Why do christians and muslims bury their dead? Is it because of the belief in resurrection of the body?

Question

The zorastrian belief of offering the dead body to wild animals/birds is more in line with nature to continue the natural cycle than the christian/muslim belief of burying the dead! The zorastrian belief says, that the land becomes unfit for cultivation once the dead are buried there! Hell, even the hindu belief of cremating is less taxing on the environment than burying that renders the land unfit for production!
Should we offer our dead to the wild animals to promote and continue the life cycle instead of harming the environment?

Answer 1

I never thought of it that way.. now that you mention it..

and i think i kinda agree with u.. though this may seem morbid (for lack of a better word) to many ... giving your loved one for creatures to consume

Answer 2

Yeah definitely.
Burying doesnt equate to respecting like most people here claim. Like most rituals its just another ritual, and the meaning can get lost in the festivities. Though I dont think its because they believe their bodies are going to get resurrected.

though I am curious to know how burrying is bad for the environment. shouldnt the decomposing body be good fertiliser for the soil?

anyways, the zorastrian practise is too culturally specific to be imported to other parts of the world. Like in the southeast asia, they arnt that many scavenger birds. So the bodies dont tend to get eaten, and rot. Another problem is the lack of space for parsee cemetaries.

But yes. eventually everything will go back to the environment anyway.

Answer 3

I have always wanted to be cremated.
In the last 2 mos., I started reading
a 2 Vol. Encyclopedia, on the Holy Scriptures.
I'm not finished, yet. I already read about burial,
cremation, death, grave, funeral, and the like.

In the past, 17 mos.,
I've had to lay to rest 3 family members.
The type of burial You want,
is what You should receive! Period.
If YOU don't have it on paper,
all legal procedures handled; then
it's left to your next of kin. Period.

If I remember correctly,(the persons)
the only persons cremated was
King Solomon & his sons.
And even @ that,
they were cremated & their bones were buried.

My hsbnd., Really wants us to b buried next to each other.
So, due to the 3 deaths in my family; I've really been doing alot of research, meditating & praying concerning this very issue. So, I will let my hsbnd., bury me in the ground.

As for the issue of the Resurrection;
It Does Not Matter!,
In what Manner You Are Laid To Rest.
The Resurrection Will Come.
You were created in the 1st place;
a 2nd earthly form...body is Not a difficult thing to do.

And for the person who said
" you get eaten by bugs/ casket"
NOT TRUE!
The casket is only guaranteed for 10 yrs.
Depending on the requirements where u live-
there r options for this; a concrete liner, a steel 1 etc...
the casket is placed inside of the liner, then sealed.
It's only guaranteed depending on the ground conditions where u live.
I'm in Florida; LOTSA!! sand, water, maurel*--
it's seashells compacted(over the eons) into a dirt type of soil.

*not sure of spelling

Answer 4

There is one place in the Bible which speaks of cremation, and it is written in a negative light. On the other hand the Jews buried their dead (Gen. 23:3-20). I personally believe that the burying of the body is a better witness of Christ and of the future resurrection. First, fire is normally used in the Bible for judgment. Secondly, those that burn the body up seem to be saying, that they are done with their body for good.

Answer 5

They are very nearly the same religion.. Study both in depth and you will see it for yourself. Though both sides will argue this to the death, it is the same God, same Christ, Same every one. The month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from Dawn to Sunset to thank Allah (Meaning the "God") for giving us Quran as the final book of guidance and protected it from effects of time in its original langauge letter by letter word by word for last 1450 years. In this month we try to grow and improve ourselves. We do not indulge in wrong doings and try to guard our mind, ears, eyes, tongues and hands. We rectie the entire Quran. Millions of Mosques across the world have recitation of entire Quran by heart and people listent this living miracle which indeed is the most preciosu gift of Allah Ta'lah (The God All Mighy). Quran produces enormous trnaquility and removes dust and rust from their hearts. It has beutiful descritpion of lives of Mary, Jesus, Moses and earlier Prophets as well as descriptions of Hereafter. Of course it deals enormously with daily life. It is a complte book of guidance with no contradiction with sceince whatsoever. As a matter of fact it is the book which has lead Muslims to lay foundations of all modern sciences in the Golden Spanish era. The word Muslim means obedient to the God and peaceful. Islam is not terrorism and most if not all acts attributed to the so called Muslims are actually propaganda and schisms to defame Islam and Muslims. We believe that all the messangers of the God were Muslim and their religion was also Islam (witch means obedience to the God and Peace). ANY of this sound famililar? I'm not so sure what all the fighting is about. It has nothing to do with religion, they use religion as wool to hide their true agenda, but it is not the true reason for this. So to answer you... yes. as for offering our dead to the wilds, that is a pagan practice. it really does not matter where you body goes, its a personal choice really. All souls are restored and are given all chances for good. Once the spirit leaves the body the body is but an empty husk, an abandon cocoon.. and back to dust it returns regaurdless of where or how it is buried.....or not

Answer 6

Because in Islam we believe that we are made from earth, and shall turn back into earth. So hence we have to be buried in that state. Also, Islam says punishment and reward start in the grave. There is no concept of sacrifice to animals or anything. Also it is a command from Allah.

Here is a very helpful site which lists all the rules and regulation of burying a person by Islamic law.

http://www.al-islam.org/laws/burial.html

Answer 7

Purely tradition for the Christain. Personally I think we dwell on the dead to much. What the heck do they care, they are dead. You could burn me, cultivate me, or bury me in the backyard next fluffy the hamster for all I care.

Answer 8

i personally am a christian, && burying the dead is a sign of respect toward the person that died. it shows that we wish them peace in heaven && that we cared for them, if we just left them in a forest or on the side of a road, how much would it show u cared for that person?

but i do understand where u are coming from with the nature thing, but burying is better for me.

Answer 9

Ok lets think, a grieving mother is watching her dead sos body being eaten by animals HHHMMMMMM......
Duh! Let me tell you zoroasters have a good idea but relatives don't all think alike and some could not bare such an event, even the thought of it. Besides when a body is put in the ground it is still eaten by bugs and parasites so it returns to the earth. I don't need a casket myself nowadays that is just a way to make money.

Answer 10

For one thing its against the law...
and who wants a dead body laying around?