The practice of burning a dead body, or cremation, has always held a place in history as sometimes controversial although attitudes have changed a great deal.

Decades ago, many Christian denominations disallowed cremation, which is the burning of the body, because it was thought to be disrespectful to the body, made in God’s image. But as our culture and attitudes have changed, so has this.

The Catholic Church, after years of outright banning cremation, does currently allow cremation under certain circumstances. The body must still be treated with respect and the ashes placed in a special urn or buried, and not thrown into the wind or spread out in a flower bed as is a contemporary trend.

As families look for less expensive funerals, the significantly lower cost of cremation cannot be ignored.