The Body of Chris

[Galphanore]

What would you feel if one of your loved ones, lets call him Chris, were to tell you that when he died he wanted his body incinerated and the ashes tossed out with the trash? Why?

The main focus of this question is to bring into focus a seemingly simple and yet extraordinarily complex question, why do so many of us care what is done with our bodies once we die? The atheist that thinks he simply no longer exists once he dies shouldn't care, because he's no-where. The Christian, Jewish Person or Muslim thinks his soul will be in heaven, so he shouldn't care. Many religions of the world have beliefs of an after life, or in reincarnation, that don't rely in any way upon the condition of our mortal coil, and yet we still set aside stretches of land, sometimes land that would otherwise be in great demand. Why?

[McCulloch]

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"

Apparently, there will be a physical resurrection, then there will be a change from flesh and blood into immortality.

[Confused]

What would you feel if one of your loved ones, lets call him Chris, were to tell you that when he died he wanted his body incinerated and the ashes tossed out with the trash? Why?

The main focus of this question is to bring into focus a seemingly simple and yet extraordinarily complex question, why do so many of us care what is done with our bodies once we die? The atheist that thinks he simply no longer exists once he dies shouldn't care, because he's no-where. The Christian, Jewish Person or Muslim thinks his soul will be in heaven, so he shouldn't care. Many religions of the world have beliefs of an after life, or in reincarnation, that don't rely in any way upon the condition of our mortal coil, and yet we still set aside stretches of land, sometimes land that would otherwise be in great demand. Why?

I am not sure I can adequately answer this question, but I don't know that I would object to Chris per se. I might say I would respect his wishes, then after death, cremate him and have his ashes spread across the ocean or something similar. The process of burial and respect of the body after death, for me, isn't so much in accordance to religion, but more in relation to final closure, ie the ceremony, and a place to visit those we loved that physically represents them. Now, this doesn't mean a burial plot or ritual. The physical place could be represented by a tree planted in his name. But to me, just throwing his ashes in the garbage seem tasteless. Now, why religion demand such strict rules on burials etc... I will have to leave that up to the religious people to answer.

[plinkin]

What would you feel if one of your loved ones, lets call him Chris, were to tell you that when he died he wanted his body incinerated and the ashes tossed out with the trash? Why?

The main focus of this question is to bring into focus a seemingly simple and yet extraordinarily complex question, why do so many of us care what is done with our bodies once we die? The atheist that thinks he simply no longer exists once he dies shouldn't care, because he's no-where. The Christian, Jewish Person or Muslim thinks his soul will be in heaven, so he shouldn't care. Many religions of the world have beliefs of an after life, or in reincarnation, that don't rely in any way upon the condition of our mortal coil, and yet we still set aside stretches of land, sometimes land that would otherwise be in great demand. Why?

Poor Chris.....I would feel very bad just tossing his ashes in a dumpster behind a grocery store somewhere, but if he was my family or friend and wanted that, I would follow his wishes. I say this because I want the same respect. I want to be cremated also (after death), to have my ashes spread off some pretty mountain somewhere, even though if the were put into a trashcan I wouldn't know the difference. I don't inject chemicals into my body while alive, I do not want them ran through my body after Iim dead, just to preserve my body, dress me in a pastel dress, stuff my eyelids with cotton to keep them shut, make a phony smile on my face, or put make-up on me that looks like clay, to lay me in a box to take up wonderful land that can no longer be use.

[Galphanore]

What would you feel if one of your loved ones, lets call him Chris, were to tell you that when he died he wanted his body incinerated and the ashes tossed out with the trash? Why?

The main focus of this question is to bring into focus a seemingly simple and yet extraordinarily complex question, why do so many of us care what is done with our bodies once we die? The atheist that thinks he simply no longer exists once he dies shouldn't care, because he's no-where. The Christian, Jewish Person or Muslim thinks his soul will be in heaven, so he shouldn't care. Many religions of the world have beliefs of an after life, or in reincarnation, that don't rely in any way upon the condition of our mortal coil, and yet we still set aside stretches of land, sometimes land that would otherwise be in great demand. Why?

Poor Chris.....I would feel very bad just tossing his ashes in a dumpster behind a grocery store somewhere, but if he was my family or friend and wanted that, I would follow his wishes. I say this because I want the same respect. I want to be cremated also (after death), to have my ashes spread off some pretty mountain somewhere, even though if the were put into a trashcan I wouldn't know the difference. I don't inject chemicals into my body while alive, I do not want them ran through my body after Iim dead, just to preserve my body, dress me in a pastel dress, stuff my eyelids with cotton to keep them shut, make a phony smile on my face, or put make-up on me that looks like clay, to lay me in a box to take up wonderful land that can no longer be use.

Yeah, I'm donating my body to a local medical school so there won't be anything left. I'll be dismantled by random medical students.

[achilles12604]

There was a Star Trek Episode where a Klingon was killed. His fellow ship mates had this to say.

"Do what you will with it. It is just an empty container now."

I think a lot like this. The body isn't important once the person is in fact dead and gone.

[AClockWorkOrange]

the reason people greiv the dead, is becuase their presence is no longer apart of their daily routine. Having a place to go gives some semblance to keeping them in the livings day.