burial or cremation?

Question

what makes people decide which one they want. I dont mind either way but am interested to find out how you make the decision

Answer 1

Depends a lot on the person's dying wish/beliefs. Cremation is preferred in Buddhism because we believe in reducing waste - moneywise (cheaper), land etc - and tends not to leave a burden for relatives to feel obligated to visit all the time. However, we also believe that it is essential to give solace to the people left behind ie they need a grave to visit. A Buddhist I knew opted for burial because she was afraid of fire.

We opted for a cremation for my brother who took his own life. We are Buddhists as was he, so there was that to consider. Also, the fact that he took his own life meant that he did not want to live in this world and I did not want to have him buried for that reason. He was also planning to swim on the day he died so we scattered his ashes into sea. My sister wanted a grave to visit him but I explained how my brother was and she agreed with me. Also, she is the type of person who would visit the grave then, subsequently feel guilty for not going in later years - my brother would not have wanted to be a burden (hence the way he died).

Also depends on the country you are in and the political state - some wars create no option bu mass burials. Some have specific rituals or cannot accomodate burials because of space, finances, status (eg Egyptian kings and queens).

Each to their own, as you can see from my long reply.

Interesting question, so thank you.

Answer 2

I always said cremation, I didn't fancy being worm fodder... However since meeting my wonderful man I want to be buried as he does, so we can push up daisies together... I made my initial decision after going to my Uncle's funeral (cremation) and thinking the ceremony was so much nicer than a ceremony for a burial, I had seen my Grandmother buried and just thought cremation was a much nicer (if you can call it that) thing to go through.

Answer 3

Most of my family have been cremated and I will choose this as well. Don't really want my son to feel he has to come visit my graveside periodically when I'm gone. I also don't know why you can't just hire a coffin for the cremation ceremony - what a waste.

Answer 4

Burial

Answer 5

Alot of the time the family decides unless the deceased expressed a preference for one over the other. Some people don't like the idea of being burned and ground up while others don't like the idea of being consumed by maggots so depending on which they dislike less....

Answer 6

My mum always told us that she wanted to be cremated when she died because you get checked over by two Dr's instead of one, so that's what we did for her, but when we had a still birth I didn't like the thought of having the ceremony then the internment, so we opted for burial.

If you rearrange the letters in funeral you have real fun.

Answer 7

Some don't like the thought of rotting in the ground; some don't like the thought of burning away. It's based on fear, I believe, although irrational. Or course, some are buried at sea, and this has some appeal, maybe because I'm and angler. Some are buried 'naturally', that is under a tree; this has some appeal al well, because I'm a tree hugger at heart.

Answer 8

I always thought that I'd like to be cremated, but after reading about how much pollution the furnaces belch out I'd prefer to be buried in a bio-degradable box in a forest.

Answer 9

Cremation. Same reason as the first answerer.

Answer 10

Cremation, everyone is too busy to visit us now so why have a grave that no one will bother visiting either.