Christianity and Other Major Religions’ Views on Cremation Cremations are becoming more widespread in the United States and in many other parts of the world, namely Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, European nations, South Korea, Canada, and Australia. However many religions and cultures have strict customs, beliefs, and traditions when it comes to how they handle the deceased; the ceremonies around remembering the dead; and whether they use incineration to turn a body to ashes following death. Some religions forbid cremation. Other religions mandate cremation. While other religious groups are flexible on the subject. Here are some major religions’ perspectives on cremation:
Christian Cremation Background Information
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Christianity spread out into many nations, even becoming the official religion in the Roman empire, and the practice of burying the dead spread along with it. In 1870, an Italian professor named Brunetti created a modern cremation apparatus, which brought up the concern about cremation practices in respect to Christianity. About a decade and a half later, in 1886, the Catholic church responded by issuing an official ban on cremations. Despite the growing popularity of cremation in Europe by 1892, Catholic ministers were excused from participating in cremation practices. Traditional Orthodox Christians are still against cremation. On the other hand, the Roman Catholic church dropped its ban in 1963. In 1969 they decided to allow funeral rights for those members that chose cremation. Even though the practice is allowed, Catholicism still favors burial, and is more comfortable performing funerals that take place before the actual cremation.
Christian Standpoints on Cremations The following is a breakdown of the different sects of Christianity and their specific beliefs in regards to