[danielf]

Originally Posted by Chris

We went to a family funeral recently which was a strange experience as the immediate family asked the British Humanist Association to send someone to officiate.

On the face of it this was a sensible idea because the one who died wasn't religious in any way, but in practice, when you're in a room full of people looking for some sort of comfort and reassurance, having someone at the front of the room preaching that this really was the end, no more, final curtain, etc etc wasn't what many people wanted at all.

There is a big difference between positively confessing atheism (as the man from the BHA was doing) and simply having no strong personal conviction on the subject. It did trigger some interesting conversations over lunch though. Lots of folks we talked to were happy to reject the BHA man's claim that there's nothing after life, although they weren't at all sure what form it might take.

So that's an interesting thought Maggy. Do you make sure there's some religious content to your funeral even though you don't share that belief? I know for myself that my funeral is my last great evangelistic opportunity to tell people what I believe - there won't be anything but religious content at mine.

I'm not sure why an Atheist funeral would need someone preaching that this was the end. It seems a little perverse to me. Is there any need to make up for religious content with specifically Atheist content? If people want comfort and reassurance they should go to mass. Not to a funeral.

None of the funerals I've been to had any religious content. Speeches were about the deceased. Not about whether there is an afterlife or not.