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DocStaph
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Topic: Zorostrian Funerals Posted: 09-Feb-2007 at 20:44 |
Whoever said funerals are for the birds was right! If cremations make you yawn, and graves feel so last century, then weve got the perfect funeral service for you: the air burial. All you have to do is try your best to die somewhere in the vicinity of one of the Towers of Silence, where one of the neighborhoods Zoroastrians might give you a chance to have the exciting, air burial youve always dreamed of. Per their religion, Zoroastrians leave their dead atop a local Tower, where vultures handle the nasty business of disposing of the spiritually impure flesh. From there, its as simple as throwing the bare bones down into the Towers pit, where they can rest for all eternity (in a pile with all the others). And while the Zoroastrians do offer several convenient locations thoughout the deserts of India and Iran for disposing of remains, you should probably act fast. Remember, the recently declining populations of vultures make this a limited-time-only offer, so dont delay.
Strange behavoir in regards to burial. Contemplating with zoroastrian beliefs has been itchy in regards to todays society. Does this behavoir incur in the moder era as well? Anyhow i just find this means of richness in burial daunting. Abstaining from burying their deceased, due to contamination of soil and instead feeding it to vultures where its broken down into sugars, protein, and amino acids, eventually released as "diarrhea" contaminating the earth in an alternative method, defeating its purpose for respect to nature. Simple strange!
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Zagros
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Posted: 09-Feb-2007 at 20:54 |
Zaroastrians have long since buried or cremated their dead, the practice of vulture feeding was banned in Iran at least, I do believe!
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DocStaph
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Posted: 09-Feb-2007 at 20:59 |
REally so will you state that the relegion is in decline mood, or is it tampering with its ritual?
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Zagros
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Posted: 09-Feb-2007 at 21:03 |
I think this decision was made just for public health purposes. Though, give Iran one day, one day of conversions and the numbers officially practicing that religion in Iran alone will surge into the millions! This I say with full confidence. As you know, one is not legally permitted to convert from Islam, according to Sharia.
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DocStaph
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Posted: 09-Feb-2007 at 21:08 |
Why is this relegious practice valued in that region! Obviously as you state, historicaly the relegion values respect to certain elements, but its ethical obligation in abiding by its belifes is unrecognized. Stating that its really has no basis for today's standards in regards to health issues.
I wonder why they would convert our of Islam and into another relegion? Why not belive in a universal creator, then limiting themselves to relegious doctrines handed down by certain indivduals characterzied with psychiatric disorders.
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Leonidas
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Posted: 09-Feb-2007 at 21:29 |
Originally posted by DocStaph
Strange behavoir in regards to burial. Contemplating with zoroastrian beliefs has been itchy in regards to todays society. Does this behavoir incur in the moder era as well? Anyhow i just find this means of richness in burial daunting. Abstaining from burying their deceased, due to contamination of soil and instead feeding it to vultures where its broken down into sugars, protein, and amino acids, eventually released as "diarrhea" contaminating the earth in an alternative method, defeating its purpose for respect to nature. Simple strange! |
I can understand why its seen as cleaner. Either being quickly devoured by a vulture or crow and pooped out as something completely different or rather be slowly eaten by worms and insects while your body leaches into the soil. In many places around the world you have scavengers that can dig up shallow graves and floods that can turn the area into a hygiene disaster. While in their religion fire is too spiritual an element to be disrespected/polluted full stop, and anything with water involved, like chucking a body in a river has to be the worse choice in regards to hygiene. the thing that makes that type of burial unclean is when its done on a large scale near populated areas, like mumbai. in regards to their changing practicesIve seen photo's of Tibetans doing the same thing.
Edited by Leonidas - 09-Feb-2007 at 21:31
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Zagros
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Posted: 09-Feb-2007 at 21:34 |
well, the Zaroastrians believe that the flesh will poison the earth, and to some extent they are right since decomposing bodies do pose potential health sanitation problems.
I think the idea of leaving corpses out to be consumed by wild animals seemed somewhat outlandish to other members of society, bearing in mind that by the time it was banned Islam had been prominent in Iran for just under a millenium and the norm was for corpses to be buried.
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red clay
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Posted: 13-Feb-2007 at 20:33 |
It's interesting that some tribes of plains Indians in North America had a practice similar to the "sky burial".
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Dolphin
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Posted: 13-Feb-2007 at 20:38 |
Was this practise a practical one, or was there some abstract, reach towards the heavens reasoning behind it?
Interesting topic, didn't know anything about it
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Posted: 13-Feb-2007 at 23:59 |
Originally posted by Zagros
Zaroastrians have long since buried or cremated their dead, the practice of vulture feeding was banned in Iran at least, I do believe! |
Not in Pakistan. There is a "Tower of Silence" in Karachi's Empress Market. Every evening at around six p.m you could see birds cicling that. Always gave me the creeps.
I remember there was a lot of controversy on a few years ago when an Army officer KIA on the LOC in kashmir was sent back in a sealed coffin.
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Zagros
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Posted: 14-Feb-2007 at 12:18 |
^ Very interesting... I didn't know it still happened, thanks for the info. It is pretty creepy, but I suppose it is one of the most efficient ways to dispose of corpses.
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Posted: 16-Feb-2007 at 08:09 |
Well not in the modern world IMO. With such populations I don't think there are enough birds of prey.
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Posted: 16-Feb-2007 at 08:14 |
here is a very good article on the one in Karachi
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DocStaph
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Posted: 17-Feb-2007 at 12:57 |
Originally posted by Zagros
^ Very interesting... I didn't know it still happened, thanks for the info. It is pretty creepy, but I suppose it is one of the most efficient ways to dispose of corpses. |
Oh comon now,
The Q arises in the form, of what happens to the skeletal system,
Anyhow, i hardly think the vulchers consume the whole body, at some point their small intestins fill up and vomit or defecat the remains. In all defeating the purpose of saving earth from contaminiating human body. Still its strange and not effeicint in anyway. No wonder vulchers attack walking upright living man. Hum......
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Pregnancy is a Death Sentence to an Afghan Woman!
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Aktufe
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Posted: 17-Feb-2007 at 17:39 |
I thought that every human society has evolved to a degree where they dispose bodies in a sanitary manner. Like burning or burying. I'd imagine this was highly unsanitary, and probably wasn't as widespread.
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