My own preference for cremation has nothing to do with my belief in the resurrection. Rather is is part of my desire to avoid having to take up more space on the earth after my death as well as a refusal to purchase embalming, caskets, and vaults. The funeral industry in this country has robbed us of any real chance to express what we believe. If I had the option, I would be buried like the Trappist monks--- lay me in the ground and cover me up. Green cemeteries offer a viable solution that are also quite good. In the mean time, cremation is the least expensive and most responsible choice for the planet. God will take care of what happens at the resurrection....

Never thought about cremation being Hindu and would question how many Christians do. Personally I prefer heat to cold, instant ashes to slow slime, in death a smaller footprint, and more dependable institutional than family maintenance. As to the Resurrection of the Dead, I figure God can work with what he's given including the ashes of a good many martyrs.

The implication is that if one bevlieves in a bodily resurrection one should not dornate organs, either. I believe that the bodily resurrection is metaphorical, I believe in organ donation after my death, and I believe embalming and burial is not only disgusting and a waste of money, but I believe we are described as "ashes to ashes" at the start of Lent for a reason. This is not Hindu, it is rational.

This analysis is wrong on so many levels. Here's my take: http://wp.me/pBxZE-KM

I am not sure that I see a "Hinduization" here, but several trends. One factor that outweighs cost is often an issue of convenience. In a culture where funerals take up too much time and effort and persons cannot "drop everything" anymore to attend (even the local fast food is open on Christmas day, for pity's sake), people often opt to dispose of the body quickly and then schedule some sort of memorial at a later time. The deceased usually attends in some sort of way in terms of a cremation urn or similar container.

My personal suspicion is that, although there are some with cost or "green" concerns, having the corpse make a quick and sanitary disappearance has to do at least in part with our inability to deal with the reality and finality of death. Long before any burial customs, we would simply rot where we fell, like all of God's other creatures on the planet. Death is messy; rotting flesh smells, yet it is the "real thing" for most of us. This was not "in doubt" at the time of Jesus, "Iam foetet," "Already he stinks" was the word of the family of Lazarus when Jesus asked for the tomb to be opened.
As to cost, it is true that burial plots can be costly, but a casket need not be. All that is required is a basic container due to laws about who/how corpses may be handled. Even cremation requires some sort of basic container in most locations, if only a glorified cardboard box. If the burial is done in a short period of time, embalming may be optional. Most people do not understand that current funerary embalming does not prove longterm preservation of dead flesh, but simply "delays" it slightly in order to have time to complete funerary customs.

On a personal preference level, I find cemeteries to be places of comfort where I can "visit" the memories and memorials of my deceased ancestors. They also serve a genealogical purpose. I look forward to lying in the ground with my ancestors. I see no reason to waste energy with incinerating my remains. The "slow burn" of enzymatic and bacterial degradation will take care of that, no matter any wishes I might have to the contrary.

For what it's worth, I really recommend Jonathan's blog post on the topic. It is exactly how I, for one, feel about the matter at hand. It's all about stewardship, as he puts it, for me. Thanks, Jonathan!!

My decision is certainly about stewardship, of finances and the earth. I think a certain amount of this may also be driven by location. I live in New York City, so I'd have to be buried relatively far outside the city, where it would be a burden for people to visit, and where, of course, plots and niches are extremely expensive. Mostly, I like the idea of being inurned in my church's columbarium, which is one wall of the sanctuary. It makes me feel like I would be where I most belong.

That said, I wonder to what extent geography (that is, density of where one lives as well as proximity to increasingly-scattered families) plays a part in the decision process. I can say with certainty that I never thought of Hinduism or Hindu concepts when making the decision :)