Quick christianity/islam question

[Sudden]

Just reading up on sumerian ideas of death etc. and was planning to compare it to something. Was going to do it to christianity a bit (not much, just a line or so) but can't figure out the idea behind burial. Quick google doesn't come up with anything useful and I don't have too much time to waste so was wondering if anyone on here knew? What is the idea behind burial in christianity or in islam?

I did the same thing for hinuism, and it came up quickly that the idea behind cremation was a sort of purification by fire. But couldn't find anything for burial.

 

[Andr3w]

http://my.opera.com/feldgendler/blog/2004/11/20/why-do-we-bury-our-dead

Of any use?

 

[vidda]

Hope this helps: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/48600.html

 

[Azagoth]

This is by far the best 'burial'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial

 

[Sudden]

http://my.opera.com/feldgendler/blog/2004/11/20/why-do-we-bury-our-dead

Of any use?

Fraid not

Says in it -

Burial is still perceived as something done for the dead, but there is no clear understanding of how it helps the dead and what would happen if the ritual is neglected.


Which is exactly what i'm after, lol. Why were they buried? how was it supposed to help the dead etc. But thanks for the effort. It's more than what I found.

Hope this helps: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/48600.html

Kind of. it says "till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

But it seems rather...practical. No real spiritual significance. And hardly in line with the ideal of heaven and hell. Seems more like that the body just turns to dust and that's that.

 

[jbloggs]

In Christianity (and Judaism) it probably has something to do with the doctrine of the Resurrection...

 

[Glaucus]

There isn't a real reason in Christianity. Nothing changes if burial isn't performed, it holds no real significance.

But it seems rather...practical. No real spiritual significance. And hardly in line with the ideal of heaven and hell. Seems more like that the body just turns to dust and that's that.

Yep.

 

[Amnesia]

Why were they buried?

because if we put them in the bin then we wouldnt get much else in there...besides would you really want to throw that plate of left over spaghetti over ur dead loved ones face when they are sat in the bin.

 

[A.N.Other]

I would imagine religion has adopted it as a means of disposing of bodies and not having them rotting all over the place - sanitation, if you will. Whether there is some spiritual thing overlaid on top, I don't know.

 

[jbloggs]

There isn't a real reason in Christianity..

On further reflection there is an important reason within Christianity, in relation to the resurrection of Christ and the fulfillment of the prophetic scriptures, namely (at least) Psalm 16v9 (with Acts 2v26, which refers to its fulfillment) which states:

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope."

If the body of Christ had been burn't after His death, the scripture of Psalm 16v9 could not have been fulfilled, as there would have been no "flesh" (ie. His body) to "rest in hope."

 

[Squark]

There isn't a real reason in Christianity. Nothing changes if burial isn't performed, it holds no real significance.


Yep.

The main reason for burial as far as I know is for the health of the living!

From a Christian perspective I know of no special reason for burial, it hold no spiritual significance that I'm aware of. I guess that it is just a place for my body until the ressurection in Jesus Christ.

Though I have a suggestion as for why burial may have been perferred over cremation, in that they may have been a teaching at some point that the body need to remain 'in tact' in order for the ressurection of the body to take place after Christ's return. But I know of no Biblical basis for this possible belief.

 

[Sudden]

So it's not basically that burial is anything, just that it's a means of disposing that's not cremation. Wokay Thanks guys.

 

[Perywinkle]

My wish is to be buried when I kick the bucket.
If only so that Time Team can dig me up again in a few hundred years

 

[Perywinkle]

My wish is to be buried when I kick the bucket.
If only so that Time Team can dig me up again in a few hundred years

 

[A.N.Other]

^ You want them to dig you up twice?

 

[Sankari]

The practice of burial predates both Christianity and Islam by some millennia. It has no unique significance for either religion.

 

[Septh]

I saw something on time team once where they found a burial site and said the style of burial was similar to that of one done in primeval man days, ironically it was at a church site too.
I don't think there is any real link in there, its was probably started when man was first developing and they had a reason for it at the time and its merely been taken on by religion and claimed. Much like Christmas is claimed by Christians even though it was originally a Pagen holiday, which they took

 

[Edinho]

Proper disposing of the dead is to prevent the spread of disease. All religion is about controlling a populous and preserving the human race, everything else is secondary.

 

[Angilion]

Cremation requires a lot of fuel, which would have been wood millenia ago. Burial just requires labour to dig a large enough hole. If there wasn't an abundance of wood millenia ago in the middle east (and I doubt if there was), burial would have been an established custom long before Christianity existed and therefore longer before Islam existed.

 

[Septh]

Its also the thing that religions bend them selfs around existing culture and ways of life to make converting people to it less of an effort. So the people think "well we do this already so its much of a change for us".