www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall A greener form of cremation

I came across this the other day and thought I would ask for comments .

Some may well be shocked /appalled but having said that I really would appreciate your comments and feelings.

I know that we have discussed funeral practices in the past - but this does seem to be something new

Bio-Cremation [resomation.com]

Please do read the Site and then make your comments

I'm not sure what I think. Do you think the Church will allow it?

Christ is Risen!! Indeed He is Risen!!

I've read about this. It started in Sweden and is being studied here. If I'm not mistaken, there is already one jurisdiction that has stepped up to forbid its use.

In simple terms, it's a process where the use of a stong chemcical dissolved the remains so that the skeleton is left. It is then processed much like one would do after cremation.

I've wondered about how much water is required for it to be implemented and how the disposal of that water will affect sewage systems--not for the chemicals so much, though that is a concern, but for the large amounts of liquid that need to be placed into the system.

The rationale for this is similar to the argument for cremation--we have limited amounts of land for cemeteries. This statement is not true, but it's difficult to reason or present facts to people who accept a false statement as dogma.

Given our post-Christian culture, it will become an alternative. If we have little or no respect for the very young, the sick, and the elderly, why would we have respect for the dead? Sadly, the Incarnation means nothing to so many, including those who style themselves Christian, so new and inventive ways to "dispose of" a dead body will continue to come along.

What I am fascinated with is the influx of Asian peoples, somne of whom have a traditon of leaving their dead out for vultures to consume. I wonder how that will be seen in our increasing rush to adopt all things in the name of "diversity."

As a professional, I am bound to serve all people in the way in which they wish to be served within the parameters of existing law and the law as it evolves. Stay tuned.

BOB

Christ is Risen!! Indeed He is Risen!!

There is another thread in the tapestry of post-death activities that is not so apparent but which may come into play in the future.

The is a movement to take away from the surviving family the right of final dispostion, especially if the dying person can be "harvested" for his organs. There has been some call in the medical community for making anyone who is medically "useful" to be harvested regardless of a prior expressed wish to be an organ and tissue donor and without the need to ask the family for permission. The argument is that the living would benefit and that it is somehow selfish to deny someone a useful organ just for religious or social reasons, such as the wish to have a funeral.

There is a case now in the Pennsylvania courts by a family suing over their son being "harvested" when the normal protocol for establishing death was not followed. In other words, the medical people involved, including the organ recovery company, rushed to "harvest" the young man before they established that he was, in fact, dead.

BOB

Hi all .... well, being newly Orthodox, I just last week went to see my Lawyer to change my Living Trust.
My original "last directions" stated I wanted to be cremated, but since Orthodox do not cremate, I had that changed. Somehow (and please remember, I am very new in this) to leave the skull is eliminating the heart via chemicals. Are we sure where the true soul and spirit reside? I know I'm not, but I'm sure some are.
abby
<*)))><

amberpep:

Christ is Risen!! Indeed He is Risen!!

Not being the sharpest tool in the shed, this has me puzzled. Would you be kind enough to elaborate?

BOB

I have mixed feelings about this .

My personal preference would be for cremation - I think - because like my father, the thought of an abandoned /ill cared for grave does concern me. Our children living hundreds of miles away would not be able to see to care of a grave [ and the lair we thought belonged to the family - has been found, after checking records, to be full ]

Here also , being in a city , we are genuinely running out of space in our cemetaries so what is the alternative ?

And again this Bio-cremation idea raises questions with me which Bob has touched on .

Is it in fact any improvement - all this fluid goes back into the system - fine - but if the system breaks down ....... ?

OLS:

Christ is Risen!! Indeed He is Risen!!

There doesn't seem to be an easy way out of the question of what to do with human remains. If cemeteries are full, you've got a problem. If the use of natural gas to fire retorts is a concern, you've got a problem. If lots of water going into the system is a concern, you've got a problem.

So . . .

BOB

Hi Bob ... in answer to your question, the article mentioned that they use chemicals to deteriorate the body, rather than fire, but they leave the skull intact. I don't think I made this very clear in my original post ... I'm sorry about that.
abby
<*)))><

Indeed

as the saying goes - "You pays your money and you takes your choice "

I would like to know how strong the base is and how they use it, such as if they dispose of it by diluting it in water. It could affect the pH level of local waterways.

It must be a very strong base. Is it stronger than lye?

Christ is Risen!! Indeed He is Risen!!

I hadn't read about leaving the skull intact. The professional journals talk about the process of pulverizing the skeleton as is done after cremation.

BOB

Slightly off topic perhaps, but this reminds me of Pope Boniface VIII's prohibition (1299) on "the dismembering and boiling of bodies so that the bones, separated from the flesh, could be carried for burial in their own country" (source [newworldencyclopedia.org]). Apparently this was a popular practice among crusaders who wanted their bodies returned home. It goes to show that there has been and still is a lot of creativity regarding funeral arrangements

I would think that a green burial would fit with the intentions of the "greener cremation" without disrespect to the body. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...CEB755E4B4E862575A000446719?OpenDocument

Terry - thank you for that link.

While I'm not particularly concerned about how others decide to dispose of themselves after their deaths, I would personally like to return to a much simpler system of burial for myself.

I had read that most of the harvested exotic hardwoods (from the rainforests) go into caskets - even when I was little I wondered about the extravagance of funerals.

Within my family, the tradition has been to have the body cremated and hold a service at home for immediate family only. I would personally like to keep this tradition, but be able to have a 'green' burial vs. cremation. I'll be hoping this style takes hold and these kinds of cemetery spread.

In fact, I rather think I would forgo even a headstone - I saw a news report of a cemetery that was using RFID and GPS to bury those that wanted it in a field - a person could find your burial spot and place flowers, maybe build a cairn if they wanted... I really like that idea.