Cremation FAQ
Questions and Answers About Cremation
If you are considering cremation for your loved one then this shall serve as a guide to answer some of your pending questions.
Can Your Family Be Present at a Cremation?
The answer is maybe. Talk with your cremation provider. The reason why is that in many cases cremation providers will allow family members to be present when the body is placed into the cremation chamber. This is especially true since some religious groups have made witnessing the cremation a part of their funerary custom.
Do All Religious Groups Accept Cremation?
With the exception of the Orthodox Jewish community, Islamic people, Eastern Orthodox faith and a few Fundamentalist Christian faiths, today, most religions overall do accept, or at least, tolerate cremation. However, some faiths may have specific guidelines for handling the cremated remains. For example, the Catholic Church accepts cremation as long as it is not chosen for reasons that go against their overall teachings. Please check with a faith leader in your community before proceeding, he or she will be able to answer your specific questions.
What Are Some Options For The Cremation Remains?
A myriad of options exist these days from traditional placement in cremation urns (inurnment) which can either be kept in the home, in a special spot in a cemetery, buried, entombed or placed in a mausoleum. This compares to less traditional options such as being placed into cremation memorial such as a memorial diamond or even launched into space.
Does Cremation Take Place at the Funeral Home?
That depends on the funeral home. Your funeral director can respond to your questions in detail. Commonly, most funeral homes contract out this fragile process out to a third party provider. Frequently the crematorium is in another city altogether.
When contracting a cremation through a funeral home, usually, the family will be charged further expenses for transporting the body and may have to tolerate delays that could be avoided by going directly through the cremation provider. Your preference depends on what type of services you have it in mind before or after the cremation.
Find out now why more people are choosing cremation in our “Why Cremation?” section of our website. Get more information about planning a cremation service now.
* Source: Hal Stevens, Founder, Online Memorials
