How do other culture handle dead bodies?

[Angelite]

I'm curious. I think it is not well known. 

How do atheist & non-believer handle a dead body? Do they buried it? Or did they burn it into ashes? Do you determine how you wan't your body to be handled prior to dying? 

How do you decide it? Who to do it? Family members? Or the government?

In my culture, in my religion, it is a collective responsibilty to bath the dead body, and to handle it with care, and to bury it in earth. We had a whole syllabus in school on how to handle a dead body. 

How do the atheist decides what to do with their dead body? In my country, we had different burial places for different religions. 

Do you wan't your body to be cremated into ashes? Or buried? Or frozen? 

Muslims believes that the body of the dead can feel pain, moreso than when it was alive, so we handle it more softly than we would a live body. We believe that the soul of the person are looking at us handling their dead body. Only after it was buried safely in earth can they went away. 

 

I stumbled across this hadeeth, about the origin of cremation;

From Abu Hurayra , Muhammad says; 

"There was a man who never did a single good deeds.

He said to his family; when he die, burn his dead body and spread half of the ashes on the land and the other half onto the seas.

By Allah, if Allah had power over him, He would have punished him with a punishment unlike anything anyone from earth had ever felt. 

When the man died, the people did what was asked of them (to do). And Allah instruct the earth to bring together his ashes, and the sea to bring together his ashes. (To bring him back physically)

And Allah says, "Why would you do this?" , the man answered, " Because I feared You my Lord and You know better."

And Allah forgive him...

 

• This man, burn his body because he feared that if he were to be resurrected, having not done any good deeds, will be punished by his Lord. Thinking that he'll be gone forever if his body were to be completely burned into ashes. But it is unescapable. But his sincerity in his God-fearingness saved him from his punishement. Out of Allah's Mercy. 
• But then it became a tradition for those who are alive, those who burned him. 

 

The pharoahs, buried their mummified bodies with their gold and other necessities. Thinking that they will be resurrected in this physical world. You can't bring your wealth into the other dimension.

Your grave will be uniquely to you. It will appear differently to different souls. 

 

How do the non-believers handle their dead bodies? Atheism is a foreign thing to me. I am not familiar with people who do not believe in their Creator. Did you just live aimlessly? What do you do when someone died?

I am familiar with christians, hinduism, buddism, tao & other chinese x eastern religions. Animism too. Believing in God is a natural thing for human beings. We all had our own rituals when someone died. 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Angelite

[JustThinkingAloud]

I do believe that there’s a greater power but I don’t follow any religion, I follow morality as much as I can (not the easiest thing to do haha). I don’t know what is after death, nobody really knows for sure. There might be afterlife, reincarnation or nothing or some combination of things. One thing I want to believe that if there is God, this Good is great, fair, kind, loving etc and this God wouldn’t care about little things like whether we’re buried in a certain way or not. I gave my loved ones full permission to do whatever they need to do once I die, it doesn’t matter to me, it should be their choice as they are the ones that have to deal with it.

[Ananta]

14 minutes ago, Angelite said:

How do atheist & non-believer handle a dead body? Do they buried it? Or did they burn it into ashes? Do you determine how you wan't your body to be handled prior to dying? 

Any way they want, there are no rules, except in some religions or cultures. 

15 minutes ago, Angelite said:

How do you decide it? Who to do it? Family members? Or the government?

You do what you want, literally. Make a living will if you want your wishes carried out, unless you have family you can trust and make sure you have the funds in the bank to pay for it. Draft it up with a lawyer that will keep the paperwork on file. If you want reassurance it will be done.

The government would cremate you, as its cheapest and they would only take over if there was no family to step forward and no living will.

21 minutes ago, Angelite said:

In my culture, in my religion, it is a collective responsibilty to bath the dead body, and to handle it with care, and to bury it in earth. We had a whole syllabus in school on how to handle a dead body. 

I see, well, here in the US things aren't usually done this way, unless perhaps someone stipulates this in a living will or to family.

 

23 minutes ago, Angelite said:

In my country, we had different burial places for different religions.

There was a cemetery that's local to me that use to be only for Catholics for 20 years, but when they started hurting for business, they opened it to anyone. Probably had the Catholics already buried there, that paid top dollar for a Catholic cemetery, rolling in their caskets, lol?

26 minutes ago, Angelite said:

Do you wan't your body to be cremated into ashes? Or buried? Or frozen? 

I absolutely dont care, throw me in a ditch, if it's the easiest and less hassle for everyone. "I" wont be here, so it doesnt matter.

 

[Angelite]

@JustThinkingAloudYea, what do they usually do? What's common? Bury the dead body back to earth? 

This God is indeed fair & just. Don't worry if you didn't do any wrongs. 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Angelite

[Ananta]

3 minutes ago, Angelite said:

Yea, what do they usually do? What's common? Bury the dead body back to earth? 

Both, burial and cremation.

Edited October 3, 2019 by Anna1

[Angelite]

6 minutes ago, Anna1 said:

Tere was a cemetery that's local to me that use to be only for Catholics for 20 years, but when they started hurting for business, they opened it to anyone. Probably had the Catholics already buried there, that paid top dollar for a Catholic cemetery, rolling in their caskets, lol?

In my country it's free. A collective responsibility of the community. & for the government to provide the burial land. 

Quote

I absolutely dont care, throw me in a ditch, if it's the easiest and less hassle for everyone. "I" wont be here, so it doesnt matter.

This made me uncomfortable. Your dead body can feel more pain than when it was alive. 

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Angelite

[Ananta]

1 minute ago, Angelite said:

In my country it's free. A collective responsibility of the community. & for the government to provide the burial land. 

Here in the U.S. nothings free. Pretty soon they will find a way to charge for air!

2 minutes ago, Angelite said:

This made me uncomfortable. Your dead body can feel more pain that when it was alive. 

Nahh, I'll never believe that notion, ever. It's a twisted belief, but I understand it's part of your upbringing and culture.

[Angelite]

1 hour ago, Mikael89 said:

I would prefer to get my body cremated. Because I don't like the idea of my body smelling, rotting, etc. It's really disgusting. And the ashes should get spread out in nature.

But it hurts...

Our physical body should return back to earth and become one with it. As it should be. 

In my culture, we only have four steps. Clean it. Cover it. Make the final prayer on behalf of it to God. Buried it in earth. As soon as possible. 

 

[Pacific Sage]

I'd like to be buried too. Give back all that I have back to mother nature. To maggots and to soil and everything else, and finally be back with mother Earth. 

In most Indian Hindu culture people are cremated but am from a different sect (who pray to consciousness and not idol worship) where luckily we are buried without coffins.

The deceased are given bath, buried with legs folded and in seated position. Offered prayers and the favourite food of the deceased is kept at the place of burial for a crow to eat it. Apparently that's when the deceased is satisfied.

Friends and family are fed twice, the day of burial and 11th day of passing away. The number of days for the second event usually varies.

Edited October 3, 2019 by Pacific Sage

[Angelite]

@Mikael89 We don't have coffin. It is meant for the body to decompose with earth. Because our physical body are made of earth. 

We believe that when it was settled(the burial) , only then the soul can be free.

Or else their path will be incomplete. They are not completely done till their body are properly managed. The community who didn't handle it will be held responsible. 

@Pacific Sage cremation is prohibited in my culture. Because fire is viewed as 'punishment'. It will hurt the deceased..

 

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Angelite

[Angelite]

28 minutes ago, Pacific Sage said:

Apparently that's when the deceased is satisfied.

 

Oh it's a bit similar~

Or else they wouldn't be at peace (if no one buried it).

[SerpaeTetra]

We use taxidermy and put the bodies around the house and treat them like living family members, one sitting at the kitchen, one in front of the tv, etc.

[Angelite]

@SerpaeTetra So you wanna be like Tutankhamun & Ramsess II ?

This is in Cairo Museum :

 

[Smurfinstein]

For the OP- It used to be quite common in the US to get buried inside a worm-proof coffin, after, of course, getting pumped full of formaldehyde and made up to look like Tammy Fae Baker on a bender. But, as we get more "eco" or perhaps generally more secular, more people are opting for cremation.

For me, I plan to donate organs and then be cremated. 

[Pacific Sage]

12 hours ago, Mikael89 said:

It's impossible to not give it back to mother nature. Energy cannot be destroyed, that's a law of physics.

Matter is just energy in a different form.

Ofcourse! There is no better way. Every way of going out is beautiful.

[Angelite]

16 hours ago, Smurfinstein said:

For me, I plan to donate organs and then be cremated. 

This will be very painful...

 

On 10/3/2019 at 5:36 PM, Angelite said:

 

 

We took the Children of Israel across the sea: Pharaoh and his hosts followed them in insolence & spite. At length, when overwhelmed with the flood, he said : " I believe that there is no god except Him Whom the Children of Israel believe in: I am of those who submit (to Allah)."  [10:90]

 

(It was said to him): "Ah now! - but a little while before, were you in rebellion!- and you did mischief (and violence)!  [10:91]

 

"This day shall We save you in your body, that you may be a Sign to those who come after you! But verily, many among mankind are heedless of Our Signs."   [10:92]

 

We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling place, and provided for them sustenance of the best: it was after knowledge had been granted to them, that they fell into schisms. Verily Allah will judge between them as to the schisms amongst them, on the Day of Judgement. [10:93]

 

Moses are black. The ancient Egyptians are black. I mean dark-skinned. 

Then we have Arabs & Jesus

[Smurfinstein]

@AngeliteI'll be sure to check back after the deed is done and let you know just how painful it was... maybe about as painful as my appendectomy? Maybe as painful as my adnoidectomy? Maybe as painful as the facial scar revision that I woke up in the middle of and remember clearly having a conversation with the doctor about? "Oh, damn, she's awake!" Maybe as painful as the many people I know who've literally had their sternums pried apart and their hearts removed from their chests...

Organ harvest is done under the same conditions as modern surgery-- if i die "naturally" when my organs are kaput and useless, yes, I'd like to remain there for long enough to blood to leave the brain and brain death to occur (some say 7 minutes, but let's leave me there to have my trip for a nice hour or so, just to be safe...) 

On the whole, though, this fearmongering over a sack of carbon that's served its purpose is somewhat ridiculous... snakes and lobsters don't sit around and lament the treatment of their husks and shells. Butterflies don't mourn the caterpillar. Lots of ancient traditions burn bodies.

[Ananta]

Just now, this reminded me of my EMT private ambulance days. We use to transport dead bodies from homes and morgues to funeral homes.

Welp, if your death is for unknown reasons the coroner (medical examiner) in US decides if you need autopsy. If so, your skull and chest/abdomen are cut open, organs removed, weighed and inspected, they will then go in a blue bag and stuffed back in your chest/abdomen.

They put 4-6 staples in your chest/abdomen and 3-4 in your skull to hold it somewhat together. I say "somewhat" because my fingers sunk into the back of someone skull once. I screamed and almost passed out (I was young, like 20). Lol

Edited October 7, 2019 by Anna1