The end of a person’s life has got humans curious about the afterlife, thus they believe popular myths that reach them. It is wrong to blame them because there is comfort in knowing and use this information to mask fear. However, when it starts hurting people then these false beliefs should be discontinued.
In this article, you will learn the common funeral myths that you might have heard in a typical Catholic or Christian memorial service.
1. Embalming is required to protect the public health
This is false because there is no public health purpose that is saved when a dead person’s body is embalmed. What may surprise you is that this process may create a health hazard to embalmers because of the exposure to toxic chemicals. Acquiring the disease of the dead is also a risk since it is still found in an embalmed body. Nonetheless, the body of a dead person is less of a threat to public health than a person who is still alive with a disease.
2. Viewing the dead is needed for closure
It is not easy to say goodbye to the ones we love who had passed. Some religious practices may require family and friends to say their “goodbyes” in a sacred ceremony but not everyone needs this. So, this is not true for some people who face an anticipated death. Though, it is also not wrong to pay your respects in a Christian funeral service.
3. High-quality caskets help preserve the body
Not true. A protective casket actually interferes with the natural process of body dehydration that would otherwise occur whatever quality of casket the dead body is placed in. A fact that should be known is that there is a release of fluids from the body as it decomposes. What cannot be helped is the rust that will develop from the inside of the casket.
4. Cremation turns the body to ashes
This is a general knowledge that should be cleared because this is not true. Cremation is a process of reducing a dead body to bone fragments using extreme heat. The sand that you see in an urn is actually the pulverised version of the bones after the body is reduced.
5. Cremation is more environmentally friendly than a traditional burial
With the emergence of solutions to combat climate change, people are now looking for alternatives to funerals. Learning that burial vaults are required for burials some people have thought that they are further damaging the earth which is not true. There are environmental alternatives such as a “green burial” where there is no embalming and the deceased is buried in a biodegradable casket or shroud.
While there is comfort in knowing that you are giving your loved one a proper ceremony of passing, you should still keep your emotions in check. Take time to read about the truth about funerals and death so you would have knowledge and control in handling grief.
So, hire a funeral director to help you with the responsibilities of arranging a Catholic memorial service. Get the service of Eternal Life Singapore! Contact them on their website https://www.singaporechristianfunerals.com/.
