# beliefs about intact bodies at burial and the afterlife? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 11, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beliefs-about-intact-bodies-at-burial-and-the-afterlife/535765 "2010-04-11T20:48:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beliefs-about-intact-bodies-at-burial-and-the-afterlife/535765/1 "2010-04-11T20:48:20Z")
I’m sure there’s a wealth of information about this on the internet, but I’m not coming up with the correct search terms apparently… I’m looking for death mythology/religious beliefs about the necessity of keeping a body intact at the time of burial so that the dead can go onto the afterlife. I know that I’ve heard multiple accounts that were in the forms of people X believing that their bodies need to be kept whole, or purposely burning or dismembering the bodies of enemies to prevent them from being at peace afterlife (also their spirits are condemed to roam the earth forever). I can’t recall any specific people who believed these things, though. Can you? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beliefs-about-intact-bodies-at-burial-and-the-afterlife/535765/2 "2010-04-11T22:27:16Z")
I was just wondering about this myself. Our associate rector (a Lutheran, although affiliated with my Episcopalian church) was talking about how the stigma against cremation in his denomination has almost entirely vanished just since his childhood. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beliefs-about-intact-bodies-at-burial-and-the-afterlife/535765/3 "2010-04-12T18:53:57Z")
Try googling on Cremation + resurrection All of the arguments I used to hear were centered around the idea that if you were cremated, there would be no body to be resurrected. From [here](http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=645&CFID=34562271&CFTOKEN=33471555): > [@](#): > > Today many Catholics, in speaking with their parish priest about funeral arrangements for themselves or for a loved one, are surprised to learn the Church no longer forbids cremation. What those cinematic heirs did wrong was to ignore the Church’s stipulation that cremated remains (called “cremains”) must receive a proper burial in consecrated ground. From that same site: > [@](#): > > In his book “Questions and Answers,” syndicated columnist Father John Dietzen explains “the first general legislation banning the burning of bodies as a funeral rite burning of bodies as a funeral rite came from the Vatican’s Holy Office in May 1886, noting the anti-religious and Masonic motivation behind the movement. The 1918 Code of Canon Law continued that ban because cremation was still considered a flagrant rejection of the Christian belief in immortality and the resurrection.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beliefs-about-intact-bodies-at-burial-and-the-afterlife/535765/4 "2010-04-12T18:59:35Z")
I don’t believe it’s related to the afterlife per se, but Jewish tradition insists on intact bodies at burial. It’s a bit of a shame, too, as it interferes with autopsies and (much more important) organ donation. There _are_ prominent Jewish organizations that encourage organ donation, but my own parents were raised in a somewhat more conservative tradition, and so convincing them that my useful guts should be used to save lives if something regrettable happens to me is … difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beliefs-about-intact-bodies-at-burial-and-the-afterlife/535765/5 "2010-04-12T23:58:13Z")
Culturally conservative or religiously conservative? If the latter, the [HODS](http://www.hods.org/) website might help. Are we talking current religions, or dead (heh) ones, too? Because the Egyptians were pretty renown for preserving their dead. ETA: The Jewish tradition comes from the belief that the soul is hovering around watching the body (at least until burial). Thus, a corpse has to be treated with the utmost respect, and kept intact, because the deceased will be very upset. I don’t have time to go into it because I’m in an edit, but there’s extensive discussion on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beliefs-about-intact-bodies-at-burial-and-the-afterlife/535765/6 "2010-04-13T02:03:38Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Are we talking current religions, or dead (heh) ones, too? I’m pretty sure such beliefs were more common in ancient people, so any info about them too is germane.