Funerals

From comments that have been made recently in online discussions and at meetings, it seems that some members and supporters don't fully understand how the ceremonies that we provide relate to humanism in general. Someone wrote, "They're just about making money". This is my blog about death and funerals. It might help anyone who doesn't understand why we do what we do, and it isn't about making money; our fees have to cover all our expenses, as we're not salaried like clergy.

Click here to read Dead Interesting.

Seven Hills Crematorium on Felixstowe Road, Nacton is holding a ”Dispelling the myths” and Cream Tea Event in support of The Treehouse Appeal. The crematorium will throw open its doors with access all areas for the public. Entrance will be free but Cream and High Teas will be on sale and served in the garden.

The first time I conducted a funeral for a biker whose hearse was a motorcycle and side-car, a long procession of his fellow bikers roared through the town behind it. The conductor (the person in charge from the Co-op) rode pillion, wearing his top hat. The chapel filled with men and women in motorcycle gear and the sound of leather creaking as they moved about. Such events are no longer unusual, and the people who provide the motorcycle hearses are kept very busy.

Today, The Co-operative Funeralcare has released a report into changing funeral customs, The Ways We Say Goodbye, which shows that, among other things, "Half of today’s funerals (49%) are a celebration of life and one in ten includes no religion at all." In a relatively short period of time, maybe twenty years, attitudes towards funerals have changed as most people have realised that a traditional Christian funeral isn't compulsory, and has little relevance to the lives of a majority of people.

Click here to find out more about Humanist funerals

Click here for my Dead Interesting blog

When funerals were all (or almost all) conducted by clergy, at least you knew what you'd be getting: a load of old cobblers about being with Jesus and anyone who'd pre-deceased the deceased; the Lord's Prayer; two or three dreary hymns; and so on. Many clergy did the same funeral for everyone. Some even forgot whose funeral they were doing and got the name wrong. It was all very predictable and irrelevant.