why some bodies do not decompose

Ever wondered about the phenomenon of incorruptibles - the bodies that do not decompose over time, without any embalming or preservation techniques?

These are touted as proof of Catholicism's trueness, or of Sufism in Islam.

Nothing of the kind. Read on ...

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Adipocere (also known as corpse, grave or mortuary wax) is a wax-like organic substance formed by the anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis of fat in tissue, such as body fat in corpses. In its formation, putrefaction is replaced by a permanent firm cast of fatty tissues, internal organs and the face.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 History
* 2 Appearance
* 3 Formation
* 4 Footnotes

[edit] History

Adipocere was first described by Sir Thomas Browne in his discourse Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial (1658):[1]

In a Hydropicall body ten years buried in a Church-yard, we met with a fat concretion, where the nitre of the Earth, and the salt and lixivious liquor of the body, had coagulated large lumps of fat, into the consistence of the hardest castle-soap: wherof part remaineth with us.

The chemical process of adipocere formation, saponification, came to be understood in the 17th century when microscopes became widely available.[1]

Augustus Granville is believed to have somewhat unwittingly made candles from the adipocere of a mummy and used them to light the public lecture he gave to report on the mummy's dissection.[2]
[edit] Appearance

Adipocere is a crumbly, waxy, water-insoluble material consisting mostly of saturated fatty acids. Depending on whether it was formed from white or brown body fat, adipocere is grayish white or tan in color.[1]

In corpses, the firm cast of adipocere allows some estimation of body shape and facial features, and injuries are often well-preserved.[1] An example of such a corpse is available at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[edit] Formation

The transformation of fats into adipocere occurs best in the absence of oxygen in a cold and humid environment, such as in wet ground or mud at the bottom of a lake or a sealed casket, and it can occur with both embalmed and untreated bodies. Adipocere formation begins within a month of death, and in the absence of air it can persist for centuries.[3] An exposed, infested body or a body in a warm environment is unlikely to form deposits of adipocere.

Corpses of women, infants and overweight persons are particularly prone to adipocere transformation because they contain more body fat.[1] In forensic science, the utility of adipocere formation to estimate the postmortem interval is limited because the speed of the process is temperature-dependent. It is speeded up by warmth, but temperature extremes impede it.[1]
[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ a b c d e f Murad, Turhon A. (2008). "Adipocere". in Ayn Embar-seddon, Allan D. Pass (eds.). Forensic Science. Salem Press. pp. 11. ISBN 978-1587654237.
2. ^ Pain, Stephanie (01 January 2009). "What killed Dr Granville's mummy?". New Scientist (2687). http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026877.000-what-killed-dr-granvilles-mummy.html.
3. ^ "Decomposition: What is grave wax?". http://www.deathonline.net/decomposition/body_changes/grave_wax.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-18.

Murder in the name of false gods

The latest is in Kyrgyzstan

Those worshipping the false god of ethnicity have unleashed a reign of terror which has left more than thousand dead, by eyewitness accounts. More than a 100,000 have taken refuge in neighboring Uzbekistan.

That is not the only place where false gods are being worshipped. The US worships the false god of "our way of life", and thinks that entitles it to wage wars against hapless civilians worldwide.

The Israelis worship the false god who they say gave them the land now called Palestine, and think this gives them the right to blockade , starve and even directly murder those not serving their god. Their god is not YHW, but Israel, or Zionism.

Many Indians (Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs) worship a variety of false gods, almost everything under the sun, and most of their own making. Chief among these is being "Bharat Mata", which allows them to call the Muslim state of Kashmir as "an atote ang (unbreakable part) of Bharat Mata". This, of course in their opinion, gives them the right to rule Kashmir militarily.

"My country, my nation, my tribe, my sect, right or wrong", declare the modern-day worshipper of false gods.

Look at the Christians - most of them worship a Prophet of God as God Himself, declaring him as God's son, separate yet part of Him. In addition they have the holy ghost, a partner in the Trinity. Why three gods, why not five?

And this is where the Shia step in. Many of them worship five gods - panjtane paak. The Ismailis have a living god - the Agha Khan.

The Catholics have a multitude of saints to worship). Are Muslims behind? You find shrines to "holy" men and women, where all acts that can be described as acts of worship take place. Where the injunctions of God and His last Prophet (saw) are openly defied.

Then there are gods of secularism - nationalism, ethnicity, class, way of life, money, pursuit of happiness, carnal pursuits, enjoyment - in fact the worship of one's desires, are all false gods.

Giving in to one's desires is one thing, not repenting, making it a way of life, finding excuses, or denying there will ever be a reckoning, is another.

May we all repent and come to the One and Only God.