The modern man’s funeral rites and burial practices may find parallelisms in these funeral and burial practices with his ancestors.  However, the similarities end where rationale behind these practices begin. 

The ancient view of death and dying is more superstitious rather than pragmatic and while a modern rationale for cremation would be to economize burial space or stop contagion of decease or plague causing the death, ancient basis for cremation of the dead was grounded on the view that evil spirits have caused the person his death and must therefore be destroyed by fire.  Thus, burning the body of the dead is believed to dispel the evil spirits within it, preventing it from further harming those who are living.

While fire dispels evil spirits that cause death in one religion, some cultures and religions like Zoroastrianism consider fire too sacred for the dead and burying the dead would only corrupt the earth. 

q       As a way of disposing their dead, Zoroastrians simply leave their dead in open spaces for vultures to devour. 

q       Similarly, the Kamchatkan of Tibet leave their dead in the jungle to be devoured by wild beasts and dogs.