalent of the energy used to cremate someone – and to the moon and back 85 times on the energy from all cremations in one year in the US. (2)

• Crematories release between 0.8 and 5.9 grams of mercury (from amalgam tooth fillings), as bodies are burned. A total of between 1,000 and 7,800 pounds of mercury released each year in the US alone, 75% of mercury emissions being released into the air with the rest settling into the ground and water. (3)

According to the United Nations Environment Programme report on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), emissions from crematoria, although comparatively small on an international scale, are still statistically significant. The POP inventory indicates that crematoria contribute 0.2 % of the global emission of dioxins and furans – some of the most environmentally destructive and long lasting pollutants in the world today. (1)

World War II

During the Holocaust, massive crematoria were constructed and operated round-the-clock by the Nazis within their concentration camps and extermination camps to dispose of the bodies of thousands of Jews, Gypsies, and other prisoners who were killed or died in the camps daily. In addition to the atrocity of mass murder, the remains of Jews were thus disposed of in a manner deeply offensive to Orthodox Judaism because Halakha, the Jewish law, forbids cremation and holds that the soul of a cremated person cannot find its final repose. Since then, cremation has carried an extremely negative connotation for many Jews. A similar attitude also remains prevalent in some countries which were occupied by Germans during WWII, such as Poland and parts of Russia.

The Tri-State Crematory Incident

A recent controversial event involved the failure to cremate, known as the Tri-State Crematory Incident. In the state of Georgia in the United States in early 2002, three hundred thirty-four corpses that were supposed to have been cremated in the previous few years at the Tri-State Crematory were found intact and decaying on the crematorium's grounds, having been dumped there by the crematorium's proprietor. Many of the corpses were beyond identification. In many cases the "ashes" that were returned to the family were not human remains - they were made of wood and concrete dust.

Eventually Ray Brent Marsh - who was the operator at the time the bodies were discovered - had 787 criminal charges filed against him. On November 19, 2004 Marsh pleaded guilty to all charges. Marsh was sentenced to two 12 year prison sentences from both Georgia and Tennessee which he is serving concurrently. Afterwards he will be on probation for 75 years.

Civil suits were filed against the Marsh family as well as a number of funeral homes who shipped bodies to Tri-State. These suits were ultimately settled. The property of the Marsh family has been sold, but collection of the full $80 million judgment remains doubtful. Families have expressed the desire to return the former Tri-State crematory to a natural, park like setting.

The Indian Ocean tsunamis

The magnitude 9.0-9.3 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake triggered a series of lethal tsunamis on December 26, 2004 that killed almost 300,000 people which were the deadliest tsunamis in recorded history. The tsunamis killed people over an area ranging from the immediate vicinity of the quake in Indonesia, Thailand, and the north-western coast of Malaysia, to thousands of kilometres away in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and even as far as Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania in eastern Africa.

Authorities had difficulties dealing with the large numbers of deceased people and therefore thousands of bodies had to be cremated together. Many of these bodies were not identified or viewed by relatives prior to cremation, which would have helped families better cope with their grief. A particular point of objection was that the bodies of Westerners were kept separate (officials understanding the dire long-term consequences for tourism if they were not identified and repatriated) from those of Asian descent, who were mostly locals. This meant that tourists from other Asian nations, such as Japan and Korea, were mass cremated rather than returned for funeral rites in their country of origin. However it is very important to note that after one to two weeks of decomposition in the heat it becomes nearly impossible to differentiate one body from another, even to normally obvious things such as age, race or at times even gender.

Sources

1. EMEP/CORINAIR Atmospheric Emission Inventory Guidebook - 3rd edition October 2002 UPDATE - Technical report #30 – Cremation
2. Kaufman, Martin. "Dust to Dust?"
3. Blackham, Mark. "Natural Burials"

See also:

• Dr William Price the eccentric Welsh physician who performed the first legal cremation in the United Kingdom.
• List of people who were cremated
• List of fictional people who were cremated
• Burial in space
• Racism

External links

• The Cremation Society of Great Britain
• Cremation Association of North America
• Detailed but possibly offensive description of the cremation process
• Alternatives to cremation and conventional burial

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