Humanist, non-religious funerals

[@johnardernresearch]

Lovely video-thank you! One of my four wonderful daughters recently passed away from the effects of breast cancer and related brain damage - but she is now pain-free and resting in peace. The Humanist "Celebration of her Life" was one of the nicest events I will always associate with my daughter - attended by a 100 or so of her special friends and family, ending in the release of 36 pink balloons, one for each of her short but happy life.

[@DavidPearsonTheDRTVCentre]

John Ardern So sorry to hear your sad news, John, but am very pleased that you were comforted by the Humanist funeral. Being an atheist I'm becoming increasingly interested in Humanism.

[@publius1252]

So sorry to read of your loss. No parent should have to bury a child, no matter how old they are. But to say she is ‘resting in peace’ is at odds with the humanist world view that there is nothing supernatural or transcendent. Just atoms and cells and nothing more. An honest humanist would say they believe she is no more than a decomposing mass of cells, organs and flesh, no different from a dead dog or road kill. Regardless of how she lived her life. A vacuous, shallow and ultimately meaningless world view. I hope she IS resting in the presence of God.

[@derek24hudson]

We had a Humanist funeral service for our dear mother, who died a year ago. It was conducted with great compassion, humour, yes humour, and sensitivity by the 'official' Humanist celebrant, if that's the correct word. What a relief and change to have a funeral in which we, the family, were 'in control', and that the service was about my mother, not about what some church official believed about 'where she is now'. A great advance for secularists and non-believers.

[@TinaGoldberg]

We poured the ashes from our parents down to the roots of a tree. First, our dad's and when our mom died 7 months later, we made sure she joined him under and in the tree. A wonderful feeling.

[@Matt-qx3ne]

I'm an agnostic-atheist living in America, and I think this is awesome. All of the funerals I've attended were planned to make sad people even sadder. I want my funeral to be a celebration- craft beers, people cracking jokes, non-religious music (Radiohead, perhaps? Maybe Pink Floyd?), and dope food. I want people leaving my funeral feeling better, not worse. Death will always be difficult to deal with, regardless of the circumstance. Funerals should provide comfort, not more grief.

[@sarjenka]

Matt Grace agnostic atheist seems so paradoxal you believe or you don’t. So loose the atheist part, if you determend to use the agnostic part.

[@marcusanark2541]

Wonderful! Congratulations to all those involved in the services.

[@shamsulislam1350]

I am HUMANISTS. I want my funeral nonreligious. That's the best way to say goodbye to my love ones and this wonderful world. Thanks

[@maxpayne3628]

Yeah 🙄. That seems absurd.

[@Humanisto]

Well done, Isabel and the BHA: excellent!

[@noraminor7324]

I remember crying at my grandmas funeral because i suddenly didn’t know what my funeral would look like if something happened to me. As an apostate in a Catholic home. My mother told me simply don’t die bc I won’t have a choice…

[@littlerichie874]

Wonderful...thank you :)

[@mouldybear]

Fabulous. I wish the same for me.

[@pammacdonald9000]

my dad had a humanist funeral it was wonderful far better than any religious funeral

[@grambo4436]

This Is The Kind Of Funeral I Want To Have If One Day I'll Pass. :)

[@ainelynch5466]

My loved one passed away she is non religious is it ok to say catholic prayers.

[@georgejob7544]

Why would you for a non religious person. It defies description! I am a Humanist, I would be averse to that myself !!! Defeats the purpose!

[@yahshuarules4801]

The Agnostic Humanist "He is not under the control or guidance of any supernatural being or beings but he has to rely on himself and his own power". I like this and I agree with it because when you rely on yourself and your own power you are relying on your nature. and your nature is exactly the same nature as Elohim. What I'm proposing is that when you depend on yourself and rely on yourself you're relying on your nature which is the nature of Elohim. What I'm proposing is that the Elohim nature is the source of our nature. The nature of Elohim is Intelligent Communication, touch, sentient friendship. That's how we have Intelligent Communication, touch, and sentient friendship in our lives. We take after the Elohim. Our Real Originators are light beings. they're made of LifeLight (shaped like humans) and they respect each other. and stand together in a circle. and hear one another non-verbally. they understand each other. they're totally in unity. These are Divine beings and they are exactly perfectly equal to eachother. and when they placed their hands on each other's backs to do a circular hug. a bubble of light came out of them. And this light was the universe with all the stars moving and everything in the universe takes after the nature of Elohim which is orderly, purposeful friendship. You can discover in science that magnetism is what keeps the stars from colliding and keep the perfect orderliness Among the Stars so that there's no chaos and life can bloom. but the point is why there is no orderliness is because he came from these beings. only what is in the nature of these beings is what we see expressed as our universe.

[@altfish2]

The ceremonies are usually held at the local crematorium and the deceased buried / cremated in the normal way at the cemetery adjoining the crematorium. I've been to quite a few humanist ceremonies in recent years and they are always far superior to religious services,

[@reincarnata7324]

Thankyou so much.

[@prp3231]

When we humanists say things like, " this person has passed away.." "the person that we have lost...." what do we mean? Bit confused.

[@georgejob7544]

Died , gone ! No longer alive ! Dead is dead..

[@prp3231]

@@georgejob7544 but the body is still there, so who has passed away?

[@mrsgolden6526]

If existence is only earthly it doesnt matter if you're alive or dead, and once you're dead it doesn't matter if someone enjoyed life or not, all goes back to zero as If it never happened in the first place

[@prp3231]

@@mrsgolden6526 but that doesn't explain why humanists use the words..."that person has passed away.." ,when clearly the body is still there?

[@prp3231]

@@mrsgolden6526 what you stated is similar to the philosophy of voidism that is found in the ancient philosophies of Vedanta.

[@kevinamis2546]

Perfect.

[@roder51]

Humanist funerals are for people who had a real life.

[@americanliberal09]

What does non-religious has anything to with "humanism"? Not all non-religious people are even subscribed to "humanism", though. 🤨

[@patwinslow]

Let's hope that the days of the 'flat-pack' funeral are numbered - you know the sort: insert name (wrongly sometimes), say a set piece and remind everyone that the deceased was a miserable sinner....The most brutal funeral I've ever experienced was a C of E one. It left a grieving mother absolutely distraught and grieving friends bewildered and angry. After attending several nourishing and compassionate Humanist funerals I decided to become a BHA celebrant myself.

[@junieindadunies2434]

*sends balloons* where they going though?

[@d.slattarra2934]

Sounds like a Christian funeral minus all the hocus pocus and talk of the afterlife.

[@georgejob7544]

That is my opinion precisely! Mumbo jumbo! Just close family,who knew the person intimately! He meant well ! Bye ! Keep it simple!

[@mrsgolden6526]

@@georgejob7544 doesn't even matter if he meant well once he's dead

[@roberthamilton2334]

Seek and ye will find , knock and the door will be opened unto you!! Don't be bluffed .

[@rodshop5897]

@Robert Hamilton I sought for years and never found, I knocked on the door until my hands bled and it was never opened. I was not bluffed.

[@georgejob7544]

I am 75 years old, raised strictly Presbyterian! Never saw nor heard my door knocked , Church twice each Sunday! Two boring hours listening to stories which are unsubstantiated! No! I am non religious and Humanist! I believe in rational thought. Logic and scientific proof! Never saw any manifestations! No! As far as I m concerned dead is dead! Finito, you had your time now it's over! Cheers!