Human burial

[cholland]

http://news.yahoo.com/far-more-troops-a ... 00554.html

"The landfill dumping was concealed from families who had authorized the military to dispose of the remains in a dignified and respectful manner."

(1) From a secular worldview, what is a "dignified and respectful" disposal of human remains? Was there anything "wrong" with what the Air Force did?

(2) Why do humans host funerals and bury our dead when it is unnatural?

[Darias]

1. Why was it unethical, dishonest, and disrespectful?

2. See definition above. Meaning we see various other ways of dealing with dead corpses from just leaving them for the vultures to eating them like lions. Would it be wrong to follow nature? Why do we have a funeral and bury our dead?

3. From the OP: From a secular worldview, what is a "dignified and respectful" disposal of human remains? And there have been cultures in the past who have eaten their enemy after battle. Not to mention the Nazis thought the way they were disposing of the Jews was right.

1. The Air-force claimed they were disposing of the bodies in a respectful manner. According to the culture we live in, it was not. Because they lied, it was dishonest and unethical on their part.

2. We bury our dead because that is the predominant "goodbye" custom of human beings. One reason why we do this today is perhaps because it was a sanitary and respectful way of saying "goodbye," rather than leaving them to vultures as if to say that they didn't matter anymore. In any case, throwing them to the lions or piling them up in box cars is unheard of today and unethical by that standard - a standard that has evolved over thousands of years.

3. Arguably my views are biased being brought up in a modern, secular culture -- I suppose if I were an ancient Mayan Id have no problem with kicking a corpse down a flight of stairs -- beings it would be the only thing I would have ever known. But just because cultural moral customs change over time does not mean anything goes today. Of course, I have no higher moral order to appeal to outside my own convictions, which I believe are better than that of Nazi foot-soldiers (who were predominantly Protestant and Catholic). And I believe my convictions are better than that of the Air-force.

Tell me, assuming you are, are you offended by what happened because the Bible says such and such? Or are you offended because of the whole nature of it.

As I said, there's nothing morally wrong with burial, but there's something unethical about leaving remains to dwell in a landfill.

1. It equates human beings with trash

2. It leaves no spot for the family to pay their respects (if they didn't want their loved-ones ashes scattered).

3. Their acts betrayed public trust, many of whom are Christians who support the concept of burying their dead in a place that isn't meant for trash.

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 5:

1. No, they indicated they would dispose of the remains in a "dignified and respectful" manner which you indicated was variable.

I'll retract up to, but not all inclusive to, what Darias says...

2. We bury our dead because that is the predominant "goodbye" custom of human beings.

There was a reasonable expectation that burial would be performed.

2. Natural: from nature; not artificial or involving anything made or caused by people.

What is a part of nature can't help but be natural.

[David 2.0]

I think that the air force dropped the ball on this one.

I would imagine that "dignified and respectful" in this context means no surprises.
As far as I know there is no landfill package at your local morgue.

Burial/cremation procedures are pretty well established.
The air forces actions seem to fall outside of the norm. (For America)


Personally I want a pyramid.

[bluethread]

What humans do is, by definition, natural.

One rabbinic burial practice, which appears to be the case with the burial of Yeshua, lays the body to rest within 24hrs wrapped with spices to limit the the effects of decomposition to the tomb. A year later the bones are gathers and placed in a box as long as a human femur. The box is then placed with the boxes of others along the wall of the tomb.

[JoeyKnothead]

What humans do is, by definition, natural.

One rabbinic burial practice, which appears to be the case with the burial of Yeshua, lays the body to rest within 24hrs wrapped with spices to limit the the effects of decomposition to the tomb. A year later the bones are gathers and placed in a box as long as a human femur. The box is then placed with the boxes of others along the wall of the tomb.

I didn't say it couldn't be odder'n all get out.

[bluethread]

I didn't say it couldn't be odder'n all get out.

Sorry, I misread your post. I thought it said what burial is natural. I believe this one is as close to letting nature take it's course as is reasonably possible.