Cremation Lore - a Completely New Body

[Pyreaux]

Similar to Catholic tradition, the LDS tradition since 1830 did not encourage cremation of the dead, unless the law requires it. It's somewhat reflected in the customs that the body of a deceased member who has been endowed should be dressed in temple clothing and deposited into priestly dedicated soil. The idea seems to be the day of resurrection will involve the reconstitution of your original bodily remains, clothing you were buried in, and come forth at the very location you were placed. Like Jesus had. I can see how that might be hard, or simply won't happen, if your ashes were scattered into the wind.

The consequences according to the Lore as I was told, if there was nothing left of you, your body would then have to be remade entirely, a completely new body. Not a big deal, but there was this idea that your appearance and other such characteristics might be different. Some shutter at the thought, and others thought that it might even be appealing to those who may have not liked their old body anyways. I'm still looking for the origin for this portion of the lore. Perhaps, someone knows.

Any experiences to share? We cremated the family dog. We wanted it to move with us anyway. My mom wants it buried with her, and a few her rings which I'd never consider burying myself with material things.

Anyone want to argue the virtues of burials, respect for the dead and sacred ground? Or the practical, sanitary, economical, virtues of cremation?

[LoudmouthMormon]

I had a relative who suffered for a decade with a debilitating illness.  She hated her body and demanded cremation.  She died in the '90's, and I remember people had to have a long talk with Grandma about how it would be ok to cremate her, LDS theology allowed for it, and no, we weren't interfering with her patriarchical blessing or ability to rise in the resurrection.  So yeah, it was a culturally circulated thing with the older generations in Utah in the '90's.  That was the absolute last I ever heard of people believing the notion that we can't cremate.

Grandma said she understood, but tracked the urn, and finally got the urn keeper to agree bury it with Grandpa when he died.   She really wanted that headstone and final resting place and all that.  

Edited January 24, 2023 by LoudmouthMormon

[BluePlanet]

Modest tangent, but for anyone who may be curious or unsure, the church no longer discourages cremation.  From the current Handbook:  "The family of the deceased person decides whether his or her body should be buried or cremated. They respect the desires of the individual."

[pogi]

I used to be a grave digger at the Orem City cemetery in my younger years.   After shoveling and squaring out the corners of the hole dug by a backhoe I would often find respite in the bowels of the cool earth, hidden from the heat of the sun.  It was a comfortable place which loaned itself well to contemplating the finiteness of life and the mysteries of death and after-life.  In one such session, I remember thinking about the cycle of life and how being enclosed in a casket, which is enclosed in a cement vault, which is enclosed deep in the earth, as an unfortunate disruption of the natural cycle of life (and death) feeding life, symbolizing eternity in the integral cycle of mother earth herself.  It was such a troubling thought that I leapt out of the grave in a claustrophobic panic.   I like the idea of having a memorial tree that my ashes feed and I become a part, that future generations of family can take respite under and visit with me, rather than a memorial headstone.  I like the symbolism of my smoke rising up as a sweet incense to the Lord, as seen in the law of sacrifice.  I like the symbolism of fire and purification, refinement, and newness of life like as seen in the baptism of fire.  I also love the practical, sanitary, and economical, virtues of cremation that you elude to, along with the ecological and environmental values that come with eco-friendly cremation options.  I do find value in the tradition and ceremony of the viewing where family members can be with the deceased and say their final goodbyes.  For me, my cremation will take place after the viewing.   Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by pogi

[Stormin' Mormon]

The prohibition (or discouragement) on cremation never made much sense to me.  If God needs the physical material from my mortal body in order to craft a resurrected body for me, I am left to wonder, which physical materials?  The molecules that make up my body at age 45 are not the same ones that made up my body at age 15 or will make up my body at age 75.  Heck, given the number of people that have lived on this planet, I probably have molecules in my body right now that belonged to someone else, now centuries in the grave. 

So, Ima gonna be cremated and save my heirs a bundle of cash. 

(On a side note, my father passed away about 8 years ago, and a favorite story I often tell to exemplify his sense of humor occurred the week before he died.  He had gone to the funeral home that morning and made arrangements (including a  $1500 payment) for his eventual cremation.  That night, he was talking to my sister on the phone, who was having severe car problems, to the point that she was contemplating just giving up and buying a new car.  She didn't want to, though, because such a move felt indulgent, like she was spending money on herself.  My dad replied, "I know how you feel.  I spent $1500 on myself today and it really burns me up.") 

[Tacenda]

1 hour ago, pogi said:

I used to be a grave digger at the Orem City cemetery in my younger years.   After shoveling and squaring out the corners of the hole dug by a backhoe I would often find respite in the bowels of the cool earth, hidden from the heat of the sun.  It was a comfortable place which loaned itself well to contemplating the finiteness of life and the mysteries of death and after-life.  In one such session, I remember thinking about the cycle of life and how being enclosed in a casket, which is enclosed in a cement vault, which is enclosed deep in the earth, as an unfortunate disruption of the natural cycle of life (and death) feeding life, symbolizing eternity in the integral cycle of mother earth herself.  It was such a troubling thought that I leapt out of the grave in a claustrophobic panic.   I like the idea of having a memorial tree that my ashes feed and I become a part, that future generations of family can take respite under and visit with me, rather than a memorial headstone.  I like the symbolism of my smoke rising up as a sweet incense to the Lord, as seen in the law of sacrifice.  I like the symbolism of fire and purification, refinement, and newness of life like as seen in the baptism of fire.  I also love the practical, sanitary, and economical, virtues of cremation that you elude to, along with the ecological and environmental values that come with eco-friendly cremation options.  I do find value in the tradition and ceremony of the viewing where family members can be with the deceased and say their final goodbyes.  For me, my cremation will take place after the viewing.   Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. 

 

A memorial tree is in my will, thanks for your experience and feelings and makes me feel even better about it. I actually read about a way to put your body inside something and then be buried to become a tree too. 

[Rain]

3 hours ago, Stormin' Mormon said:

The prohibition (or discouragement) on cremation never made much sense to me.  If God needs the physical material from my mortal body in order to craft a resurrected body for me, I am left to wonder, which physical materials?  The molecules that make up my body at age 45 are not the same ones that made up my body at age 15 or will make up my body at age 75.  Heck, given the number of people that have lived on this planet, I probably have molecules in my body right now that belonged to someone else, now centuries in the grave. 

That's where I'm at. I was leaning towards cremation, but when I figured that part out then I felt no reason at all to be buried.

3 hours ago, Stormin' Mormon said:

So, Ima gonna be cremated and save my heirs a bundle of cash. 

(On a side note, my father passed away about 8 years ago, and a favorite story I often tell to exemplify his sense of humor occurred the week before he died.  He had gone to the funeral home that morning and made arrangements (including a  $1500 payment) for his eventual cremation.  That night, he was talking to my sister on the phone, who was having severe car problems, to the point that she was contemplating just giving up and buying a new car.  She didn't want to, though, because such a move felt indulgent, like she was spending money on herself.  My dad replied, "I know how you feel.  I spent $1500 on myself today and it really burns me up.") 

Love it! 

The last week of her life my aunt told a joke several times.  The best was when hospice sent a chaplain who seemed rather nervous.  I think she might have been fairly new.  After awhile she asked my aunt if she had questions about the end of life or the next one or something like that. 

My aunt said,  "I just want to know when I'll turn into a frog."

The poor chaplain got this look on her face of what could she say to that?

After a pause my aunt said, "so I can know when I'm going to croak." 

That chaplain laughed and was relaxed for the rest of the visit.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Rain

[Rain]

26 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

A memorial tree is in my will, thanks for your experience and feelings and makes me feel even better about it. I actually read about a way to put your body inside something and then be buried to become a tree too. 

That sounds nice, but everything I saw was expensive. Have you found a place that has lowish prices?

[pogi]

43 minutes ago, Rain said:

That sounds nice, but everything I saw was expensive. Have you found a place that has lowish prices?

It’s called a cardboard box in a shallow grave next to a young tree in your backyard 😁 

It’s legal.  The downside is that there is no guaranteeing that the home will remain in the family as a place for memorial.

 

[Rain]

58 minutes ago, pogi said:

It’s called a cardboard box in a shallow grave next to a young tree in your backyard 😁 

It’s legal.  The downside is that there is no guaranteeing that the home will remain in the family as a place for memorial.

 

Not in every state and there can be other regulations where you can't do it even if the state is ok with it overall.

I don't care about my body remaining with my family.   

[Tacenda]

17 minutes ago, Rain said:

Not in every state and there can be other regulations where you can't do it even if the state is ok with it overall.

I don't care about my body remaining with my family.   

To your other post, I was thinking of cremation and they could plant a tree with my ashes.  But the other one I mentioned such as the whole body decomposing would probably be costly, the one I saw I don't think has begun selling yet, it's still in progress according to this article. https://8billiontrees.com/eco-friendly-natural-products/tree-pod-burial/#:~:text=They devised a concept

Pogi's idea was very interesting, using a cardboard container, that could break down eventually along with a body and make it a circle of life. I love it actually because the body would decompose more quickly and feed the earth, instead of those concrete boxes holding an extremely expensive shiny casket that holds in the body to lay there doing nothing but decomposing and staying that way. Filling the land with something counteractive to nature. I would love a grove of trees to visit, that would be so cool! When visiting a loved one. 

[Rain]

47 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

To your other post, I was thinking of cremation and they could plant a tree with my ashes.  But the other one I mentioned such as the whole body decomposing would probably be costly, the one I saw I don't think has begun selling yet, it's still in progress according to this article. https://8billiontrees.com/eco-friendly-natural-products/tree-pod-burial/#:~:text=They devised a concept

Pogi's idea was very interesting, using a cardboard container, that could break down eventually along with a body and make it a circle of life. I love it actually because the body would decompose more quickly and feed the earth, instead of those concrete boxes holding an extremely expensive shiny casket that holds in the body to lay there doing nothing but decomposing and staying that way. Filling the land with something counteractive to nature. I would love a grove of trees to visit, that would be so cool! When visiting a loved one. 

Upvote!

[Kenngo1969]

Meh.  I won't be here.  The essence of what makes me me will be ... elsewhere and, I presume, otherwise occupied.  Dig a hole and throw in my earthly remains, or incinerate them. I don't [won't] care either way.

[blackstrap]

You should know that the body does not burn to ash completely. There are parts of large bones left that must be ground down.

True story #1. A lady came in to a crematorium with her husband's body. She asked if she could watch the cremation. The owner said she would only see a wall of flame. The lady said " fine " . While she watched through a small window she said, " Is it hot enough in there you , you old b%^&$#! ,? "

True story #2 . I was being given a tour of a local funeral home and was shown a store room that had a nice looking but non commercial casket. I asked why it was there . The fellow said that a guy had built his own coffin ,but when he died the family refused to have him buried in it. That would make me want to haunt them for years. 

[Emily]

7 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

The consequences according to the Lore as I was told, if there was nothing left of you, your body would then have to be remade entirely, a completely new body

I did a fair amount of reading about this topic when my father passed away this past October. He had opted for cremation and his ashes were buried in an oak box in a family gravesite. I was asked to give a few words before my brother dedicated the grave. I was aware that a few family members were uncomfortable with the idea of cremation, so I directed my words obliquely toward the subject. Since it is very much on topic, I would like to share the words said at my father's grave site, and in a subsequent post, a follow up letter I sent by request to a family member who asked for further information.

Burial Words

Brigham Young once said, "This body that we expect to obtain a resurrection, is corruptible. It is composed to be decomposed. But this applies to the flesh, and not to the spirit that tenants it."

The spirit is eternal, and as Brigham Young also taught, in the resurrection “the peculiar fundamental particles that organized our bodies here, if we do honor to them, though they be deposited in the depths of the sea, and though one particle is in the north, another in the south, another in the east, and another in the west, will be brought together again in the twinkling of an eye, and our spirits will take possession of them” 

I also liked what Spencer W Kimball says about death and burial: 

"I am confident that when we come back with our body again, there will be no aches or pains. There will be no wrinkles or deformities. I am sure that if we can imagine ourselves at our very best, physically, mentally, spiritually, that is the way we will come back – perhaps not as a child or youth, perhaps in sweet and glorious maturity, but not in age or infirmity or distress or pain or aches.

The meaning of death has not changed. It releases a spirit for growth and development and places the body in the repair shop of Mother Earth, there to be recast, remolded into a perfect body, an immortal glorious temple, clean, whole, perfected, and ready for its occupant for eternity."

I take great comfort in knowing that through the power of the resurrection, through the repair shop of death and burial, Dad will be able to walk again, use his incredible intellect to it's fullest capacity again, dance again, laugh again, and as he follows the example of Christ, who met his disciples on the seashore shortly after his resurrection and told them where to cast their nets, he might even be able to indulge in a bit of fishing again... 

In the words of David O McKay:
"That the spirit of man passes triumphantly through the portals of death into everlasting life is one of the glorious messages given by Christ, our Redeemer. To him this earthly career is but a day and its closing but the setting of life’s sun. Death, but a sleep, is followed by a glorious awakening in the morning of an eternal realm. . . . If everyone . . . knew that the crucified Christ actually rose on the third day – that after having greeted others and mingled with others in the spirit world, his spirit did again reanimate his pierced body, and after sojourning among men for the space of forty days, he ascended a glorified soul to his Father – what benign peace would come to souls now troubled with doubt and uncertainty!

I am grateful that Dad has found his peace in Christ, and pray that all here may find their own peace, in the hope of the resurrection.

 

 

[Emily]

This follow up letter (slightly edited to remove personal notes) was sent to a family member who wanted a bit more information about what I said in the graveside talk.

Letter About Cremation

... I got the quote from the article at this url:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2013/03/what-happens-after-we-die?lang=eng (Under the section on cremation)

I was researching the subject of cremation after Grandpa's death, because cremation is what I would prefer for myself and I didn't fully understand why it was discouraged in the church. It's obvious from a logical standpoint that it won't have any effect on resurrection. We all end up as dust after a few hundred years, cremation simply speeds up the process.

Church policies are usually pretty logical.  This policy seems like an odd piece of illogic, and that always makes me want to know more on the subject.

Anyway, after some (far from exhaustive) research, I think the policy has more to do with the beliefs of other religions, and attitudes toward the body, than a problem with cremation itself. It seems that Christian tradition (and by inheritance, LDS tradition) is mostly a kickback against "pagan" attitudes toward the body.

To many religions, the body is corrupt and limiting and needs to be discarded after death. Cremation is specifically used to "free" the spirit from an "impure" body -- to allow it to be reborn, go mingle with the ether, or to fly to the heavens. These attitudes are attached to the ritual of cremation in much the same way that we think of baptism as a burial and rebirth, or a wedding ring as a symbol of eternity. Beliefs and attitudes are incorporated into the ritual.

However, the attitude of the LDS church (and ancient Christians) is that the body is a temple that will someday be perfected and united with the spirit for eternity. As such, in death, we show the body great respect.

In Christian tradition, this show of respect usually meant a whole body burial.

Other cultures who give importance to the body may incorporate attempts to preserve the body in their burial rituals. Embalming, dessication, sealing the body up in airtight coffins, locking the body into a stone vault, raising the body above the earth to slow decomposition, etc. 

In many Jewish sects, respect for the body means returning the body intact to earth as quickly as possible and doing nothing to impede the natural progression of the body to dust. Burials are done right away, in simple wooden boxes. Trying to prevent decomposition in any way is contrary to the natural progression of birth and death that God intends. (From dust to dust.)

In short, many burial rituals are linked to the attitudes toward the body, and the attitudes towards the body are promulgated by the rituals. Since cremation has traditionally been linked to a "body is nothing" attitude, the church has discouraged cremation. This makes sense to me. It is logical. But only in a historical context.

I don't think cremation automatically reflects a "body is nothing" attitude anymore. In some countries it's the only legal option. Many people choose it simply for cost. Others are concerned about the ecological damage caused by American embalming practices and overcrowded cemeteries. Others want to have their bodies resting in a place that was personally special to them and cremation is the only way to make that happen.

I believe that if our attitude toward the body is respectful, and we truly feel that cremation is a respectful and natural way of returning the body to the earth, then cremation is an acceptable method of burial.

If you have lingering doubts about whether or not cremation is respectful (and can afford a full body burial) then as a member of our faith, it's probably best to do a burial. But for the sake of the environment, I would highly discourage embalming. (It's a pretty gross process. I wouldn't ever want it done to my body.)

If opting for cremation, I would also personally advocate a physical placement of the ashes, in the ground, to allow for a grave dedication. Not because I feel like people who are scattered won't be resurrected, or even that scattering is disrespectful to the body. (The idea of your body becoming part of a place you loved in life until the day of resurrection seems very sweet to me.)  But grave dedications are an important part of our death rituals and I'm not sure how a dedication would work with a scattering. 

Anyway, just some of my thoughts. I hope this will be helpful to you.

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Emily

[Tacenda]

10 hours ago, blackstrap said:

You should know that the body does not burn to ash completely. There are parts of large bones left that must be ground down.

True story #1. A lady came in to a crematorium with her husband's body. She asked if she could watch the cremation. The owner said she would only see a wall of flame. The lady said " fine " . While she watched through a small window she said, " Is it hot enough in there you , you old b%^&$#! ,? "

True story #2 . I was being given a tour of a local funeral home and was shown a store room that had a nice looking but non commercial casket. I asked why it was there . The fellow said that a guy had built his own coffin ,but when he died the family refused to have him buried in it. That would make me want to haunt them for years. 

Me too! I visit taught a gal that said they had a tradition of making the casket/coffin themselves in their family and her dad passed away and it was built by hand, wooden, and with art work by individuals.

[Kenngo1969]

This is somewhat off topic, so if the OP wants me to delete it, I will, but it is related, at least tangentially, to the topic.  I once read or heard (but, Alas!, cannot find a reference) that Joseph Smith taught that we are resurrected as we were when we left mortality and that our bodies are changed gradually into that glorified, perfected, immortal state we are all seeking.

l can understand why that idea might give someone pause.  It does the same to me: "I lived the entirety of mortality in that body, with all of its seemingly ever-advancing flaws and imperfections.  I thought I was done with it!  Why are you giving it back to me in that state?!"  On the other hand, I can see how an instantaneous change, as opposed to a gradual one, might carry with it its own set of challenges. 

Recall the book and the play Flowers for Algernon, in which an operation gives Charlie Gordon, a mentally challenged man the ability, over a relatively short time, to evolve into a genius.  As the play progresses, he realizes that increased intelligence, the thing he had always wanted most, carries with it its own set of pitfalls and challenges.  I wonder if, at least for a [hopefully relatively short] time, the same won't be true of having a resurrected body, as wonderful as that prospect is.  I wonder if that period of [gradual but hopefully fairly rapid] change isn't, quite literally, a "grace" period, a period that will enable us to get used to the idea of having a resurrected body and to all of that restored [but, for some of us, perhaps new and never-before-experienced, at least not in mortality] capacity.

[Kenngo1969]

And I will add, in addition to my contribution above (but I post this separately because I think it's a tangent and I don't want it to detract or to distract from what I just said), that I think that the idea that an All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Loving Being such as the Lord of the Universe somehow having difficulty reconstituting the body from ashes as opposed to reconstituting it if it decays more naturally is patently ridiculous. 🙄  Just sayin'! 

[Calm]

53 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said:

This is somewhat off topic, so if the OP wants me to delete it, I will, but it is related, at least tangentially, to the topic.  I once read or heard (but, Alas!, cannot find a reference) that Joseph Smith taught that we are resurrected as we were when we left mortality and that our bodies are changed gradually into that glorified, perfected, immortal state we are all seeking.

I remember this too, but thought it was Brigham Young. It was, I thought, in the teaching manuals, but couldn’t find it.  Now you have said it was Joseph Smith, I think I will check his manual later.

The thought was distasteful to me and I really hope it’s not true.  I want freedom from this body and into the upgraded model as soon as possible.

added:  couldn’t find it

Edited January 25, 2023 by Calm

[Calm]

28 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said:

And I will add, in addition to my contribution above (but I post this separately because I think it's a tangent and I don't want it to detract or to distract from what I just said), that I think that the idea that an All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Loving Being such as the Lord of the Universe somehow having difficulty reconstituting the body from ashes as opposed to reconstituting it if it decays more naturally is patently ridiculous. 🙄  Just sayin'! 

The basic issue remains the same anyway and that is that some elements at least, if not all, from our bodies have most likely been recycled from other bodies that will also be resurrected, so God is going to be making adjustments in many, many cases no matter what in order to restore everyone.

[pogi]

11 hours ago, Emily said:

This follow up letter (slightly edited to remove personal notes) was sent to a family member who wanted a bit more information about what I said in the graveside talk.

Letter About Cremation

... I got the quote from the article at this url:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2013/03/what-happens-after-we-die?lang=eng (Under the section on cremation)

I was researching the subject of cremation after Grandpa's death, because cremation is what I would prefer for myself and I didn't fully understand why it was discouraged in the church. It's obvious from a logical standpoint that it won't have any effect on resurrection. We all end up as dust after a few hundred years, cremation simply speeds up the process.

Church policies are usually pretty logical.  This policy seems like an odd piece of illogic, and that always makes me want to know more on the subject.

Anyway, after some (far from exhaustive) research, I think the policy has more to do with the beliefs of other religions, and attitudes toward the body, than a problem with cremation itself. It seems that Christian tradition (and by inheritance, LDS tradition) is mostly a kickback against "pagan" attitudes toward the body.

To many religions, the body is corrupt and limiting and needs to be discarded after death. Cremation is specifically used to "free" the spirit from an "impure" body -- to allow it to be reborn, go mingle with the ether, or to fly to the heavens. These attitudes are attached to the ritual of cremation in much the same way that we think of baptism as a burial and rebirth, or a wedding ring as a symbol of eternity. Beliefs and attitudes are incorporated into the ritual.

However, the attitude of the LDS church (and ancient Christians) is that the body is a temple that will someday be perfected and united with the spirit for eternity. As such, in death, we show the body great respect.

In Christian tradition, this show of respect usually meant a whole body burial.

Other cultures who give importance to the body may incorporate attempts to preserve the body in their burial rituals. Embalming, dessication, sealing the body up in airtight coffins, locking the body into a stone vault, raising the body above the earth to slow decomposition, etc. 

In many Jewish sects, respect for the body means returning the body intact to earth as quickly as possible and doing nothing to impede the natural progression of the body to dust. Burials are done right away, in simple wooden boxes. Trying to prevent decomposition in any way is contrary to the natural progression of birth and death that God intends. (From dust to dust.)

In short, many burial rituals are linked to the attitudes toward the body, and the attitudes towards the body are promulgated by the rituals. Since cremation has traditionally been linked to a "body is nothing" attitude, the church has discouraged cremation. This makes sense to me. It is logical. But only in a historical context.

I don't think cremation automatically reflects a "body is nothing" attitude anymore. In some countries it's the only legal option. Many people choose it simply for cost. Others are concerned about the ecological damage caused by American embalming practices and overcrowded cemeteries. Others want to have their bodies resting in a place that was personally special to them and cremation is the only way to make that happen.

I believe that if our attitude toward the body is respectful, and we truly feel that cremation is a respectful and natural way of returning the body to the earth, then cremation is an acceptable method of burial.

If you have lingering doubts about whether or not cremation is respectful (and can afford a full body burial) then as a member of our faith, it's probably best to do a burial. But for the sake of the environment, I would highly discourage embalming. (It's a pretty gross process. I wouldn't ever want it done to my body.)

If opting for cremation, I would also personally advocate a physical placement of the ashes, in the ground, to allow for a grave dedication. Not because I feel like people who are scattered won't be resurrected, or even that scattering is disrespectful to the body. (The idea of your body becoming part of a place you loved in life until the day of resurrection seems very sweet to me.)  But grave dedications are an important part of our death rituals and I'm not sure how a dedication would work with a scattering. 

Anyway, just some of my thoughts. I hope this will be helpful to you.

Good thoughts.  

In regards to the ordinance of dedicating graves, I think that if it brings one comfort it is important.  If not, then it is not really important.  I think it is just as much based on perception as cremation.  It is not an essential or saving ordinance any more than a blessing of comfort is - which I think it is really about.  

Quote

If the family prefers, a person (preferably a man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood) may offer a graveside prayer rather than a dedicatory prayer.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/family-guidebook/priesthood-ordinances-and-blessings?lang=ase

Some families and cultures may have ties to place and find comfort in hallowing and protecting that place until the resurrection.  For others,  it is more meaningful to view all of creation as hallowed place for rest, rather than a 2.5 X 8 ft plot of soil.   Some don't need a protected place from disruption.   They embrace the cycles and evolution of the earth and erosion and earthquake and nature taking a toll on place.  They are not tied to any single location so no need to be discomforted if any single part is disrupted.  It feels liberating to me.  There is a greater sense of sacred oneness with the rest of creation for me personally.  I am fine without a dedicatory prayer.  I would rather dedicate my body by donating organs that others may live and by feeding new life by nourishing the soil of mother earth.  I want to be spread out and feed life across creation and not stuck in a dedicated 2.5X8 ft cubicle.  I want THAT as my final resting place.  I want my children and descendants to view THAT as hallowed more than a tiny plot of land. 

Those are my personal views and feelings and I totally respect other personal cultural views as well.  Whatever brings one comfort.  

"Preferably a man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood" thing is weird to me. Is that just evolutionary baggage akin to not allowing women to pray at General Conference? 

Edited January 25, 2023 by pogi

[Nofear]

While I plan on being cremated the practice of burial and gravestones has done absolute wonders for enabling family ancestry research at a societal level.

[mfbukowski]

21 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

Similar to Catholic tradition, the LDS tradition since 1830 did not encourage cremation of the dead, unless the law requires it. It's somewhat reflected in the customs that the body of a deceased member who has been endowed should be dressed in temple clothing and deposited into priestly dedicated soil. The idea seems to be the day of resurrection will involve the reconstitution of your original bodily remains, clothing you were buried in, and come forth at the very location you were placed. Like Jesus had. I can see how that might be hard, or simply won't happen, if your ashes were scattered into the wind.

The consequences according to the Lore as I was told, if there was nothing left of you, your body would then have to be remade entirely, a completely new body. Not a big deal, but there was this idea that your appearance and other such characteristics might be different. Some shutter at the thought, and others thought that it might even be appealing to those who may have not liked their old body anyways. I'm still looking for the origin for this portion of the lore. Perhaps, someone knows.

Any experiences to share? We cremated the family dog. We wanted it to move with us anyway. My mom wants it buried with her, and a few her rings which I'd never consider burying myself with material things.

Anyone want to argue the virtues of burials, respect for the dead and sacred ground? Or the practical, sanitary, economical, virtues of cremation?

Comforting paradigms ARE what religions are about, not the science fictions found everywhere on religious boards:

Deus ex machinae

Whatever is "sweet" to y'all.

I used to love taking a nap under a tree on campus, and think about melting into the earth and becoming part of the tree and my atoms blowing around the universe.

Still works for me.

Edited January 25, 2023 by mfbukowski

[mfbukowski]

2 hours ago, pogi said:

Those are my personal views and feelings and I totally respect other personal cultural views as well.  Whatever brings one comfort.  

"Preferably a man who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood" thing is weird to me. Is that just evolutionary baggage akin to not allowing women to pray at General Conference? 

The Force is strong in you, young Pogi.

🤪