Are Headstones Religious？

Differences in Headstones for Graves culture among different religions: Christian culture  

Christianity, known in China as The Jesuits, is a widely spread religion in the world today. It is the general term for those who worship Jesus Christ as the "savior". They include Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and some smaller denominations. People in Christian countries and regions believe that people are servants of God and come to this world with original sin. After death, people can either enter heaven and return to God to live a holy life, or they can fall into hell. 

The "resurrection" of Jesus Christ shows the supreme authority of God's omnipotence and makes believers believe that everything has god's beautiful will. "Death" is not a misfortune, but a turning point from a brief, physical, sinful and painful life to the eternal happiness of the "spirit" in the "kingdom of heaven". The Christian thoughts about death and resurrection make westerners show a calm and even sincere attitude towards death. All taboos and fears about death have disappeared with the belief in resurrection. In western countries, people do not pay much attention to the construction of tombs, funeral ceremonies are relatively simple. In the United States, for example, it was not until about the 16th and 17th centuries that shroud was used to wrap the dead in funerals. In the 18th century, spiritual coffins were used. Graveyards were built near churches or beautiful places in the suburbs, with simple burial and only a memorial mark (such as a cross) left beside the Custom Headstones.  

Christian contact with China has always been intermittent. Nestorianism, introduced in the 7th century, and Also in the 13th century, disappeared temporarily because of the road traffic between the east and the West. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the great discovery of European geography and the opening of east-West sea routes again aroused the enthusiasm of Christianity to preach to the East. It is worth noting that with the arrival of Western Christians in this period, western funeral concepts and customs also began to enter China. Most westerners who come to China are buried in pure Christian cemeteries.  

After resting, Christians do not need to look at feng shui to choose orientation, do not burn incense, do not burn paper money, do not sacrifice, do not hang the elegiac couplets, all with flowers to remember, with simple and elegant white flowers mainly. If earth burial is adopted, the ceremony is divided into three stages: encoffination, farewell worship (resting) and burial. Farewell services can be held at the funeral home or at a moving church. If died in the hospital, in the mortuary, then moved to the church farewell services, burial. In the auditorium layout and supplies, to the actual needs, practical principle, saving not extravagant, the whole ceremony is neat, beautiful, solemn.  

Most Of The Chinese Christian believers have deeply rooted traditional ideas before joining the church, and still attach importance to ancestor worship and the concept of the township, which conflicts with the Christian funeral culture. Although many local people join Christianity, they only accept the shell of Christianity and identify with Chinese culture in depth. Therefore, many Chinese Christians still follow the traditional funeral customs after death, but add some Christian decorative elements on the tombstone, such as crosses and olive branches.  

The result is a Christian Headstone in both Chinese and Western languages. Most of the inscriptions in the missionary chi head tablets are written in imitation of song style and Latin printing style, which may be derived from the habit of inscription in Europe. The inscription only contains the owner's surname, nationality, age of membership, time in China and year of birth and death. In addition, chi head turtle shape is a complete Chinese traditional tablet.