Ritual of Cremation in 2 Cultural Groups
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Cremation is simply the practice of burning human corpses û except for the fact that nothing about a cultureÆs last rites is ever really simple. Last rites are among the most important to any group in how it defines itself. Cultural identity consists of a series of actions and beliefs that one does and has û and that oneÆs neighbor does not do and does not have. Some of these actions and beliefs are relatively inconsequential and can be (and are) changed frequently and without much thought or significance given to such changes. Other customs, such as funerary rites, tend to change slowly and to reflect large overall changes in the society. How we say goodbye for the last time is one of the ways in which we learn to define who exactly it is that we are.This paper looks at the ritual of cremation in two different cultural groups, that of Hindus in India (although American Hindus follow very much the same customs, and may even return to India to cremate family members so that changes do not have to be made in traditions) and of Protestants in the United States. Before describing the differences in cremation practices between these two religious groups, a brief general description of cremation and of funerary rites will be given. In almost every human society, the human body is prepared in some fashion before it is finally laid to rest. The first known deliberate burials were those of early Homo sapiens groups and archaeological evidence indicates that one of these early groups,
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, have been found throughout Europe. While no written documentation exists to prove that such vessels were in fact cremation urns, there is every reason to believe that this is just what they were and no archaeological evidence to suggest that they were anything else (Iserson, 1994, p. 89).
Beginning 1400 years before the present era and lasting for 1600 years, cremation was the preferred burial custom, especially among Roman aristocrats; the Caesar family was one of many to choose this mode. But between the 3rd and 19th centuries of the current era, Christianity became widely accepted and cremation as a practice in Europe and (later) North America was almost unheard of because Christian doctrines forbade cremation. Christian theologians believed that the body could not be resurrected if it were destroyed and cremation ensured such destruction (Alger and Flanagan, 1996, p. 325).
Early Jews also prohibited cremation, believing it was the desecration of a work of God. (Since Jews do not believe in the same kind of literal resurrection that Christians do, the destruction of a body needed for an afterlife was not a problem per se). Orthodox Jews, members of the Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and Muslims are still forbidden to cr
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Alger Flanagan, Egypt Egyptians, Protestants United, , Hindus Economic, Christians Cremation, Flanagan WG, North America, God Jews, American Hindus, alger flanagan, alger flanagan 1996, iserson 1994, flanagan 1996, eck 1983, cremation remains, chief mourner, 1996 325, archaeological evidence, deedy 1991, rite cremation, flanagan 1996 325,
Approximate Word count = 1605
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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