why do we need to buried in a vault?

Question

I am a christian and was asked by a pagan why if it is Jesus' will that we return to the earth why are we buried and then placed in a vault.
I told the person that it is because of Egyptians and also because the Commonwealth of PA makes it law, and he then asked then doesn't it go against your beliefs, I said no, if someone wants to bury me in a pine box that is fine and the vault is the law in my commonwealth, then he said why pine, i said it is quicker at decomposition.
what do you think.

Answer 1

Burial practices have nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity. It doesn't matter whether you are buried in pine box, cremated, or sealed in plastic. The burial laws in some states require more eleborate procedures because of the influence of funeral directors on state legislatures. This is political more than anything else.

More recently many states have repealed these idiotic laws, and people are now being buried "Green" -- meaning -- no embalming, and simple pine boxes. Needless to say, funeral directors who prey off of people's grief are up in arms about this, but I say, too bad.

Tell your friend that from a Christian perspective, how we live our lives is important -- not what happens to us after we die.

Answer 2

I would have replied that there is no direct need to be interred in a vault or any kind of box, pine or not, however there is a desire by those families who do so to honour the person in death, for thier contribution to the life they have lived.
and it goes much farther back than the egyptians people were buried in eathen mounds, caves, as far back as we have been able to find.
and biodegradable card board is an option that would degade quicker than pine, if you were required by law to put a ''box'' in the ground. LF

Answer 3

A vault is just an expensive add-on to ensure the coffin doesn't float to the surface. It is only recently in American history the use of embalming. Each location has their own burial regulations. For instance, in most of Europe the grave is rented -- usually for 25-30 years -- and then the bones are removed to an ossuary.

Answer 4

hey in tibet they would leave the dead out and then let vultures eat the body. Once the flesh was gone with the bones the monks would smash the bones into power. THe powder is then mixed with water to be feed to their cattle.

One of the reasons is that we live in a consumer society. The funneral homes have advertised luxy vaults to us. Just so we can 'respect' the dead and give them a proper 'burial'

Answer 5

I am a Christian, and I think the deposition of remains is personal taste, not Bible-directed. I have been run around the block by people trying to tell me cremation is wrong. Yet no one is forthcoming with any verses where the Bible says "do this" or "do not do this" -- only examples of what people have done. Anecdotes. NOT instructions on what to do.

Do what you have to do. It's the soul, and not the body, that God will come after in the end.

Answer 6

Generally, areas that are prone to flooding require vaults (Louisiana for instance) cause when it floods the caskets will work themselves up through the soggy ground and go floating about causing all sorts of health problem as the rotting corpses contaminate the surrounding water....all sorts of nasty diseases result.

Answer 7

When my dad died (In PA) they said it was to avoid ground contamination...

Answer 8

doesn't have to be