Atheists: would you want a secular funeral?

Question

No prayers or hymns, but ritualistic in other ways - speakers, moments of reflection, appropriate music, sobriety and warm reflection, formal dress.

I think when I am much older I would like to declare this in a will.

Answer 1

That would be nice. I want my body disposed of in a way that doesn't take up valuable space in some cemetery though. But the funerals for the living, if my relatives are christian they can have a priest there. It would be an insult to my life, but I'm just that nice to let them anyway.

Answer 2

That reminds me...I must get my wishes down on paper..

I don't want a conventional funeral.  I want a private cremation and my ashes thrown into the Atlantic so that some of me might end up in both Scotland, where I live and love, and in Nova Scotia, where I am from and also love.

My adult children live some distance away, so they would not be expected to attend, but at the arranged time for the burning and disposing of my remains, perhaps they'd like to take a collective 'wee dram', and, hopefully, have a few fond memories of me to share.  

I don't suppose that any of my body parts would be good enough for recycling.  Maybe the part of my brain which denies a god could be used to enlighten a theist....:-)

Afterwards, life would carry on..just not with me in it.

Answer 3

Yes, I want a secular funeral!

Answer 4

I agree with Sebastian as for what to do with my body.  But as for a memorial service, yes, I would want it to be secular.  Sobriety and formal dress are not necessary, however.  I would like to picture my friends and family partying it up with all my favorite foods, booze, and rock music, and sitting around talking, laughing and reminiscing about me.

If I had a choice in the matter, that's what I'd like to have happen, and I really hope my family would not disrespect my memory by having a religious funeral for me.  But the fact is, I'll be dead and I won't care.  Funerals are for the living, and whatever makes them feel better, I suppose, is what they'll do.

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Oh, sure.  I agree with you completely.  I didn't mean to imply that just because I know it won't matter after I'm dead, it doesn't matter to me now.  It does.  Especially since I have Mormon relatives, who I know will try to dead-dunk me after I'm gone.  That thought pisses me off to no end; I'm just trying not to stress out about it, because disrespectful as it is, in the end, they're just doing it to make themselves feel better, and there's not much I can do about it anyway.

I'll tell my family what I want, as far as my funeral goes; I don't think there's anything selfish about that.  Whether they do it or not is up to them.

Answer 5

I don't give a rat's a**s. I'll be dead. Do whatever you want.

Answer 6

I could care less.  I shall be dead.  However my wife is likely to have a Humanist funeral for me.  

She says she's going to stick me in a cardboard coffin and buried in the woods too.   Since most medical schools in the UK have more bodies than they know what to do with and it costs them to subsequently dispose of the remains, that's cool with me.

My personal choice would be lots of loud music and booze, but hey.  Since I shan't be there I guess I'd better start now.

Whatever, it's not a big issue for me.  Funerals are for the living IMO.

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Answer 7

I definitely want a secular funeral.

Answer 8

Well I'm certainly registered with the organ donation database, I think I will just sign myself over to medical science, and I suppose it would be nice if someone planted a tree or two, I thing funerals and services are more for those left behind, so I wouldn't mind what they did, it'd be up to them, after medical science had finished with me that is, well, they wouldn't actually need what was left of me to be there would they?:)

Answer 9

Cremation, pine casket, no visitation, no speaking of religious c**p, buried with my cat's ashes.  

Answer 10

Absolutely no voodoo of any kind.  In fact, I don't even want a funeral.  From chopping block to fire.  That's it!

Answer 11

All but the sobriety.

Yuk it up people. I did while I was here and I would not want you to spend one day crying for me.  

Answer 12

Okay, I'm scaring myself answering this question because I'm still quite young and hate talking about anything death-related. But ...

Firstly...

I'm a little confused of whether I'd be called an atheist. I don't believe in religion, I've studied them and I appreciate and respect their teaching's but simply I believe religion has only fuelled more conflict than peace in the world.

I believe in God. But when I say 'God' I mean an energy, not a person. A 'something' not a 'someone'.

At my funeral I wouldn't want anything read from the Bible or anything. Because I don't believe in the Bible, 3/4 of it is ancient Egyption anyway.

I'd certainly want a Union Jack over my coffin to show my love and respect for my country.

And I'd like the national anthems of England, Israel and Morocco played 3 countries that are very close to my heart.

I'd want my funeral to be as happy as can be. I wouldn't want people shedding tears of sadness if it could be helped. I'd want formal dress, but not black. I wouldn't want sad music that gives people lumps in

their throats, I'd want music that would make people feel comfortable

and at peace.

I don't think that's selfish. What you describe is natural, everybody would like their life to be celebrated.

Thank you..

Answer 13

All I want is amazing grace played by about 20 bagpipe players.

Answer 14

Nah, I'd like my body to be used even after death, like organ donations and stem cell research. Then just give me to the trees and worms.

Answer 15

I want a secular funeral. I want people to talk about their memories they will have of me, not of how 'if she accepted Jesus then SURELY she is walking in heaven with the LORD!'. I don't want my family and friends listening to religious jibber jabber while mourning me.

Answer 16

i'd like it to be a party

Answer 17

h**l no. I want to be remembered yes, but if I am perfectly healthy, I want to get gutted and have my organs be given to those who need (donate my body to science).