YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS: Under a law passed recently by the parliament in 2008 Armenia will have its ever-first crematoriums. Cremation will not be mandatory and will be free of charge. All expenses will be covered by the government. Crematoriums will be run by private companies.
The law also sets that 2.5 square meters of land will be allotted, also free of charge for burial of an urn. The decision is, however, opposed strongly by the Armenian Apostolic Church that says cremation is against the main tenets of the Christian religion and Christians are afraid if their body is cremated they will be ineligible for the resurrection.
A priest of the Armenian Church who opposed a parliament member Vladimir Badalian, the author of the law on cremation, during a March 7 debates at a local press club argued that most of the reference to burning of a body in the Bible are instances of punishment for criminal acts, punishment for improper behavior, killings by Pagans, or destruction of idols and evil material.
But Vladimir Badalian argued that cremation can be more economical, because a simple container can be used in place of an expensive casket, there is no cost associated with the purchase and perpetual care of a grave site, or tombstone, it allows scattering of the remains in a place of significance to the deceased, and some people would rather have their body disposed of quickly by heat rather than allow it to decay in a grave.
He cited findings of a study which says that in some 50 years cemeteries will make some 30-40 percent of the land occupied by the capital city. He said a non-governmental organization was set up to explain to people the advantages of cremation.
Yorumlar kapatıldı.