Will we eventually run out of graveyards?

TheImpressiveX@lemmy.ml to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 123 points –
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Or just bury people without embalming them first? As a non-American I find it super weird that it’s the norm in the US. Why would you still do that anyway?

I think the idea is so that the empty meat vessel looks tasty and fresh for the funeral.

It can look fresh enough without embalming if kept cool right? Maybe a little makeup?

Embalming? WTF?! I guess I should have watched Six feet under to learn something

It has to do with Christianity. Many Christians believe that Christ will come back raising the dead and restoring their bodies

I’m pretty sure most denominations of Christianity bury their dead without embalming them first and have done so for most of history.

I've been a Christian all my life; I'm really, really sure that Christ can not only "restore" a body from nothing but make it much better than it was before. At least, I hope He plans to make it much better 😃

It's a legal requirement.

I know, but other than manmade laws, why?

As far as I know, it’s a US thing right? In the Netherlands embalming has been expressly prohibited up until 2009 I think. Granted, Dutch laws concerning what you can do with a dead body are pretty strict but embalming just seems weird to me.

Other than laws? Probably, to a degree, like an unfortunate number of things in the US, money. As of 2019, the death industry was >$20 Billion industry.

Over here in the US, we're stuck in a neoliberal hellscape where profit is more important than any human being and grief-stricken families are fair game for exploitation.

I actually don't think that is true. Caitlin Dougherty on YouTube has a video on it though. It's pushed by funeral directors because it's a big money maker for them.