The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-09-12

No true parent can find fault with child who
Is loyal TO conscience and to truth true parent
can desire child to commit grievous sin by de-
hberately refusing to do what he knows to be the
will of God
The Catholic Church interprets the fourth COM
mandment. Honor thy father and thy mother .
to imply obedience in all that is good and lawful
Ii parent command or advise something con-
trary to Gods law. child is bound to disobey, on
the apostolic principle "Wc ought to obev God
rather than mon" (Acts 29).
Wig is the Church opposed to cremation?
On May 10, 1856, Roman decree forbade Cath.
oilcS to join those societies whose object was to
spread the practice of cremation. or to leave orders
for the cremation of ones body or that of an
other" The reasons for the Church's opposition
1st. Although there is no intrinsic reason wbv
cremation is unlawful and no divine precept to
bury the dead, still it is contrary to the universal
practice OF the Jews under the old law (Gen xiii
4, lob. lr1-9) and the Christians under the new.
md 1t Is today advocated by modern unbeliev-
ers, who knowing the Christian respect for the dead
arises from the fact of the resurrection hope by
this practical method to undermine the belief in
immortality catholics have grave reasons to op-
pose cremation" writes the panthestic Free Ma
son Gmslerl (Almanacco del Lberi Muratari for
loSl(; this publication of the dead by means of
nre would shake to its foundations Catholic pre-
dominance based on the terror which it has sur
'O'i'AoN 'O''tli
i'm short hour comingled with the in
ner being of the great All J"
}rd. The early Christians buried the dead after
the example OF Christ a protest against the pa
gan denial of the resurrection, and out of respect
Tor the body which had been the dwelling place of
God by the reception of the Eucharist
4th. Cremation today is opposed to the whole
spirit of the burial service of the Catholic Church.
although should cremation be made compulsory
law, as some of its advocates demand she could
easily adapt her prayers and funeral services to this
new method.
5th Medical men and jurists have opposed ere
nation on the ground that it destroys all evidence
of the cause of death, so often needed in criminal
cases of poisoning
9Th There is no objection to cremation in
times of pestilence or in such cases as the late
flood in Galveston, when it is needed for the public
good. Coronation and Christianity" Dublin Re-
view April 1890; ''The Ethics of Cremation.n The
Month"; May 1875; rs Cremation Christian Bur-
ial?" ibid, 1SS4)
some unknown law of nature. You must admit that
as yet we do not know all her secrets.
A little reflection will convince man that
knowledge of all the laws of nature is not necessary
to determine whether particular fact be a mir
acle or not. Medical science may make great
strides within the next century, but no new medi-
cine will ever be able to bring the dead to life.
hypnotic suggestion may effect some wonderful
new cures, but it never. will give sight to a man
without eyes. A new Edison may make some new
discoveries more marvellous than his yet no in
ventor will ever be able to calm the winds and
waves at a word or to pass through closed door
Ii, then, we have good evidence of an effect be-
yond the power of any creature, as for instance.
the feeding of 5000 with five loaves the very
uniformity of the laws of science forbids us to
deny the miracle in virtue of some unknown law.
1t is merely question of evidence