Treasured Remains

Embryo Jewelry & the Disposal of Human Bodies

What do we do with the remains of our loved ones? Must Christians choose burial, or is cremation an option? The topic is endlessly discussed and considered in blog posts, literature, ethics reviews, and now, even in a car commercial. In its newest campaign, Volkswagen portrays a family, including Grandmother, trekking across the U.S. with Grandpa's cremated remains, visiting places Grandpa would have wanted to see. At journey's end, a grandson pours Grandpa's ashes into the Pacific Ocean.

Cremated remains are certainly versatile: they can be scattered, buried, placed in a columbarium, used to fertilize a tree, floated in a helium balloon, dropped from an airplane, or even launched into...