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I am & so is my husband eldery & thinking we should make funeral arragements now.

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We've been told that cremation is OK by the Roman Catholic church but that the ashes are kept together and buried, not scattered or kept in an urn on the mantelpiece, just for showing dignity and respect, rather than for God's convenience at the resurrection per se. It seems reasonable to me, and I'd comply with that when the time comes for me or a loved one, though I'm sure people who scatter the ashes are not necessarily being disrespectful either. I am a huge proponent of recycling and would like my body used for teaching and/or donations if it can be when I'm through with it.
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Mother cremated my father and had his ashes spread in the river that ran through town. She also wanted to be cremated. She died last June and wanted her ashes placed in our backyard. In our state, it is legal to bury ashes as long as you own the property. So, I created a little garden area with a beautiful magnolia tree and flowers. We had two little packets of her ashes. One was spread in a river that will meet up with my father's ashes. The second little bag was placed on Las Vegas, Nevada, her favorite vacation place. She looks down the strip day and night and will be there when we visit again in May.

My father had a Catholic service at the Funeral Home. Mom did not have enough money for even a viewing and the same service. However, she did receive Last Rites which is all that is required.

No regrets, because I visit mom every day.
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Susan great info!

We cremated my mom. Then we dedicated a bench to her in her favorite park. It has a plaque with her and my late brothers name etc. on it. Instead of a graveyard, we can sit on her bench and just enjoy the pond and the ducks. Its what she wanted too.
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My parents were/are also Catholic, lindaz, and Dad was cremated, and Mom intends to be as well, when the time comes. Neither of them wanted anyone viewing them in a casket, and being frugal folks, cremation is cheaper than a full-out funeral with a viewing, casket, etc. We didn't have a visitation with Dad, we just had a funeral.

My thoughts on cremation are this: our body is simply a shell - the vehicle for our soul to be carried in while we are here on earth, much like a car carries people around where they want to go. Once our car outlives its usefulness, we dispose of it in the best way possible - right? Same concept applies to our bodies. The way I see it, why should we stick our bodies in a box, bury them in the ground where they do nothing but simply sit there in that box? It's like putting a useless old car in a junkyard - what purpose does it serve? The only reason we have cemetaries is so the living can come and put flowers on a grave and remember their loved one. Do we think the bodies that are buried there really care if we put flowers above them or not? Their souls are not there - only their bodies - their earthly, mortal shells.

My father was cremated, and his ashes spread in a location that would be pleasing to him. My mother will follow suit in the same location. This is what they wanted / want and we are fulfilling that promise. (Besides, Mom has always told us that if we don't, she'll come back and haunt every single one of us! LOL)

I've heard so many stories of creative ways people have had their ashes returned to the earth - one man (an avid hunter and outdoorsman) had his ashes placed into a set of shotgun shells and fired off into the air at his favorite hunting spot, so his ashes rained down over the land. Another, a motorcycle-loving person, had theirs sent flying to the wind from the back of a speeding motocycle as it went down a long stretch of their favorite road (with no cars behind them, of course). There are even companies now that will create a biodegradable urn with a tree in it, so that your remains can be planted in the ground and will sprout a tree in your memory.

To me, the ashes are simply biological material and there's nothing wrong with returning them to the earth in whatever method you choose.

A note about spreading ashes, though: if you choose to do so, ALWAYS make sure you remove the metal tag contained in the ashes - and don't tell anyone where you spread the ashes, other than immediate family. In some states (like mine), there is a fine for spreading ashes - the DNR considers it to be pollution. All cremains are tagged with a small metal tag that is in the container with the ashes. In our state, if the DNR finds the tag, they will trace it back to the relatives of the deceased and fine you for spreading the ashes, if they can. (There is a number on the tag that identifies who the ashes belong to.) Removing the tag is not a pleasant task, but an important one. I think removing that tag was harder than going through the funeral, but I did it so that we could spread the ashes without dealing with trouble later on. If you don't tell anyone you're doing it - or don't tell them where, and you remove the tag, there's really nothing to prove that you did.
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I am a catholic, and for centuries they were against cremation, usually saying that God would resurrect our bodies, so we needed to be buried. I firmly agree with vstefans....God is all powerful, all knowing and He certainly doesn't need a body to work with! It used to be that you were buried in the ground in a shroud or winding cloth around the body and the body would eventually decompose and you again became part of the soil that fed you during life. Now however, they embalm you, put you in a casket inside a cement casement because it is more hygenic!? YCCHH!!! I am going to be cremated, although I might first donate my body to medicine so that new doctors can learn from me...and then be cremated. I'd love for my ashes to be spread in a forest or in a lake or the ocean, and then I can truly return to the earth. Perhaps something may even grow on top of me! That is all the monument (or tombstone) that I would like. And yes, I agree prior planning is the best course. It is the best way for your wishes to be carried out. Blessings and happy planning! Lindaz
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Because we believe in the resurrection of the body which Christ will transform into our heavenly, spiritual bodies, we believe our ashes must remain together and not be separated or spread out anywhere.
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I figure He's got a copy of the blueprints handy. How could someone's salvation be lost because their body is destroyed one way or another? Nah.
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We are spirits in the material world. Think of your body as packaging that doesn't need to be recycled.
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I have always wondered about the Christian doctrine/rules about cremation. The Bible quotes provided are thought provoking: Ecclesiastes 12:7and the dust returns to the ground it came from, could be interpreted that we should return to the ground.?? as in a burial? I am being cremated with ashes housed in an urn. I suppose interpretation is everything...are there any theologians reading this that could give some additional perspective? or Biblical background? Thanks to all.
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Thank You all very much& God Bless.
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My husband and I are Christians and we plan to be cremated. Our ashes are to be distributed on our land. We believe we will be rejoicing in Heaven in our heavenly bodies and these earthly ones won't be needed.
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I agree with the other posters -

Ecclesiastes 12:7 - and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

2 Corinthians 5:4 - While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.
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It's just a body. Just like all the other "stuff" we leave behind.
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To be absent from the BODY is to be PRESENT with The Lord.
There is nothing in the Bible that instructs against cremation.
Check out Genesis 3:19. "... from dust you came, and to dust you shall return..."
It is a metaphor to remind us not to get caught up by the physical world, and as we transition, it is our soul that continues in ETERNAL LIFE, not these worn out imperfect bodies. Take care:)
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