Question about burial vs. cremation?

Question: Question about burial vs!. cremation!?

Is there really any sense in cremation!? Firstly, it costs a lot of money and energy to keep a crematorium going!. Secondly, it generates an unnecessary amount of pollution into the atmosphere!.
On the other hand, burial is good for the soil and for the organisms within the soil!. It's much more natural to decay in the ground than to be cooked to 700 degrees celcius!.

Therefore - why aren't more people choosing to be buried instead of cremated!. It seems the more green option, by far!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

There is an third option used mainly by the Parsees in India!. That is to leave the body for the vultures to feed on in the Tower of Silence!.

How does that sound to all those worried about money, energy, space, pollution and the works!?!?!?

I personally feel its a religion thing!. Christians, Muslims prefer burial while Hindus, Sikhs the cremation!.!.!.No one THINKS about the issues involved when it comes to religion!. But the atheists/agnostics can CHOOSE!.

P!.S!. For the thinking people I have another suggestion!. Donate your body parts for whatever they may be worth!. Or, just for medical research!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I support your view!. It is more in harmony with Nature!. But there are different reasons why some prefer cremation to burial!. One of those reasons is that cremation is, to some sects, a religious ritual, and you know the magnitude of religion in people’s lives!. Another reason is "claustrophobia" - yes, even after death!! So such phobic persons insist in their wills to be cremated!. Yet another reason is a family tradition!. Some families keep the ashes of their ancestors in jars and boast about them!. It may be a vain act, but once something becomes a tradition it becomes a rule!. And so on and so forth!. All reasons are subjective and sometimes limited to a very small groups or sects, but they will never consider referring what they are doing to reason or global well-fare!. This is how life goes!.
Thus my friend, to be right, is not necessarily to be popular!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

A lot of it comes down to spiritual beliefs, but the fact of the matter that a vast majority of in-ground burials are not natural and good for the environment!. In Australia there are few places where you are able to get a natural burial, most burials release harmful chemicals into the ground and if you were to choose a natural burial in a regular cemetery the recently buried body will be subjected to all the harmful chemicals from all the other coffins regardless of the condition in which that particular body was buried, which understandably does not sit well with a lot of people!.

Perhaps a sky burial would be better for the environment if you can stomach that sort of thing!.!.!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Its simple, it cheaper to be burnt than buried!. When you die, I doubt you want to cost your family a ton!. Cost, if your poor why pay 10k for a fricken coffin that you won't ever see again, as opposed to pay 500 dollars and watch daddy get dumped in a forge, so you can spread his ashes on his enemys front lawns, and damn the government by throwing some on the capitol!. It's almost most funny!. Dead bodys of humans are bad for ground water!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'd rather pick burial than cremation!. I feel that it doesn't seem right when cremating because it is like hell, burning!. It's just a feeling but kinda deep!. But when it comes to burial, I could feel that person is not really gone and just rested, for a very long time not unlike cremating that it makes me feel that person is really gone forever, even if that's the truth, only on Earth!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It may be, but in our area you almost have to buy plots the day you are born to be able to guarantee one!. Personally its not something I have thought about, whether I want to be buried or cremated!! also I suppose it depends on where you want your final resting place to be!. At least with cremation your ashes can be scattered anywhere!.

Apparently Barbera Cartland (author) was buried in a cardboard coffin!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

are you joking!? first of all most people get buried in coffins that are not biodegradable so there blows that good for the soil theory, second of all, you have to BUY A PLOT OF LAND to be in the rest of time, like buying a house for eternity, it is expensive and no one else can use that land!. your coffin, etc does not biodegrade nor do they dig up the remains to have someone else buried there!.
the way burials are carried out now, it is NOT the greener option, it is a waste of land!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The trouble with cremation is it's history for using the living!. It really has a bad reputation for doing business at an inappropriate time!. The problem with burials in a vault or in the ground have caused our spirit to feel bound to earth when we may want to rise above it!. I thought maybe the dehydration method might be useful as a new way to not decay or leave an unwanted residue behind!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

nah i disagree!. burial takes way more land mass!. can we reuse the site with coffins after 30 years!? it may take 200 years for them to decompose!. at the rate of population growth it be more "greener" to cremate!. to construct a graveyard bulldozers have to flatten the lot, gas be consumed, CO2 be coming out!. many people should be hired, those people have to commute to the site for as long as a couple of months to the construction site!. their cars will emit a lot too!.

cremation takes no place!. you burn it, throw the ashes!. it speeds up the cycle!. i think that's more greener and energy efficient!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Actually, I think more people are choosing to be cremated nowadays for a few reasons:

1) It's cheaper to bury ashes than a body!.
2) It saves land area in a cemetery!.
3) It allows you to do things with ashes that you couldn't do with a body, such as spread ashes over water or keep it in an urn!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Burials could be environmentally friendly, but with the treatments required by law in most places, they're not!. Cremation may use more energy immediately, but it stops the spread of disease, doesn't require that the body be pretreated, and the ashes can be added to the soil!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You are obviously not aware that every burial must now be contained within a concrete vault, so there is no "natural decay!." We lay for eternity in a vacumn sealed box, taking up space!. Pretty soon, the dead would take up more land area than the living!. Look it up if you don't believe me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

People HATE the idea of their bodies being kept underground for the animals to basically feed of off!. however, many religions believe in being buried rather than being cremated!. I would happily have either done when I die!. I would be dead soo i wouldnt know it so i wouldnt care!. I think my family want me to be buried anyway as evryone else in my family have been buried!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I have taken up enough of the earths space alive!. I don't need to take up anymore in a cemetery plot, taking up more space, dead!.
That's one less tree that needs to be cut down, and less chemicals, like formaldehyde being used ,that end up in the water supply, and ashy soil is one of the most fertile soils around!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

i prefer the idea of cremation over burial as your body could take a lot of years sometimes hundreds of years to decompose in this time the whole of the grave yard has to be maintained and after all that time some one comes and digs your bones up and puts them on display in some museum so no rest for your bonesWww@QuestionHome@Com

Fulfilling wishes I've buried loved ones and have had loved ones cremated!. For the dead they don't know or care but for the living, the spreading of ashes in the ocean provides a huge liberating feeling!.

I'll be cremated!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I agree with your idea!. Been supporting this for years!.
The only problem is those so called "civilised" people who go creepy when there is a human bone dug up somewhere!.
I would support a law allowing burial anywhere on your land as long as the hole is 6′!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Burial plots are expensive and are not in great abundance!. A cemetery will put one casket or three cremation urns in the same space!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I hear that somewhere in europe they are using cryogenics,they freeze the corpse then shatter it into little pieces (like dust) then bury the remains!. this takes up alot less space & is better for the enviroment!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Cremation gets it over with faster incase you were just stung by a poisonous blowfish and in an undetectable coma!. Nuff said!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

I would be cremated before burial!.
And it's BastardWww@QuestionHome@Com

i would be cremated than buriedWww@QuestionHome@Com

cos they don't wanna be eaten by worms and maggots i think,Www@QuestionHome@Com

How is burial in a treated pine box AFTER being pumped full of toxic chemicals that are meant to PREVENT decomposition better for the environment!?

It takes forever for a modern coffin to decompose and people are embalmed to stave that very thing!. It's BAD for the environment!.

Not only this, but we're also filling so much of the earth with embalmed bodies!. Why!? What's the point of being preserved to such a degree!? It's not like the person inhabits the body any longer!.

Cremation is an alternative to being stuffed full of chemicals and placed in a treated box!.

EDIT: They CAN be environmentally sound, but how often do people forgo the embalming process!? With embalming fluids pumped into our bodies (with blood removed) we do not decompose like we naturally should (the process can take decades this way)!. This is not good for the environment!.

Some coffins, untreated wood, will still take a few months to deteriorate!. Cardboard coffins fall apart quickly though!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I've never understood why anyone would want to be burnt!.
Ok so your dead so you won't know or care but whilst alive and planning for your funeral why would you say"hey up I think I'd like to be burnt"!?
I'm going for a recycled(green funeral) I want to be buried in a cardboard biodegradable box and instead of a massive grave stone I want a tree planted and maybe a small and I mean small plaque to mark where I am,but even that's more for my family than a choice of mine!.
Totally agree with you!
http://www!.co-operativefuneralcare!.co!.uk!.!.!.

I though I should just add in relation to Phil L's post:If you specify you don't want to be embalmed!.!.!.(Jewish burials don't have this process done) it will be adhered to!.Www@QuestionHome@Com