Click Here for UPDATE on Snellville crematory July 14, 2008
Speaking out anonymously, a person posting to the Rants and Raves
section of Craigslist had this to say:
"Supposedly there's a crematorium almost complete
in Gwinnett. Just saw it on the news.
They got this steel chimney coming out the house
sort of like a regular house but more leaning
towards a Sonny's BBQ.
Anyway. One of the mothers said it would not be
good for her kids to see this when driving by
Said " it would remind them of death too much" !
Uhm... mam ?
What's on the news every morning ?
Is there a cemetery near you.?
That doesn't remind you of death ?
The sooner you fill your kids in that
they're "gonna die one day" --the better off they'll be mam.
And yes, when you drive by,
the smoke coming out the
chimney is of burning human flesh
and bones. Read more from these cry babies here:
http://mysnellvilleblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/
crematory-next-door.html "
Link to full posting and curse words here.
Thanks for the free website traffic though!
Although I don't agree with the bluntness of the post, to some extent I understand what he/she is saying. Death IS a part of life. I try to think of it as the final stage of life. It's important to explain death to kids and what is happening at the crematory.
My uncle was a funeral director. He owned the only funeral home company in a five county area in Texas. When I was a teenager, he allowed me in to watch him prepare a body. Everything is done with respect. It's important to help kids understand that what is done to the body after death is not felt by the person. They no longer feel any pain. Cremation is not painful to the body...the person is dead. It's not morbid, it's a service.
My father was cremated in 2005. I actually personally prefer the idea of cremation to burial.
The reason I prefer it is that I don't like the idea of my father's body being in the ground, decomposing. Cremation seems more pleasant to me.
Hubs feels that traditional burial is important because there is a grave site and a marker. My father does have a final resting place and a marker, in the new Dallas-Ft. Worth Veteran's Cemetery in Dallas Texas...so although I do find gravesites important for genealogy reasons, there's no reason why you can't have a grave site AND a marker for your remains if you are cremated.
With everyone being so concerned with the environment, I would think that overall, cremation is better for the environment. Traditional burial replaces body fluids with chemicals. Cremation burns the body at a very high temperature. Contrary to what the Craigslist poster said, the crematory isn't going to release smoke of burning flesh and bones. It will have filtration systems, so only some heat will be released.
With cremation, there isn't the cost of an expensive coffin that's all fancified to look like a comfortable bed with a satin pillow. The only reason for that is to comfort the family. That's a good reason, but I don't think a good enough reason to pay $12,000 for just a coffin (my uncle had a "Showroom" of coffins, urns, and accessories). It can get ridiculous.
Now you know I am not opposed to cremation at all. I'm all for it and that's what I want done when my time comes. But, I still wouldn't want to live right next to one.
It comes down to property values, and that most potential buyers would not the cremation center next door either. It comes down to residents feeling like they weren't represented or protected enough by the City of Snellville in the zoning ordinances. Snellville residents want their home to be worth more than a loaf of bread. The word that probably sums it all up the closest is DISMAY.
