Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Is this really being 'buried with dignity'?

Losing pets can be very traumatic for owners -- and the thought of one's pets in doggy (or rabbity/catty) heaven can be very comforting for many people. But do deceased pets really need a full-on religious funeral?
Yes, says a senior chaplain at one of America's universities:
Harold White, the senior Jewish chaplain at Georgetown University, has presided over several funerals for pets, including four of his own cats.
"The important thing is to bring solace to people who have suffered a loss," said White, who wings it with prayers of his own creation, because there is no set ceremony in Judaism for the burial of an animal. "I believe an animal who lived with dignity in the home should be buried with dignity."
But many religious leaders do not share his conviction. Most of the ceremonies White has performed have been for pet owners whose own clergy refused to officiate.
"I'm a pet lover," White said. "I think the clergy who would tend to officiate would be clergy who own pets."
Yeah, or who have way, way too much time on their hands. Who pays this guy's salary?
(And how could he bury a dog that hasn't had a bark-mitzvah?)

(Via Yeshiva Orthodoxy)

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