Written by David Sloane , University of Southern California ____ The National Funeral Directors Association has predicted that by 2035, nearly 80% of Americans will opt for cremation . When the first U.S. indoor cremation machine was opened in 1876 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the creator and operator, Francis LeMoyne, was severely criticized by the Catholic Church . The new method of disposal was viewed as dangerous because it threatened traditional religious burial and society’s sense of morality and dignity. Less than 100 years later – in 1963 – English writer Jessica Mitford wrote the bestselling book “ The American Way of Death ” as a way to educate Americans about what she viewed as the awful commercialization of dying, death and commemoration. After a strong criticism of funeral directors, cemeterians and other associated professions, she ended with a plea for cremation. However, as late as 1970, according to figures from the Cremation Association of America, only about 5% of...
