what will your funeral be?

easyontheeye

hi,

Im just curious , what type of ceremony will atheists request or expect when they pass away?

Ciaran500

At the moment, what ever my parents decide on. I'm not gonna complain.

5uspect

Well, I'll be dead so I won't care. If my friends and family want to remember me they can do so as they wish.

stereoroid

Once the doctors have extracted the bits they can use, I'd like to be planted vertically, in a cardboard box with no chemicals in me. Then someone can plant a pear tree on my head, wait a few years, and enjoy the fruits of my... whatever.

Maybe I've been watching too much Six Feet Under - I'm in the middle of the last season on DVD - but I want as little to do with the "funeral business" as possible.

5uspect

stereoroid wrote: »

Once the doctors have extracted the bits they can use, ...Then someone can plant a pear tree on my head

Nothing of use in there then?:p

Pompey Magnus

If I was to die in the morning I would be happy enough to have a proper Catholic burial, not for my own sake but because I reckon it would make it a bit easier on my parents and family, but if I make it to a ripe old age I would probably prefer it without the religious elements. At the end of the day though I won't particularly care one way or the other cos I won't be knowing what's going on.

Sangre

Ciaran500 wrote: »

At the moment, what ever my parents decide on. I'm not gonna complain.

you don't plan on out living your parents?

I'm going to have a blood orgy.

Zombrex

I'm giving my body to medical science ("Ah, so that was what was wrong with him") .. and after that my surviving family and friends (I do plan to out live my parents), can do what ever the heck they want. A blood orgy sounds fun.

aidan24326

Wicknight wrote: »

I'm giving my body to medical science ("Ah, so that was what was wrong with him") .. and after that my surviving family and friends (I do plan to out live my parents), can do what ever the heck they want. A blood orgy sounds fun.

Would your family bury you in a religious ceremony though?

If I died tomorrow I would be given a catholic funeral. On the one hand you could say it doesn't matter, I'm gone anyway and none the wiser. But I'm still not thrilled at the idea of the priests standing there talking about Aidan the good catholic and how my soul is off to heaven with the angels and all of this nonsense.

It doesn't matter per se, but it's not something I'd be overly happy about.

18AD

http://jewelry.about.com/cs/syntheticdiamonds/a/lifegem_diamond.htm
Maybe get turned into a diamond!

Or get cremated and have the ashes scattered at sea.
Have a golden coin created (not so sure about this) with my face on one side and a spider on the other.
Mainly because I hate sand and spiders. So I'll reconcile my hatred in death

Blood orgy sounds like a good idea too

I don't really know what I'd like to have happen when I'm dead. I'll see when I get there...

All the best.
AD.

Ciaran500

Sangre wrote: »

you don't plan on out living your parents?

That's why I said at the moment

In the future I'd have to discuss it with what ever partner or family I have.

Zombrex

aidan24326 wrote: »

Would your family bury you in a religious ceremony though?

Not sure. Don't really care.

I (luckly) don't come from a family that pretends that I'm a good little Catholic boy, so I don't think there will be any pretending that I was a something I wasn't, but if it makes them feel better to have a religious ceremony thats up to them.

I see a funeral more for the people left behind than for the person who died (at least in my case)

eoin5

I'm going to be stuffed with a frown on my face and be placed in the dining room so that I can look down dissapprovingly at my children.

MrJoeSoap

I'll tell you what it won't be, and thats my problem! All I want is good music.

manicmonoliths

I'd like to be buried at sea! Just dumped off a boat, maybe a few words said about my life.

I don't want to be put in a coffin/casket, but I think there are laws. Why can't I just be dumped in the ocean or in a hole in the ground so my body can decompose naturally?

cavedave

I plan to convert to most of the major religions just before my demise. So I will need to have a few funeral services.

Does anyone know where I can get vultures to eat my corpse for that Indian religion. It might pay to hedge your bets on this one.

MrB

My Grandfather died recently, he was an Atheist (or maybe Agnostic, it was hard to tell). We had a simple non-religious service in Glasneven before he was cremated and shipped back to his native Norway. We did have a priest say a few word but he was a friend of the family and it was for my Gran who is religious (In that polite English protestant way).

It was lovely actually, his children told a few stories about his life (The one about his time as a member of the XU resistance group during the war was particularly cool ), there was music he loved and just general remembering.

That’s the way I want to go, minus the stories of escaping the Gestapo on skis across the Norwegian wilderness of course!

Charlie_Boswell

easyontheeye wrote: »

hi,

Im just curious , what type of ceremony will atheists request or expect when they pass away?

Ha! ! ! Speak for youselves HUMANS! I plan to life FOREVER!!

Kang....., Release the Safety on the Death Ray MUhahhahah:D

Dades

^^ riiiight ^^

Further discussion on this thread (FYI).

Latchy

As long as thay play a few dacent songs at the service.I would like the piano section at the end of layla to be put on a loop (just for the few extra minutes) .

I attended a firemans funeral a few years ago and upon his death , requested that the Byrds ' turn turn turn ' be played and twas very touching .

Words-adapted from the bible, book of ecclesiastes
Music-pete seeger

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven

A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time for peace, I swear its not too late

Jezz..just thought , imagine if nobody turned up at yer funeral ? :eek:

stereoroid

5uspect wrote: »

Nothing of use in there then?:p

Oh, that will be after I've donated my brain to science... science fiction, I mean. :cool:

aidan24326

Wicknight wrote: »

Not sure. Don't really care.

I (luckly) don't come from a family that pretends that I'm a good little Catholic boy, so I don't think there will be any pretending that I was a something I wasn't, but if it makes them feel better to have a religious ceremony thats up to them.

I see a funeral more for the people left behind than for the person who died (at least in my case)

My family also know my views, and don't pretend that I'm a good little catholic boy either. Themselves, well my parents wouldn't be overly religious. My mother goes to mass but isn't exactly a holy mary type and I know she wouldn't necessarily believe in all of it. My dad doesn't go to mass and appears to be a bit indifferent towards religion really.

Yet they would bury me in a catholic ceremony out of habit and tradition I think as much as anything else. Like that's what you're supposed to do, without really giving it much thought. This I just find a little puzzling, this attitude of being sorta vaguely religious or calling yourself catholic and following the traditions of it without really going along with what it actually means in the stricter sense. I think there's alot of that around, and it's something the pope (muppet that he is, though he's right in this case) has been giving out about.

While I agree with you in a sense that the funeral is more for those left behind, it should take into account the views/beliefs/wishes of the person who's gone also. Should I live to be a ripe old age, hopefully by then there will be more options for secular-type funerals, and it will be more commonplace than it is now. I expect that it will be.

estebancambias

Has that lad Mordeth posted here yet? Can't wait to read his little reply to this where he goes so out of his way to make up some wity comment that outlines his non-belief in the afterlife.

iFight

Wouldn't really want a funeral, but i suppose i'm dead so i can't really control it. However people decide to deal with it is fine my me

Dades

estebancambias wrote: »

Has that lad Mordeth posted here yet? Can't wait to read his little reply to this where he goes so out of his way to make up some wity comment that outlines his non-belief in the afterlife.

Maybe he'll post one just for you.

bushy...

estebancambias wrote: »

Has that lad Mordeth posted here yet? Can't wait to read his little reply to this where he goes so out of his way to make up some wity comment that outlines his non-belief in the afterlife.

Why ? cos your belief in a cosmic Jewish zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master , so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat fruit from a magical tree makes so much more sense ?

*stolen quote , but suits so well

aidan24326

estebancambias wrote: »

Has that lad Mordeth posted here yet? Can't wait to read his little reply to this where he goes so out of his way to make up some wity comment that outlines his non-belief in the afterlife.

He'll hardly come up with anything quite as witty and/or insightful as your excellent contribution.

estebancambias

bushy... wrote: »

Why ? cos your belief in a cosmic Jewish zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master , so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat fruit from a magical tree makes so much more sense ?

*stolen quote , but suits so well

Your attempt to be funny, and at the same time condescending reminds me of the time Chevy Chase met Joseph Stalin....

*flashback*

bushy...

Funny ? Its all true ...
Jewish ? check
zombie ? check
talking snake ? check
magical tree ? yip
his own father ? yip
live forever if etc etc ? yip thats there too


Which bit isn't true ?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

esteban.. I want to be crucified, and after 3 days a team of engineers could put a robot suit under my skin and make me walk around like a gentille zombie. 2000 years from now, it'll be your god Vs me. and I'm going to win.

estebancambias

Lol.....fair play.

MrJoeSoap

estebancambias wrote: »

Has that lad Mordeth posted here yet?

I generally start from the top and scroll down. Or Ctrl + F and then enter what you want to search for.

You hang around here a lot, don't you?

estebancambias

Good forum TBH.

MrJoeSoap

estebancambias wrote: »

Good forum TBH.

You really think so? I actually do think that I prefer forums where I can disagree with a lot of what people say.

Zamboni

I've been thinking about this seriously recently.
I am going to put in writing with a solicitor that I do not want a religous funeral. Otherwise my parents will go de facto on me and stick me in a church. My fiance is pushing me to do it because she is not (currently) next of kin and doesn't want to have a big fall out with the in-laws if I did die.

I don't plan on dying to soon but...

Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me.

Cactus Col

Made me think of the peep show where Jez's uncle's funeral is organised by his atheist sister.

"Uh, yeah, I spent some time with Ray before he went and I just wanted to say that I think we should all remember that Ray, by the end, he loved Jesus. Now, I know, Liz, there's no proof for Jesus, but then there's no proof for lots of things, like science or the stock market and we believe in them. Look, what I'm trying to say is that if I was dying and I decided that even though I'd never particularly been into, say, Enya before but that now I really, really was into Enya and that in fact, I thought Enya was great and that Enya died for our sins and I wanted an Enya themed funeral with pictures of Enya and lots and lots of mentions of Enya, then I think it would be a bit bloody rich for my sister to ban all mention of Enya from my funeral. Yeah? "

Dades

Zamboni wrote: »

My fiance is pushing me to do it because she is not (currently) next of kin and doesn't want to have a big fall out with the in-laws if I did die.

I'd watch out for skateboards left at the top of the stairs if I were you!

Not sure whether a legal document can enforce the type of funeral your next of kin gives you. It may be that all you can do is express a 'wish'?

Dave!

I want my funeral to be in the style of Hunter S Thompson. Failing that, maybe I'd donate to medical science (I'd see how the family feel about that), and then maybe be cremated. I do sorta like the idea of being buried and having plants... planted... in the area. That way I continue to live, in plant form Who says reincarnation is bullsh*t...?

As for the funeral, I'd prefer some sort of humanist/non-religious ceremony, where friends share stories and try to celebrate my life rather than the sober, morbid affair that a church funeral usually ends up being. I'd prefer if it wasn't religious at all also. But if it gives my family consolation, they can go ahead. If it consoles them to have me devoured by a pack of hungry hungry hippos, then that's fine too (just make sure I'm dead first ¬_¬).

Zamboni

Dades wrote: »

Not sure whether a legal document can enforce the type of funeral your next of kin gives you. It may be that all you can do is express a 'wish'?

Well, with a bit of luck I won't die before I'm married. Then the folks won't get my pretty corpse near a church.
The idea of some priest drivelling on to the congregation about some afterlife whilst I am lying there dead as a dodo is not funny.
However if the parents do get me into a church, I may get the missus to stick a recording of me laughing out loud intermittently which can be left in the coffin.:D

I'll keep an eye out for those damn skateboards though

bogwalrus

I was thinking this before about what i would want my funeral to be like. Is there any good ancient ceremonies that are cool and could be pulled off in this day and age without freaking out the family when saying it to them? And also without freaking out the people attending the funeral of course=)

Dave!

Mummification!

estebancambias

I don't mean to open a 'can of worms'-quote Paul Merson, but like why would you(general) object to a conventional funeral. Like even if I became convinced there was no God, I would just want to go with whatever makes my parents, sister happy.

The only thing I fear about death(even if death is just nothing) is how my family would feel.


I personally want to be an explorer who's resting place is on a cursed Island, after falling from a very high window ledge of an explorations period Spanish castle.-ode Uncharted.

apoch632

I've decided I want a viking style funeral (At least the styel in films)

Pushed out to see in a boat and the boat is then set on fire

Failing that just a humanist style funeral where people share stories. I wonder if you can make the style of a funeral a condition of a will. i.e. You give me a cathoclic funeral the money goes to Homeless/ISPCA etc.

estebancambias

apoch632 wrote: »

I've decided I want a viking style funeral (At least the styel in films)

Pushed out to see in a boat and the boat is then set on fire

Failing that just a humanist style funeral where people share stories. I wonder if you can make the style of a funeral a condition of a will. i.e. You give me a cathoclic funeral the money goes to Homeless/ISPCA etc.

And Atheists say that want to benefit the future of humanity...Jeez.

apoch632

estebancambias wrote: »

And Atheists say that want to benefit the future of humanity...Jeez.

Meeh Just have always liked the aesthetic of the viking style funeral

and how would giving any money i may have to charity not be benefiting humanity.

I will likely be leaving a decent portion of what i may have anyway

estebancambias

Think of all the paper that could be made using the wood from that boat!!!!

apoch632

I'll grow my own trees.

Most trees that are cut down for paper are factory farmed anyway

Zamboni

estebancambias wrote: »

I don't mean to open a 'can of worms'-quote Paul Merson, but like why would you(general) object to a conventional funeral. Like even if I became convinced there was no God, I would just want to go with whatever makes my parents, sister happy.

I'm not a hypocrite in life.
I don't intend to be one in death.

Dades

estebancambias wrote: »

And Atheists say that want to benefit the future of humanity...Jeez.

When exactly did "Atheists" say this? Was there a meeting I wasn't invited to?!

Zamboni wrote: »

I'm not a hypocrite in life.
I don't intend to be one in death.

I would have thought it more like compassion to allow your family to mourn your passing in whatever way comforts them. I'm talking if you die young and outlive your parents or some such, mind.

Surely to be hypocritical requires some element of benefiting or suiting yourself, in contradiction to your expressed views.

Dave!

You didn't get the memo Dades? We're now trying to benefit humanity in all our endeavours. Maybe if you actually read the newsletter, you might be more au fait with the current plans :rolleyes: Gawwwd

Zamboni

I just think it would be hypocritical for me to have a christian ceremony when I've been atheist throughout life.