Given the religious, ethnic, and regional diversity among us, there are many other reasons for the dramatic rise in the number of cremations performed each year. According to Tyler Mathisen of NBC, one of those reasons "is the softening of the Catholic church's views of the practice. For centuries—until 1963, in fact—the church outlawed it. The church's laws still express a preference for burial. But the outright ban is a thing of the past."
He goes on to tell readers that the decline in nuclear families is another reason. "As more Americans live far from hometowns and parents, and as family burial plots have waned in popularity and accessibility, millions have turned to cremation as a practical and cost-effective way to care for a loved one's remains."
Cremation also allows a family the flexibility they may need in planning and preparing for a memorial service, celebration-of-life, or a scattering ceremony. While the cremation process can occur almost immediately (once all the proper paperwork is complete), the decisions required in planning a meaningful memorial for a loved one can be made in a relaxed, rational way.
For some, concern for the environment ranks high among many who choose cremation. While cemetery space is a concern to some, it is reported that if there were no more cemetery space developed, there is enough ground already dedicated for burials for the next one hundred years. Of course this may not hold true for every cemetery. Some may question the effect of in ground burial on ground water contamination but many still question the amount of atmospheric pollution created by the cremation process. There can be a case made for or against each method of disposition but ultimately it is up to you or your family to decide.