Why was it such an important thing back in the old days in different cultures to burn the body after the person passed? What kind of significance did it hold?
Thanks :)
2007-09-30 23:58:23 · 16 answers · asked by toonlink 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
And just to clarify, I wasn't speaking about cremation. I meant when they burn the body out in the open, in a spiritual way. Thanks for all the answers, you guys are awesome.
2007-10-01 01:32:22 · update #1
Hindus:
I know that Hindus believe that when the body is in flames the final death occurs (at Veranasi). This unites them with the unified spirit, kinda of goes to the fire god, and unites them.
2007-10-01 00:08:12 · answer #1 · answered by Amazed 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cremation for modern man is better. Mark 9:42-48 from Jer.7:30,31; 19:2-5;
To sacrifice their children and humans in fire to a god was going on when Moses at 857 to 897 years after the flood was giving the Promised Land heirs the laws of the land and the laws of God, their law was not to have any other God but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and they would not be guily of such practices. Deut.10:17;
Other cultures just burned the dead.
2007-10-01 07:26:23 · answer #2 · answered by jeni 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's an excellent way of getting rid of any pathogens that may have caused the death.
There are parts of London that can't be redeveloped because thousands of plague victims were buried underground there centuries ago. The virus survives for 1,000 years, and re-exposing the bodies could be disastrous. They should have burned them.
CD
2007-10-01 07:09:37 · answer #3 · answered by Super Atheist 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
ashes to ashes, dust to dust...get the marshmallows out when I go.
I believe part of the reason for cremation in earlier days was due to disease and the fact that the burial site could not be created in the frozen earth
2007-10-01 07:13:27 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You may be referring to the practice in the Indian subcontinent.
The shere numbers there who die annually preclude burial.
And those same numbers put the amount of wood material also under stress.
2007-10-01 07:08:05 · answer #5 · answered by pugjw9896 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What do you mean, in the old days? My Methodist father was cremated upon his death, according to his will. As he joked, "I don't like taking up space". He's now in the church garden with his floral friends.
2007-10-01 07:06:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Other than to avoid disease, I'm not sure what significance it holds. I will be interested to see what answers do come up. You got a star for this one.
2007-10-01 07:06:52 · answer #7 · answered by King James 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only significance it held was to avoid the soil to overcrowd. Cremation took up less space and was convenient. That's all.
2007-10-01 07:01:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
its cleaner , pure , fire is a purifier , a body dies , it loses dignity by rotting , the soul is liberated by the ceremony , the fire , fire is an element and in some ways a gateway to the afterlife
2007-10-01 07:03:18 · answer #9 · answered by likeminded 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well they evidently knew they were evil and bound for hell so they wanted to send their bodies along with them.
LOL
2007-10-01 07:25:43 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋