Best Answer:
Explaining Cremation to a Child
Keep your explanations simple and remain calm and matter-of-fact when discussing death and cremation. Avoid using words that may cause alarm. Instead, you may say that the body will be put in a very warm room until it turns into ashes and explain that this is a very peaceful process.
FAQ
What is the idea behind cremation?
Cremation is a method of body disposal that acts as an alternative to burial. Cremation reduces a body to ash by exposing it to very high temperatures within a large furnace. Many people simply think cremation involves setting the body on fire and letting it burn.
How do you explain a wake and a funeral to a child?
Discuss what a dead body looks like and feels like. Mention that the body may look like it is sleeping, but remind them that dead is not the same as sleeping. Dispel any myths that children have about dead bodies coming back to life. Remind them that the body has stopped working forever and that the body will not move.
Does the soul feel pain when the body is cremated?
The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive. When a person dies, their brain stops sending signals to the body. This means that the person cannot feel pain or any other sensation. In fact, a dead person feels nothing at all.
Why do Christians not cremate?
In Christian countries, cremation fell out of favor due to the Christian belief in the physical resurrection of the body. Christians also used burial as a mark of difference from the Iron Age European pre-Christian Pagan religions, which usually cremated their dead.
How do you explain a funeral to a 7 year old?
Explain that the child will see that person’s body in a big box called a casket. Also tell the children that it will look like he or she is sleeping, but it is not the person we remember, it is just their “body”-another word that is important to use.
How do you explain to a child what happens after death?
A simple biological explanation of death is helpful: the heart stops beating, the lungs do not work so the person cannot breathe, and their brain stops working. Referring to the body left as an empty shell can help them to understand that the person is no longer alive as they knew them.
What is the best way to explain death to a child?
Use simple words to talk about death.
Be calm and caring when you tell your child that someone has died. Use words that are clear and direct. “I have some sad news to tell you. Grandma died today.” Pause to give your child a moment to take in your words.
Where does your soul go if you are cremated?
From a Christian perspective, people who have been cremated can certainly go to Heaven. First, the soul never dies, and when one accepts Christ as their personal savior it is the soul that receives eternal salvation and not the earthly body.
What is removed from a body before cremation?
The only parts of the body that are removed before cremation are artificial ones like a medical device or implant with a battery, silicone, pins, radiation pressurization, pacemakers, and large hip, knee, and shoulder replacements along with any external jewelry.
Do people go to Heaven after cremation?
No matter what a person’s preference is, from the Christian perspective, cremation does not prevent one from going to Heaven. So there’s no need to worry, if God can create life from dust, surely he can restore life from ashes.
How do I tell my 8 year old about cremation?
Let them know that once their loved one’s death occurred, their body stopped working. They cannot breathe or eat; they can’t talk, walk, or even go to the bathroom. And, most importantly, they cannot feel anything. In knowing their loved one can no longer feel anything, a child will see that cremation doesn’t hurt.
How do I tell my 7 year old about cremation?
If the child asks how the body gets smaller or what it’s like, say, “Cremation is a process that makes the body kind of like sand.” If the child asks how, say, “The process uses heat.” If the child asks, “Is it fire?”, answer by telling him again that the body is no longer alive and that it is just left behind, like a …
What does God say about keeping ashes?
In the Bible, there are no passages that prohibit or encourage cremation and scattering of ashes. However, many Christian sects believe a burial funeral aligns with best end-of-life practices.
Which part of the body does not burn during cremation?
What’s returned to you is the person’s skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissues, and cremation container/casket, etc., all that’s left is bone. The bone is ground up and given to you as “ashes.”
Should I let my 10 year old go to a funeral?
Many people worry that their children are too young to go to a funeral and won’t understand what is happening. But most children have a full understanding of death by the time they are about 8-10 years old and many younger children will have enough understanding to go to the funeral.
How soon after death should a body be cremated?
between 24 and 72 hoursIn most cases, you will have to wait somewhere between 24 and 72 hours after death before a body can be cremated. Certain paperwork is required and may take several business days to obtain.
Should a body be cremated?
In terms of affordability, cremation is often a better choice. The biggest reason for this has to do with the circumstances of cremation. Burial is traditionally preceded by a funeral, but this tradition isn’t as strong with cremation. Many people still hold funerals for cremated loved ones, but it isn’t as common.
Is it normal to watch a cremation?
Yes, watching a cremation is allowed. The specific guidelines depend on the rules established by your mortuary or crematorium. Because there are no laws around witness cremations-the specific term for cremations that are viewed by witnesses-each facility is free to make and enforce its own policies.
How do you explain a funeral to an 8 year old?
” A funeral is where family and friends come together to remember the person who has died and to say goodbye. It will be in the church on Saturday. Grandad, Aunty Bess and your cousins will be there.” Explain what will happen and offer them the opportunity to have some involvement.
What does the Bible say about cremation?
In 2 Kings 23:16-20, Josiah took the bones out of the tomb, burned them on the altar, and “defiled it.” However, nowhere in the Old Testament does the Bible command the deceased cannot be burned, nor are there any judgments attached to those that have been cremated.
What religion is against cremation?
Of all world religions, Islam is probably the most strongly opposed to cremation. Unlike Judaism and Christianity, there is little diversity of opinion about it. Cremation is considered by Islam to be an unclean practice.
How do I tell my 4 year old about the death of a parent?
Explain what happened in clear, simple language.
Tell the child what happened, but avoid using certain language. For example, do not say, “Daddy went to sleep and won’t be coming back.” When a child hears that, she might fear that when she goes to sleep, she might not be coming back, Dr. Kevorkian explains.
At what age does a child understand death?
Between the ages of 5 and 7 years, children gradually begin to develop an understanding that death is permanent and irreversible and that the person who has died will not return.
Does the Bible say cremated body can’t rise?
The Bible neither favors nor forbids the process of cremation. Nevertheless, many Christians believe that their bodies would be ineligible for resurrection if they are cremated. This argument, though, is refuted by others on the basis of the fact that the body still decomposes over time after burial.
When you are cremated Are you clothed?
In most cases, people are cremated in either a sheet or the clothing they are wearing upon arrival to the crematory. However, most Direct Cremation providers give you and your family the option to fully dress your loved one prior to Direct Cremation.
Does the Bible say if you’re cremated?
There is next-to-nothing mentioned about cremation in the Bible. Both Old and New Testament passages refer to burial as the standard practice for the Israelites and the early Christians. Rather than seen as a standard for most people of biblical times, cremation was often a form of punishment.
Do they remove organs during cremation?
Are organs removed before cremation? Generally, there is no need for a deceased person’s organs to be removed before cremation, unless they are being used for organ donation.
Why do you have to wait 3 days before cremation?
Why do families need to wait? These different state laws are based on the typical amount of time it takes to complete authorizations, like issuing a death certificate. Because the crematorium needs the death certificate before they can cremate the body, this delays the process and is built into the waiting period.
Do they remove your brain before cremation?
The answer is no; all of the organs remain in the body during the embalming process. Instead, the Embalmer makes small incisions in the abdomen and inserts tubes into the body cavity. These tubes pump a mixture of chemicals and water into the body, which helps to preserve the tissues and prevent decomposition.
What survives after cremation?
The only thing remaining of the human body after cremation is part of the skeletal structure and occasionally small amounts of salts and minerals. The human skeleton is composed mostly of carbonates and calcium phosphates.
Why do Catholics not cremate?
Cremation does not “prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life,” the Vatican says, but it does raise the possibility that the deceased’s body, which the church believes is sacred, will not be properly respected by ancestors and relatives.
Do you reunite with your spouse in Heaven?
HAVING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SPOUSES, LOVED ONES IN HEAVEN
A. Yes to both. The reunion will take place, but not as husband and wife. We learn this in Jesus’ explanation to the Sadducees: “When people rise from death, there will be no marriage.
How do I explain death to a 6 year old?
Gently but directly, use the words ‘dead’ and ‘died’ within short explanations. Using euphuisms and vague language often creates fear in children. Phrases like “Passed away, gone to sleep, he’s with grandma, lost their life” do not explain in concrete terms that their loved one has died.
What do you say to kids before a funeral?
How can I prepare my child for the visitation / viewing / funeral / wake?
- Say thank you, I love you, and goodbye to the special person who has died.
- Celebrate the life of the person who died.
- Honor, affirm, remember and pay our last respects to the person.
- Receive comfort and support and be with people who care.
Should a child go to their parents funeral?
As a general guideline, children should be allowed to attend a wake, funeral and burial if they want to. They can also be involved in the funeral planning. Joining family members for these rituals gives the child a chance to receive grief support from others and say goodbye in their own way to the person who has died.
How do you say goodbye to an estranged child?
Don’t cut off your child in response. Continue to reach out to him, letting him know that you love him and that you want to mend whatever has broken. Send birthday and holiday messages as well as occasional brief notes or emails. Simply say that you are thinking about him and hope to have the opportunity to reconnect.
At what age do children realize that death is final and permanent?
Between the ages of 5 and 7 years, children gradually begin to develop an understanding that death is permanent and irreversible and that the person who has died will not return.
When someone is dying what do they see?
Visual or auditory hallucinations are often part of the dying experience. The appearance of family members or loved ones who have died is common. These visions are considered normal. The dying may turn their focus to “another world” and talk to people or see things that others do not see.
Should you tell a 4 year old about death?
If you don’t know the answer, be honest and say so. Your preschooler is likely to come up with new questions as their awareness of death and their cognitive skills grow. Don’t worry if it makes you feel you didn’t explain adequately the first time.
What is a funeral explanation for kids?
Explain the purpose of a funeral.
Explain that funerals are a time for friends and family to come together to say thank you, goodbye, and I love you to the person who has died. Tell them that it is a time to remember and to pay their last respects to the person that died.
How do you explain an open casket to a child?
Let your child know that a casket is a very special box and that their loved one will be lying down inside of it. It is often helpful to draw a rectangle shape and then have your child draw the deceased person inside. Explain what they will look like and whether the casket will be open or closed.
Can you touch human ashes?
The average cremated adult will produce about five pounds of pulverized bone fragments, a coarse powder that is sterile and safe to touch, even if the person died of a communicable disease.
Does the soul feel pain when the body is cremated?
The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive. When a person dies, their brain stops sending signals to the body. This means that the person cannot feel pain or any other sensation. In fact, a dead person feels nothing at all.
Does your soul go to Heaven if you are cremated?
No matter what a person’s preference is, from the Christian perspective, cremation does not prevent one from going to Heaven. So there’s no need to worry, if God can create life from dust, surely he can restore life from ashes.
Do Christians agree with cremation?
For most Christians today, the question of cremation is largely left to individual discretion. Many Christians choose cremation as an alternative to burial, while still retaining those aspects of their traditional funeral practices that allow them to honor the lives of their loved ones and glorify God.
What churches forbid cremation?
Eastern Orthodox Catholicism (Greek and Russian)
Eastern Orthodox churches strongly oppose cremation. This is because these orthodox religions associate cremation with a deliberate desecration of the body. These churches prefer the natural decomposition of a traditional burial.
Is it better to cremate or bury?
In the case of a burial, the body can be interred in the ground or entombed in a mausoleum. By comparison, cremated remains can be kept by the family, scattered, buried in the ground, or entombed in a columbarium. Of the two, cremation is generally the more economical choice.
Do Catholics allow cremation?
Although the Catholic Church prefers in-ground burial or entombment of a deceased person’s body, cremation of the body prior to burial is allowed within the confines of the religion.
Can kids watch death at a funeral?
Parents need to know that although this British farce is a comedy, its adult themes — mortality, mourning, in-law stress — probably won’t appeal to kids and younger teens.
Does cremation smell?
In most cases, cremated remains are odourless. They may have a slightly metallic odour or some people say they smell somewhat like incense in some cases. However, it is common for ashes to have no distinct smell. Nonetheless, they can take on the smell of the container or cremation urn they are in.
How many bodies are cremated at once?
one bodyOnly one body can be cremated at once, and all cremated remains must be cleared from the cremation chamber before another cremation can begin. These standards do mean that you may have little input into any ‘customization’ of a cremation process.
Which religions do not cremate?
Of all world religions, Islam is probably the most strongly opposed to cremation. Unlike Judaism and Christianity, there is little diversity of opinion about it. Cremation is considered by Islam to be an unclean practice.
What are the negative effects of cremation?
The most significant environmental concerns with cremation are the amount of energy used and the greenhouse gases produced while the body is being cremated. Cremation releases noxious gases into the air. The by-products include fine soot, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury from dental fillings, and heavy metals.
What are the disadvantages of cremation?
CONS:
- It is a permanent choice of disposition. Cremation is such an irreversible form of disposition.
- It may be against some religions.
- Cremation provides limited closure.
- It can cause family tension.
- Cremation can be hard to explain to children.
How long does a cremation take?
between one and three hoursHow long does a cremation process take? Cremations last between one and three hours with cooling taking a further one or two hours. This depends on cremation temperatures, the size of the deceased, and coffin material.
Why do people not want to be cremated?
Religions like Orthodox Christianity, Islam and Judaism follow traditions that frown upon cremation, even prohibiting it. Traditionally, their culture believes that the idea of turning human body into cremation ashes might interfere with God’s ability to resurrect the dead and bring it to heaven.
Why do Christians not like cremation?
In Christian countries, cremation fell out of favor due to the Christian belief in the physical resurrection of the body. Christians also used burial as a mark of difference from the Iron Age European pre-Christian Pagan religions, which usually cremated their dead.
How long does a body take to burn during cremation?
An average human body takes from two to three hours to burn completely and will produce an average of 3 to 9 pounds (1.4 to 4.1 kilograms) of ash. The amount of ash depends usually on the bone structure of the person and not so much their weight [source: Ellenberg].
When should you not go to a funeral?
5 reasons not to go to the funeral:
Your attendance at the service would be upsetting to any member of the immediate family. The services are private and not open to the public. The services are out of town and you cannot get there, or you cannot arrange for the time off work.