What are the Pros and Cons of Cremation?

 

Cremation has several advantages over other types of body disposition:

It’s Less Expensive:  

With no cemetery plot, burial casket, embalming of the body, headstone or monument, cremation is less expensive that ground burial.  On average, ground burial costs six times more than cremation.  Best Cremation Care is the cheapest form of human interment.

It Gives a Family More Time to Plan a Ceremony:  

Cremation allows families to take their time planning a ceremony, (as ashes won’t decompose).  With a ground burial of a body, there is a greater urgency to have a funeral service, which can be very stressful for the deceased’s family.  If family members and friends live in different cities and countries, and cannot come together immediately to pay their last respects to the deceased person, then cremation is a good option because it allows a memorial service or celebration of life to be planned at a later date.

The Remains are Portable:  

Urns holding cremains (a person’s cremated remains) are far more portable than a casket holding the body.  This gives the deceased’s family much more flexibility in where to hold the ceremony.  The memorial service or celebration of life can easily be in a different part of the country or overseas.

It’s Environmentally Friendly:  

Some people believe cremation to be an environmentally friendly option because it prevents cemeteries from expanding and taking up more land.  Cremation also doesn’t use chemicals that are used in embalming a body, which can leach into the soil over time.

It’s Psychologically Easier:  

Some people, particularly those with claustrophobia, have a deep-seated fear of being buried.  Cremation is a good alternative to a traditional ground burial.

It Gives Many More Memorial Options:  

With cremation, families have a wide range of Ways To Memorialize A Loved One After Cremation.  A few examples include: burying the ashes in a family cemetery plot; storing the ashes in a columbaria; scattering the ashes in an outdoor location; scattering the ashes under a memorial tree; or wearing cremation jewelry filled a small amount of ashes.

The Deceased’s Resting Place Can be a Sentimental Location:  

With cremation, you aren’t restricted to using a cemetery for the deceased’s final resting place.  You and your family can scatter the ashes in a place (or in several places) that had special meaning to the person that passed away.

Cremation also comes with several downsides, which you should also be aware of:

Cremations aren’t Available Everywhere:  Not every community has a funeral home with the proper facilities and equipment to perform cremations.  In this event, you may have to go to a funeral home in a neighbouring community.

Religious Bans:  

Cremation is not permitted in some religious faiths. As examples: Orthodox Judaism; Islam; and Greek Orthodox.  Roman Catholicism historically forbade cremation, but lifted the ban in the 1960s.  Since that time, cremation has been on the rise among Catholics.  If you are religious and are unsure whether or not cremation is an acceptable form of body disposition in your faith, check with a spiritual leader.

Agreement Can Be More Difficult:  

Some families experience tension and strife when it comes to the subject of whether or not to choose cremation, particularly where some members are more religious or traditional than others.  There may also be disagreement over who will become the caretaker of the ashes and the urn.  Difficulty reaching consensus on these issues can lead to long-term hard feelings between family members.

Environmental Concerns:

  The process of cremation requires extensive use of fossil fuels, which increases carbon dioxide emissions.  The process also produces harmful mercury, which is also released into the air.

Prevents Further Examination of the Cause of Death:  

Even after a body has been buried for years, it can be exhumed if investigation into the cause of death is required.  Cremation prevents any further investigation from being conducted.

Impossible to Identify Misplaced Ashes:  

There is always the possibility that the cremains get misplaced.  In this event, it would be impossible for the deceased’s family to identify the ashes of the deceased.  There would be nothing that the family could do to ensure the safe return of their dearly departed loved one.

Lack of a Permanent Memorial:  

One of the biggest downsides of scattering ashes in an outdoor location is that there isn’t a permanent memorial where family members and friends can visit in the future.  Some people find solace in being able to visit and tend a graveside.  Scattering ashes on a family property may create emotional distress for family members when the time comes to sell the property.  Furthermore, the knowledge of where a family member has been laid to rest is more likely to be forgotten by future generations with scattering than with a ground burial.  (If this issue is a concern, the ashes can be buried in an urn at a cemetery and have a grave marker.)