Death Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Society and culture == {{Main|Death and culture|Human skull symbolism}} [[File:Hertig Karl skymfande Klaus Flemings lik, målning av Albert Edelfelt från 1878.jpg|thumb|alt=A duke insulting the corpse of Klaus Fleming|The regent duke Charles (later king [[Charles IX of Sweden]]) insulting the corpse of [[Klaus Fleming]]. [[Albert Edelfelt]], 1878]] [[File:Placid death.JPG|thumb|alt=A naturally mummified body (from Guanajuato)|Dead bodies can be [[mummified]] either naturally, as this one [[Mummies of Guanajuato|from Guanajuato]], or by intention, as [[Ancient Egyptian burial customs|those in ancient Egypt]].]] In society, the nature of death and humanity's [[Mortality salience|awareness of its mortality]] has, for millennia, been a concern of the world's [[religious traditions]] and [[philosophy|philosophical inquiry]]. Including belief in [[resurrection]] or an [[afterlife]] (associated with [[Abrahamic religions]]), [[reincarnation]] or rebirth (associated with [[Dharmic religions]]), or that consciousness permanently ceases to exist, known as [[eternal oblivion]] (associated with [[Secular humanism]]).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fuKB8MPMdG4C&pg=PA18|title=Handbook to the Afterlife|last1=Heath|first1=Pamela Rae|last2=Klimo|first2=Jon|publisher=North Atlantic Books|date=2010|page=18|isbn=978-1-55643-869-1|access-date=12 April 2012|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306223706/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fuKB8MPMdG4C&lpg=PA18&pg=PA18|url-status=live}}</ref> Commemoration ceremonies after death may include various [[mourning]], funeral practices, and ceremonies of honoring the deceased.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Victoria |title=Celebrating Life Customs Around the World: From Baby Showers to Funerals [3 Volumes] |date= 2016 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-3659-6}}</ref> The physical remains of a person, commonly known as a ''corpse'' or ''body'', are usually [[burial|interred]] whole or [[cremated]], though among the world's cultures, there are a variety of other methods of [[Disposal of human corpses|mortuary disposal]].<ref name="Newcomb-2019">{{Cite web |last=Newcomb |first=Tim |date=October 17, 2019 |title=7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World |url=https://www.britannica.com/list/7-unique-burial-rituals-across-the-world |access-date=February 16, 2023 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |archive-date=1 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401042544/https://www.britannica.com/list/7-unique-burial-rituals-across-the-world |url-status=live }}</ref> In the English language, blessings directed towards a dead person include ''[[rest in peace]]'' (originally the [[Latin]], ''requiescat in pace'') or its [[initialism]] RIP. Death is the center of many traditions and organizations; customs relating to death are a feature of every culture around the world. Much of this revolves around the care of the dead, as well as the [[afterlife]] and the disposal of bodies upon the onset of death. The [[disposal of human corpses]] does, in general, begin with the [[last offices]] before significant time has passed, and ritualistic ceremonies often occur, most commonly interment or [[cremation]]. This is not a unified practice; in [[Tibet]], for instance, the body is given a [[sky burial]] and left on a mountain top. Proper preparation for death and techniques and ceremonies for producing the ability to transfer one's spiritual attainments into another body ([[reincarnation]]) are subjects of detailed study in Tibet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mullin|1998|p=}}{{page needed|date=January 2014}}</ref> [[Mummification]] or [[embalming]] is also prevalent in some cultures to retard the rate of [[Decomposition|decay]].<ref name="Brenner-2014">{{Cite journal |last=Brenner |first=Erich |date=January 18, 2014 |title=Human body preservation – old and new techniques |journal=Journal of Anatomy |volume=224 |issue=3 |pages=316–344 |doi=10.1111/joa.12160 |pmid=24438435 |pmc=3931544 |s2cid=30067467 }}</ref> Some parts of death in culture are legally based, having laws for when death occurs, such as the receiving of a death certificate, the settlement of the deceased [[estate (law)|estate]], and the issues of [[inheritance]] and, in some countries, [[inheritance tax]]ation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dimond |first=Bridgit |title=Legal Aspects of Death |publisher=Quay Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-85642-333-5 |edition=6th}}</ref> Capital punishment is also a culturally divisive aspect of death. In most jurisdictions where capital punishment is carried out today, the death penalty is reserved for premeditated murder, espionage, [[treason]], or as part of [[military justice]]. In some countries, sexual crimes, such as [[adultery]] and [[sodomy]], carry the death penalty, as do religious crimes, such as [[apostasy]], the formal renunciation of one's religion. In many [[Use of capital punishment by nation|retentionist]] countries, drug trafficking is also a capital offense. In China, [[Trafficking in human beings|human trafficking]] and serious cases of corruption are also punished by the death penalty. In militaries around the world, [[courts-martial]] have imposed death sentences for offenses such as [[cowardice]], [[desertion]], [[insubordination]], and [[mutiny]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shotatdawn.org.uk/|title=Shot at Dawn, campaign for pardons for British and Commonwealth soldiers executed in World War I|publisher=Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004030535/http://www.shotatdawn.org.uk/|archive-date=4 October 2006|access-date=20 July 2006}}</ref> Mutiny is punishable by death in the United States.<ref name=":0" /> Death in warfare and [[suicide attack]]s also have cultural links, and the ideas of ''[[dulce et decorum est pro patria mori]],'' which translates to "It is sweet and proper to die for one's country", is a concept that dates to antiquity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=United States Department of the Army |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bk8sAAAAYAAJ |title=Military Judges' Benchbook: Part 1 |publisher=United States Department of the Army |year=1982 |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=17 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817194026/https://books.google.com/books?id=Bk8sAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, grieving relatives of dead soldiers and [[death notification]] are embedded in many cultures.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hassankhani |first1=Hadi |last2=Haririan |first2=Hamidreza |last3=Porter |first3=Joanne E. |last4=Heatson |first4=Sondra |date=March 1, 2018 |title=Cultural aspects of death notification following cardiopulmonary resuscitation |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jan.13558 |journal=Journal of Advanced Nursing |volume=74 |issue=7 |pages=1564–1572 |doi=10.1111/jan.13558 |pmid=29495080 |s2cid=3700635 |via=Wiley Online Library |access-date=16 February 2023 |archive-date=16 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216164949/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jan.13558 |url-status=live }}</ref> Recently in the [[Western world]]—with the increase in terrorism following the [[September 11 attacks]] but also further back in time with suicide bombings, [[kamikaze]] missions in [[World War II]], and suicide missions in a host of other conflicts in history—death for a cause by way of suicide attack, including [[martyrdom]], have had significant cultural impacts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carducci |first=Bernardo J. |title=The Psychology of Personality: Viewpoints, Research, and Applications |date=2009 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=978-1-4051-3635-8 |edition=2nd }}</ref> Suicide, in general, and particularly [[euthanasia]], are also points of cultural debate. Both acts are understood very differently in different cultures.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Math |first1=Suresh Bada |last2=Chaturvedi |first2=Santosh K. |date=December 2012 |title=Euthanasia: Right to life vs right to die |journal=Indian Journal of Medical Research |volume=136 |issue=6 |pages=899–902 |pmid=23391785 |pmc=3612319 }}</ref> In Japan, for example, ending a life with honor by [[seppuku]] was considered a desirable death,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Masataka |first=Kosaka |date=March 2005 |title=The Showa Era (1926–1989) |journal=Daedalus |volume=119 |issue=3 |pages=24–27 |doi=10.1162/daed.2005.134.issue-2 |issn=0011-5266 |jstor=20025315}}</ref> whereas according to traditional Christian and Islamic cultures, suicide is viewed as a sin. [[File:Muerte-Blanca 6.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Santa Muerte]], the personification of death in Mexican tradition<ref>{{cite book|last=Chesnut|first=R. Andrew|year=2018|orig-date=2012|title=Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ul0vDwAAQBAJ|edition=Second|location=New York City|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|page=6|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199764662.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-063332-5|lccn=2011009177|access-date=2021-12-02|archive-date=30 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130193313/https://books.google.com/books?id=ul0vDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>]] [[Death (personification)|Death is personified]] in many cultures, with such symbolic representations as the [[Death (personification)|Grim Reaper]], [[Azrael]], the [[Hindu]] god [[Yama]], and [[Father Time]]. In the west, the Grim Reaper, or figures similar to it, is the most popular depiction of death in western cultures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McKenna |first=Amy |date=August 17, 2016 |title=Where Does the Concept of a "Grim Reaper" Come From? |url=https://www.britannica.com/story/where-does-the-concept-of-a-grim-reaper-come-from |access-date=February 16, 2023 |website=Britannica |archive-date=18 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818231426/https://www.britannica.com/story/where-does-the-concept-of-a-grim-reaper-come-from |url-status=live }}</ref> In Brazil, death is counted officially when it is registered by existing family members at a cartório, a government-authorized registry. Before being able to file for an official death, the deceased must have been registered for an official birth at the cartório. Though a Public Registry Law guarantees all Brazilian citizens the right to register deaths, regardless of their financial means of their family members (often children), the Brazilian government has not taken away the burden, the hidden costs, and fees of filing for a death. For many impoverished families, the indirect costs and burden of filing for a death lead to a more appealing, unofficial, local, and cultural burial, which, in turn, raises the debate about inaccurate [[mortality rates]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Nations|first1=Marilyn K.|last2=Amaral|first2=Mara Lucia|title=Flesh, Blood, Souls, and Households: Cultural Validity in Mortality Inquiry|journal=Medical Anthropology Quarterly|date=September 1999|volume=5|issue=3|pages=204–220|doi=10.1525/maq.1991.5.3.02a00020}}</ref> Talking about death and witnessing it is a [[Grief|difficult issue]] in most cultures. Western societies may like to treat the dead with the utmost material respect, with an official embalmer and associated rites.<ref name="Brenner-2014" /> Eastern societies (like India) may be more open to accepting it as a ''fait accompli'', with a funeral procession of the dead body ending in an open-air burning-to-ashes.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |editor=Denise Cush |editor2=Catherine A. Robinson |editor3=Michael York |isbn=978-0-7007-1267-0 |location=London |oclc=62133001}}</ref> === Origins of death === {{Main|Origin of death}} The [[origin of death]] is a theme or myth of how death came to be. It is present in nearly all cultures across the world, as death is a universal happening.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book |last=Green |first=James W. |title=Beyond the good death: the anthropology of modern dying |date=2008 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-0207-6 |location=Philadelphia |oclc=835765644}}</ref> This makes it an [[origin myth]], a myth that describes how a feature of the natural or social world appeared.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Sacred narrative, readings in the theory of myth |date=1984 |publisher=University of California Press |editor-first1=Alan |editor-last1=Dundes |isbn=0-520-05156-4 |location=Berkeley |oclc=9944508}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Myth and method |date=1996 |publisher=University Press of Virginia |editor-first1=Laurie L. |editor-last1=Patton |editor-first2=Wendy |editor-last2=Doniger |isbn=0-8139-1656-9 |location=Charlottesville |oclc=34516050}}</ref> There can be some similarities between myths and cultures. In [[Mythologies of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas|North American mythology]], the theme of a man who wants to be immortal and a man who wants to die can be seen across many [[Indigenous peoples|Indigenous people]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Boas |first=Franz |date=October 1917 |title=The Origin of Death |journal=The Journal of American Folklore |volume=30 |issue=118 |pages=486–491 |doi=10.2307/534498 |jstor=534498 |jstor-access=free}}</ref> In Christianity, death is the result of the [[fall of man]] after eating the fruit from the [[tree of the knowledge of good and evil]].<ref name="auto"/> In [[Greek mythology]], the opening of [[Pandora's box]] releases death upon the world.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lang |first=Andrew |title=Modern mythology |date=2007 |publisher=Echo Library |isbn=978-1-4068-1672-3 |location=Middlesex |oclc=269027849}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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