Monks, caskets, and circling the drain

As most of us know, there are certain things in life that are sure things - taxes, illness, death, and government intrusion into every facet of your short life on this earth.  Government tells you how much of your money you can keep.  More and more the government tells you what you can spend that remaining money on.  No 16 ounce sodas if you live in New York City (limited salt, where you can do certain things like smoking...)  The federal government under Barack Obama will now tell you what religion you can practice, how you can practice it and will limit that religious practice to inside your church building.  Don't believe me?  Ask the Catholics who are now suing over Obamacare mandates that will force them to pay for abortions, the murder of unborn children.

Today we learn about the Order of Saint Benedict monks and their production of caskets.  The government will allow the monks to make the caskets, they just can't sell them because only licensed funeral establishments can sell caskets in Louisiana.

I find this a little strange since people can now buy caskets from Wal-Mart, online, and numerous other places.  I also find it strange since we know the way some funeral homes rip customers off with high prices and things they don't really need, taking advantage of their grief. 

The monks do quality work and are simply trying to support themselves.  Obviously things government know nothing about.

As the article states, Saint Joseph isn’t seeking any financial compensation from the funeral board, just the right to run its business.'

St. Joseph Abbey, founded in 1889 as part of the Order of Saint Benedict, has been producing caskets for as long as its monks can remember, but until recently, they were only used for the private burials of their own members. In the 1990s they built a few coffins for the funerals of local bishops and the Catholic community began to take notice. “People would come to our funerals and see them and ask if we could make one for a family member,” says Abbot Justin Brown, “but we couldn’t do it because we didn’t have the wherewithal to construct them on a larger scale.”

St. Joseph receives no money from the Catholic Church, and for a long time it funded the living costs of its 36 monks largely through timber taken from a pine forest that was part of the abbey’s property. But the monastery is located right by Lake Pontchartrain and in 2005 Hurricane Katrina “destroyed about 60% of our forest,” says Brown. St. Joseph had to come up with a replacement source of income—and quickly. The monks turned to what they did best: caskets. “We saw it as a way to provide a service for people who’d been asking for our caskets and also to bring in enough money to support our life here,” says Brown. “Little did we know we’d be breaking the law.”  (continue reading at Bloomberg Business Week)

Read the full article, both pages.  It is very informative about these laws, how they are enforced in other states, etc.  Just for the record, hubby and I have made plans to be cremated and our ashes scattered across the river near our home, thus cutting out the expense of funeral, casket, cemetery, the price of upkeep...

Other articles of interest:

The Murfreesboro Mosque: Built on a Foundation of Lies

(hat tip R.J. Godlewski)

Elitist Film Critics Sneer at Religious Freedom Epic: 'Catnip for Crusaders'

The Most Morally Bankrupt Impostor
President In US History  -Warning: Explicit language

CNN: Why can’t the White House keep a secret? (Hot Air)

Comments

[Always On Watch]

It's stunning, isn't it?

Funerals are expensive, and it's WRONG for the government to force the bereaved to buy more expensive caskets. Sheesh.

[Plumber]

Thanks to this posts. I have an open minded now and so forth.. thanks for the advice and for the Information about this.