5 World Religions: 5 Burial Practices, and Sam

January 25, 2012

5 World Religions: 5 Burial Practices, and Sam

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton

Captain Sam Britton, Dayton National Cemetery (OH)

My uncle's tombstone arrived this week, and it's a beautiful memorial to a beautiful man. This occasion also prompted me to wonder about the differences in burial practices of the five world religions? While my uncle's tombstone and coffin are stately, much of the Christian tradition seems to focus on elaborate and expensive displays such as the $25,000, gold-plated coffin used for Michael Jackson. Not the Jews though. According to Blu Greenberg, author of How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household, Jewish law mandates a simple pine box. The Muslim practice calls for the corpse to be wrapped in a simple plain cloth (the kafan) without a casket. The Hindu ideal is cremation, while Buddhists are not very particular regarding the burial or cremation of a dead body, or so I am told. They are certainly all beautiful memorials, but I like what we did for my uncle - a beautiful casket and tombstone for a beautiful Christian man.

Comments

Mike's Wedding Blog said…

This bitter-sweet day took a humerous twist, as it often does when Aunt Kaye and I are together. On the way to Dayton Aunt Kaye mentioned that as Uncle Sam's wife she was able to be burried with him, in the same plot; they stack the coffins for burial. Once we arrived I noticed that there were no tomb stones with a husband and a wife listed on the stone---could it be that Aunt kaye would be the first woman burried with her husband at this Arllington-like cemetary? It was then that kevin noticed that the tomb stones where the wife was burried with the husband had the wife's name inscribed on the back of the stone; the wife's name is invisible unless you know to walk around to the back of the stone! Aunt Kaye said she will have to rethink her burrial plans!

Mon Feb 06, 10:15:00 AM EST