Why do we bury the dead?

[ST88]

I understand ashes to ashes, and all that. But this strikes me as a reason for cremation, and at least for direct burial in the ground (i.e., without a casket), and/or emtombment -- in the case of Jesus, for example. But direct burial in the ground is sometimes seen as disrespectful to the dead, and many opt to have their deceased loved ones embalmed in impenetrable caskets. How is this ashes to ashes? What are they trying to save?

In my opinion, cemeteries, as they are laid out and structured, are a waste of otherwise usable land. I recognize the need to have a central location for memorial -- as a military facility, for example -- but is there a specific reason why people are buried in large plots?

I think that the balance of memorializing the dead and day-to-day living is skewed too much to memorials. We should remember the dead, but making little permanent shrines to each one of them I think is taking remembrance too far.

What is the reason for and/or purpose of cemeteries?

Do you agree or disagree that cemeteries are a waste of space & why/not?

[ST88]

Burning a corpse to ash ( as opposed to very well done ) requires a good
deal of heat/time, the fatter the longer.
The fuel for this may not have been plentiful, but dirt is fairly available...

That's a good point. But judging by the complicated and bizarre ritual behavior practiced by many ancient peoples -- that we know about -- preparing and attending to such a fire would not seem unreasonable.

[CJK]

This is sort of off-topic, but I must share it.

I have a very good friend whom has decided that when he dies, he will have himself cremated, then his ashes mixed in with an artificial coral reef and dropped into the ocean, so that the smaller fish can be protected in it.

I feel that everyone should find more creative ways to go about the realities of life. People just do not have imagination any more.

[McCulloch]

I always thought that the Zoroastrian custom of returning the dead to into the cycle of life made more sense.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions ... es/parsis/

[Cathar1950]

They could raise smaller birds to pick away at them. Or Flies and such.

[USIncognito]

And yet, why burial? Why not burning, as some other cultures practice?

I snipped part of your reply which is close to my comments, but mines on more of a theological tangent than an anthropological one.

For two religions in particular - Christianity and Egyptian - the reason for burial is obvious, they expected a literal physical resurrection. IIRC, over time the Egyptian theology changed to where the Ka and Ba would wind up in some "other" Egypt (since they considered it to be heaven in the first place) without a physical resurrection, but there's a reason all those Old and Middle Kingdom tombs had food, tools, furniture and Ushaptis for the deceased. Many Christian denominations retain to this day an abhorrance of cremation.

On the flip side, the theology of the already mentioned Zoroastrians (and some Native American and Tibetan societies) that practiced exposure of corpses, their theology saw the body as belonging to the Earth, so they engaged in the ultimate act of recycling.

For those who practice cremation, such as Greeks, Romans and Hindus, they thought the spirit (or literally the "breath" in the case of the first two) "moved on" to Hades or was reincarnated or moved on to join the world spirit.

CJK and McCulloch have already stolen my thunder, but if it weren't against the law or company policy, I'd either have my body cremated, incorporated into a ceramic of some sort and then sold on eBay or chopped up and fed to the poor hungry puppies and kitties at my local ASPCA. I'll just be cremated and have someone spread my ashes somewhere interesting.

My dad is buried and I'm glad he chose to. He was career Air Force, and chose to have his ashes interred at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetary. I go periodically and put flowers on his grave. His cremains and headstone take up about a foot square.