Question 3: Why do you think a belief in a soul is universal?
Different anthropologists, based from their research findings, explain that there is no culture where the concept of soul does not exist (Stein and Stein, 163). Nevertheless, there are differences on how one culture deals with the myths and concepts of soul among cultures. The concept of the soul is therefore universal.
People recognize the occurrence of life and death. Some believes that life is a cycle and it is recurring. Soul is a concept that something aside from the dead body, remains after death (Stein and Stein, 163). Since everyone or every people on different cultures have witnessed life and death, then there is a universal concept of the soul. But what is the reason for believing in life or a soul after death? For me, the real reason for this is self-importance and bias against death. We are alive and we feel that we are important, and hence the idea of “the end of existence” bothers us so much that almost all people from different cultures had to create the concept of the “soul.” It is the fear of death that created the concept of the soul. I also think that the observation and realization of the presence of cycles – such as the day and night cycles – influenced the creation of the soul concept. Everyone must have been observing the cycle of seasons – one season comes after another – hence life could come after death and this could have also generated the concept of a living soul after the of the physical body.
Question 7: Why do you think cremation is becoming a more popular opinion in the United States?
In history, people from United States used to do the usual burying of the body of the dead. Some cultures which are also found in U.S. splits funeral rituals into two. Therefore, death rituals vary across culture depending on their religions and norms. As United States is considered as one of the Christian countries, Americans do usually favours burial more than cremation. Yet, due to the ever-changing environment, the perspectives of people have changed into how the current society wants their lifestyle to be. There are certain factors which lead to the changes in preferences like in death rituals and it has been evident among U.S. Citizens as they swiftly changed from burial to cremation.
Major reason is the change in religious perspective. The number of people who have doubts in the creator’s existence as well as the number of people who do not believe in God at all increases due to some reasons. Recognizing the merits that cremation has to offer, people has changed what they used to just to be able to adapt to the ever changing world. Cremation does not imply that citizens still have to invest for a plot into where they are going to put their dead bodies. Cremation does further indicate its environment-friendly approaches. Cremation saves space on Earth as it will not further increase the demand for expansion of cemeteries (Stein and Stein, 165).
As cremation further becomes an indication of the United States being a secular country, it also promotes the ecological consciousness of the people in the area. These two makes the campaign to choose cremation over the burial ritual given that it costs a bit higher than the other. In the next few years, US citizens no longer have to worry about the cost of cremation provided that it will increase its market next years. With that, the demand increases and so more conglomerates will open this kind of business which will offer lower amounts to gain enough customers.
Death is inevitable so as change. The shift from being a Christian country into a secular country is not a big issue as long as the citizens themselves can handle the changes and foresee no any harm to them. As long as people do not condemn the existence of cremation therefore no any destructive or dangerous hazards has been seen to take part along with its existence. Changes and advancements are the primary causes of why cremation has becoming popular based on my opinion.
Works Cited:
Stein, Rebecca and Stein, Philip. The Anthropology of Religion, Magic and Witchcraft. Pearson Prentice Hall. 2011. Print.
