In nearly every part of the world except North America and, increasingly, Western Europe, the adherents of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam still practice the same funeral traditions that they have for millennia. Deceased believers are lovingly washed and anointed with fragrant oils, dressed, and placed in the ground by family and friends, with the appropriate rites performed.

But Christian burial is no longer widely understood in America, even among those in the Orthodox Church. In this booklet, as we examine human history and the Orthodox Christian understand of death, we hope you will discover a new appreciation for the human body and the reasons behind the Church's prohibition against cremation. Most of us have friends and loved ones who were embalmed or cremated, and our point here is not to cause distress over what has gone before; we do our best to honor our departed loved ones with the knowledge we have at the time.

As always, we place our loved ones, living and dead, in the hands of our Creator and trust completely in His mercy and loving kindness. But when new--or, regarding Christian burial, ancient--information is offered, we move forward, doing our best to provide honor to our loved ones and glory to God.