Athiest funerals??

Nature Boy

Hi,

I don't follow any religion or believe i any god (I guess I'm athiest then ).

I'm just wondering what athiests do when they die? Is there a funeral of any kind? Where are they buried? Not that I intend on dying anytime soon or anything, I'm just curious...

Wishbone Ash

Nature Boy wrote:

Hi,

I don't follow any religion or believe i any god (I guess I'm athiest then ).

I'm just wondering what athiests do when they die? Is there a funeral of any kind? Where are they buried? Not that I intend on dying anytime soon or anything, I'm just curious...

I was at one recently - straight from wake (i.e. the home) to cemetery. No prayers althoughh a few words were said.

In Dublin most of the cemetries are controlled by the local councils. I'm not sure what happens if they are church owned.

Nature Boy

Ah. I didn't realise there was such a thing as a cemetery that wasn't owned by a church. Cool. So I guess there will be somewhere for me to rest my bones when I die!!

shay7

Nature Boy wrote:

I'm just wondering what athiests do when they die? Is there a funeral of any kind? Where are they buried?

If you don’t lay down a few ground rules in life your relatives will burry you as they see fit. This may involve some acts of worship that you may not appreciate (not that you'll be conscious of what's going on)

Funsterdelux

shay7 wrote:

If you don’t lay down a few ground rules in life your relatives will burry you as they see fit. This may involve some acts of worship that you may not appreciate (not that you'll be conscious of what's going on)

Exactly, I told my mother and some other family members a few weeks ago, that I wanted to be cremated, or anything but the church graveyard.

Also I dont want a funeral, they can have a session/party if they want, otherwise, I would be turning in my ashes.

guildofevil

That's one of those little ironies, isn't it?

If you are an atheist, it shouldn't really matter to you what happens to your body after you are dead, because your conciousness no longer exists. If your relatives want to commemorate you with a religious ceremony, it makes no difference.

However, if your, presumably theist, relatives believe that your conciousness is still around to be upset by this, they should avoid a religious ceremony. “It's how he would have wanted it”, sot of thing.

I always liked the old pre/early Christian idea of planting a tree on the grave site. A human body must make for wonderful compost.

Séan

ScumLord

toWouldn't it be best to donate your body to science?

I'd go down the cremation road but only because I have a fear of being burid alive.

Or do what those monks do find your body to the vultures, back to nature, that's the best way.

At the end of the day don't really care whatever makes my family happy at that time I don't mind.

Funsterdelux

Maybe I just want to piss everyone else off

Dades

Funsterdelux wrote:

Maybe I just want to piss everyone else off

Maybe they'll just dump you in a skip.

I'm not sure about giving my whole body to science. I've heard about what med students get up to and I wouldn't be comfortable on my death bed thinking about it.

I really like the idea of having a tree grow from where you are buried. Ideally it/you would be planted on some family land where your tree can grow and your great-great-grandkids can build a treehouse in it.

Nature Boy

ScumLord wrote:

toWouldn't it be best to donate your body to science?

I'd probably donate my organs and blood for transplants but I dunno about my whole body. Maybe I could have myself stuffed...

Wishbone Ash

ScumLord wrote:

toWouldn't it be best to donate your body to science?

Yes but it will be returned when they are finished poking about with it.

Consider the Body Farm?

shay7

guildofevil wrote:

That's one of those little ironies, isn't it?

If you are an atheist, it shouldn't really matter to you what happens to your body after you are dead, because your conciousness no longer exists. If your relatives want to commemorate you with a religious ceremony, it makes no difference.

Yes it dont matter what happens to my body when I'm dead, but it strikes me that some of my genuine friends (who know my stance) might see the thing as a sham. They might even find it upsetting to see me commemorated in this way.

A good old fashioned wake with plenty of beer and music sounds good

The Atheist wrote:

I really like the idea of having a tree grow from where you are buried. Ideally it/you would be planted on some family land where your tree can grow and your great-great-grandkids can build a treehouse in it.

That sounds really cool but isn’t it illegal to bury someone anywhere else except a cemetery? Ok, you did say Ideally

shay7

Wishbone Ash wrote:

In Dublin most of the cemetries are controlled by the local councils. I'm not sure what happens if they are church owned.

Can you write what ever you want on your gravestone in a council owned graveyard? I know you cant do it in a church owned graveyard.
This could be fun

Call Me Jimmy

ScumLord wrote:

I'd go down the cremation road but only because I have a fear of being burid alive.

so ye wouldn't have a problem with being burned alive?

guildofevil

shay7 wrote:

That sounds really cool but isn’t it illegal to bury someone anywhere else except a cemetery? Ok, you did say Ideally

You can bury someone on land you own, provided that it isn't going to contaminate the ground water, etc. The problem is that it has to be noted on the deeds of the property, which can cause problems when you try to sell the land, as relatives retain the right to visit the grave site, no matter who owns the property. This can put off potential buyers, as you can imagine.

Funsterdelux

The Atheist wrote:

Maybe they'll just dump you in a skip.

I'm not sure about giving my whole body to science. I've heard about what med students get up to and I wouldn't be comfortable on my death bed thinking about it.

I really like the idea of having a tree grow from where you are buried. Ideally it/you would be planted on some family land where your tree can grow and your great-great-grandkids can build a treehouse in it.

I hope it would be a native tree.

scrattletrap

Any bits of me that are still of use when I die (at about 90) will be donated, then I will be cremated. What my family do then is up to them. (but I have always told people that I want a little bit of my ashes ground up and baked in a cake and everyone at my funeral has to take a bite so I will forever be a part of them)

Nevyn

http://www.dublin.ie/burymegreen/
http://www.unitarianchurchdublin.org/funerals.htm

Asiaprod

Already decided, Cremation. Half of the ashes will be interred in the family grave (its a Japanese thing), the other half will be taken to the top of a mountain and scattered in the winds.

*Add to list: make sure the wind is blowing in the direction of Ireland*

ScumLord

so ye wouldn't have a problem with being burned alive?

No at least it's quick.

I'm not sure about giving my whole body to science. I've heard about what med students get up to

They could make a bong out of my head that would make me happy.

it strikes me that some of my genuine friends (who know my stance) might see the thing as a sham. They might even find it upsetting to see me commemorated in this way.

I lost a friend of mine a few years ago and he wouldn't have been a religious person. It annoyed me to listen to the priest rattle on about how he was a great Catholic just about everything he said was a complete lie. But his parents and family where pleased with the ceromony and that's all that really matters, giving them some peace. We had our opwn celebration later by drinking the entire town dry. 10 pubs completely emptyed of drink.

I don't so much care when I'm gone I'm gone after life or not I won't need my body for anything, I respect my body it's a great machine and I would hope it's given some respect when I'm gone. Like making a bong out of my skull.

Zillah

Asiaprod wrote:

*Add to list: make sure the wind is blowing in the direction of Ireland*[/SIZE]

Much later, an ageing Zillah sneezes, looks upwards and shakes his head.

Asiaprod

Zillah wrote:

Much later, an ageing Zillah sneezes, looks upwards and shakes his head.

Damn, you're smart. You saw right through the plan.

Dades

Thaedydal wrote:

http://www.dublin.ie/burymegreen/
http://www.unitarianchurchdublin.org/funerals.htm

Really good links.

After reading the burymegreen thing about having a little wooded copse grow out of me, I'm almost looking forward to shuffling my coil. (As long as I get a month's grace to build my own coffin and do the paperwork).

Will add 'em to the sticky links.

Zillah

The Atheist wrote:

I'm almost looking forward to shuffling my coil. (As long as I get a month's grace to build my own coffin and do the paperwork).

Ironically, such a grace period would require you to get in touch with some sort of omnipotent deity...

Dr_Teeth

The funeral is for my family, not for me - I'll be past caring So they can do what they like tbh. I'll probably be buried along with the rest of my relatives in the local church cemetary - it's handy to have all the graves in the one place!

Alun

I rather fancy being freeze-dried (see http://www.promessa.se/index_en.asp)

One other aspect to the whole ecological burial thing which these people address is the elimination of the whole embalming process, and all the nasty chemicals it involves.