• Pea666@feddit.nl
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    1 year ago

    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?

    • pancakes
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      1 year ago

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

      • Pea666@feddit.nl
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        1 year ago

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

      • Pea666@feddit.nl
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        1 year ago

        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.

        • nickwitha_k (he/him)@lemmy.sdf.org
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          1 year ago

          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.

      • IamtheMorgz@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        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.

    • Estiar@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

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

      • Pea666@feddit.nl
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        1 year ago

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

      • Trigger2_2000
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        1 year ago

        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 😃