Do Atheists have different funerals to religious people?

pgj2015 · 30-03-2016 10:09PM #1

I was baptized catholic but do not believe in god, and never go to mass, if I get married it will not be in a church, If I have kids they won't be baptized. also I don't want a priest talking at my funeral so can you bypass the whole church funeral bit most people seem to go through?

murpho999 · 30-03-2016 10:14PM

Yes: I have heard of funerals going straight from funeral to graveyard without any religious people involved

Perhaps you should look up the Humanist Asscociation of Ireland who also conduct funerals.

Info here.

30-03-2016 10:18PM

I was at atheist funeral in Imma a few years back. It was exactly the same as a church funeral except all the god stuff was replaced with people talking about the deceased. It was wonderful.

pgj2015 · 30-03-2016 10:21PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I was at atheist funeral in Imma a few years back. It was exactly the same as a church funeral except all the god stuff was replaced with people talking about the deceased. It was wonderful.

sounds good, most funerals i have been to spend about 2 hours talking about religion and 1 minute talking about the deceased, i prefer hearing stories about the deceased not a made up god.

kneemos · 30-03-2016 10:22PM

You get buried in the Protestant section.

tomwaterford · 30-03-2016 10:23PM

kneemos wrote: »

You get buried in the Protestant section.

Facing down the way.......just in case like

gipi · 30-03-2016 10:23PM

Most cemeteries are considered consecrated or blessed ground - non- religious burials may have to look for a non-religious burial ground.

murpho999 · 30-03-2016 10:26PM

gipi wrote: »

Most cemeteries are considered consecrated or blessed ground - non- religious burials may have to look for a non-religious burial ground.

Really don't think this is always true as many are council owned and you just buy your plot.

meeeeh · 30-03-2016 10:26PM

gipi wrote: »

Most cemeteries are considered consecrated or blessed ground - non- religious burials may have to look for a non-religious burial ground.

Why. If you don't believe in God then why should you believe in blessing.

Anyway I've been to quite a few but not in Ireland. Some some can be a bit bare but then where I come from we really aren't great story tellers.

Merrion · 30-03-2016 10:27PM

If you are an atheist why not donate your body to medical science (as I have asked to do) - you're not going to be using it anyway.

MadDog76 · 30-03-2016 10:28PM

I don't like the sound of these "new" funerals ........ will there still be drinking afterwards?

murpho999 · 30-03-2016 10:29PM

pgj2015 wrote: »

sounds good, most funerals i have been to spend about 2 hours talking about religion and 1 minute talking about the deceased, i prefer hearing stories about the deceased not a made up god.

Can't stand religious funeral stuff.
Especially things like 'Month's Mind' or anniversary masses. Just normal masses that have the equivalent of a request list read out at the end, for the usual fee of course. I don't get how people get comfort out of it or find it important.
Just seems like social conditioning caused by religion makes it happen.

murpho999 · 30-03-2016 10:30PM

Merrion wrote: »

If you are an atheist why not donate your body to medical science (as I have asked to do) - you're not going to be using it anyway.

You will still be handed back after a year or so and then require a funeral. Have you really donated your body to science, doesn't sound like it!

AtomicHorror · 30-03-2016 10:30PM

Merrion wrote: »

If you are an atheist why not donate your body to medical science (as I have asked to do) - you're not going to be using it anyway.

Still need to have a funeral though...

Zen65 · 30-03-2016 10:31PM

pgj2015 wrote: »

I was baptized catholic but do not believe in god, and never go to mass, if I get married it will not be in a church, If I have kids they won't be baptized. also I don't want a priest talking at my funeral so can you bypass the whole church funeral bit most people seem to go through?

Yes - I've been to a few secular funerals and found them to be far more meaningful and moving than religious funerals. Some church cemeteries may not welcome your coffin for burial, but public cemeteries will. Personally I have found some funerals to be repugnant affairs, with priests making statements about the deceased's religious beliefs which were patently untrue, and frankly irrelevant. I may be just getting tetchy in my middle age though.

Cathy.C · 30-03-2016 10:37PM

pgj2015 wrote: »

sounds good, most funerals i have been to spend about 2 hours talking about religion and 1 minute talking about the deceased, i prefer hearing stories about the deceased not a made up god.

I've never been to a funeral where people spent two hours talking about religion and only one minute about the deceased, even ones full of religious nuts.

Any funeral that I have ever been to people always focused on the passing of the deceased.

kneemos · 30-03-2016 10:38PM

murpho999 wrote: »

Really don't think this is always true as many are council owned and you just buy your plot.

Rural churches will have their own graveyards.
Urban graveyards are council run and open to all comers . Don't know if it's still the case but I have heard of segregation in graveyards.

Merrion · 30-03-2016 10:39PM

AtomicHorror wrote: »

Still need to have a funeral though...

Nope - they do a cremation afterwards and return the ashes to whoever is nominated.

darkpagandeath · 30-03-2016 10:42PM

Spring loaded coffin so when time team did you up ... Surprise !

AtomicHorror · 30-03-2016 10:43PM

Merrion wrote: »

Nope - they do a cremation afterwards and return the ashes to whoever is nominated.

And then? Usually, some sort of gathering of friends and family to dispose of the ashes or to bury them. Sometimes, officiated by someone. You can call that something other than a funeral, I suppose. I'll call it a funeral though.

AtomicHorror · 30-03-2016 10:44PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Spring loaded coffin so when time team did you up ... Surprise !

I intend to be cremated, but I like this idea. Instead, I'll rig a sort of ghoulish confetti cannon.

MadDog76 wrote: »

I don't like the sound of these "new" funerals ........ will there still be drinking afterwards?

Technically, there could be drinking during... there are no rules in this new order.

pgj2015 · 30-03-2016 10:55PM

gipi wrote: »

Most cemeteries are considered consecrated or blessed ground - non- religious burials may have to look for a non-religious burial ground.

I will be getting cremated any way so won't need to be buried.

kneemos · 30-03-2016 11:01PM

Do they filter Crematorium smoke or let human ash into the atmosphere?

pgj2015 · 30-03-2016 11:02PM

Merrion wrote: »

If you are an atheist why not donate your body to medical science (as I have asked to do) - you're not going to be using it anyway.

I am an organ donor so hopefully my organs will be given to people who need them, but don't fancy giving my body to medial science.

lonestargirl · 30-03-2016 11:04PM

This wild graveyard is a really lovely peaceful non-religious site.

http://www.greengraveyard.com/index.php/woodbrook

Kidchameleon · 30-03-2016 11:14PM

pgj2015 wrote: »

also I don't want a priest talking at my funeral

Youll be dead. I doubt youll give a sh*te who talks at your funeral

pgj2015 wrote: »

If I have kids they won't be baptized.

Unless they evetually decide for themselves to be baptised

murpho999 · 30-03-2016 11:15PM

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Youll be dead. I doubt youll give a sh*te who talks at your funeral

Unless they evetually decide for themselves to be baptised

That's the way it should be for everyone.
Communion and confirmation should only be for adults too.

pgj2015 · 30-03-2016 11:21PM

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Youll be dead. I doubt youll give a sh*te who talks at your funeral

I would care, I wouldn't want anyone thinking I believed in god or religion of any kind. its the same as people wanting to be cremated, yes you are dead but you still should have a say in what happens your body after you die.

Unless they evetually decide for themselves to be baptised

ya well that will be up to themselves.

bpmurray · 30-03-2016 11:24PM

pgj2015 wrote: »

I am an organ donor so hopefully my organs will be given to people who need them, but don't fancy giving my body to medial science.

Why on earth not? If you're willing to donate your organs which are usually only useful while you're young, why not contribute your body to a bunch of med students who will laugh at the size of your willy/use your guts as a skipping rope/some other outlandish invention? After all, whatever they learn from dissecting your body, separating out the blood vessels and nerves and examining the foramena in the bones, will ultimately make them better doctors and facilitate their healthcare skills.

Asaiah · 30-03-2016 11:26PM

If you're an atheist surely you don't care what happens to your macro-randomly generated mass of matter when your neurotransmitters stop firing.

pgj2015 · 30-03-2016 11:30PM

Asaiah wrote: »

If your an atheist surely you don't care what happens to your macro-randomly generated mass of matter when your neurotransmitters stop firing.

ya because all atheists are the same, why not just leave my body in the woods for the animals. I don't want students in trinity poking at my dead body.

Do Atheists have different funerals to religious people?

Comments