exploiting the dead

[jrtom]

Shameless in Colorado

. . . unbeknownst to her, the ashes from her cremated fetus had been buried in a secret ceremony at the Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Boulder. The church had gotten the ashes from Crist Mortuary, which had contracted with Hern in 2001 to dispose of medical waste. Though their contract specified that the material would not be part of a religious ceremony, the mortuary company had given each of seven shipments of ashes received under the contract to the church, which had placed them near a "memorial wall for the unborn," while a church bell tolled to the rhythm of a beating heart. Crist also gave the church ashes from fetuses that were miscarried at Avista Adventist Hospital in nearby Louisville, Colorado.

On January 23, one day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade decision establishing the right to abortion, the church went public, inviting press to its ritual service involving the ashes of these miscarried and aborted fetuses . . .

Although I do think that the wishes of the people involved ought to be respected, I can understand someone wanting to perform a religious ceremony for this sake. (Although I hope that regardless of how the suit goes, future potential customers of the mortuary realize that it violated its previous customers' wishes as well as their contracts.)

But this was clearly done for a political purpose, and regardless of how I might feel about this purpose, this kind of conduct is reprehensible.

Comments

Yeah...

[fdmts.livejournal.com]

It's people like this who give religion a bad name. Jesus knew this.

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
     So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
     And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
     When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

—Matthew 6:1-6,16-18, NIV

I wonder if calling a press conference counts as "standing on the street corner."

_nice_ quote.

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

And now I know where the "left hand know what your right hand is doing" quote comes from, too. Bonus!

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

I live about 4.5 miles from that church.

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

Eek. Did you hear about this at the time?

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, it received significant coverage in the local news.