Funeral for an atheist

cacti

Does anyone know about funerals for atheists? I have looked on the internet and the only option i can see are funerals using someone from The British Humanist Association. I have nothing against the BHA but would like to know if this is the only organisation/society who will officiate at an atheist funeral.

mcfisco

Unless you want a ceremony, you could simply choose not to have one.
The undertaker will just go off and dispose of your remains as requested [as long as it's legal]

nom_de_plume

When arranging a recent funeral I was given the choice of type of service ranging from a full on religeous service to a complete atheist service. We opted for the middle ground using a 'life celebrant'. There was a prayer or 2 and the 23rd Psalm but the rest of the service was talking about the deceased's life and playing some of her favourite songs.
Talk to your local undertakers for advice on what is available locally.

lavalamp

At a crematorium, you have the choice of type of service - whether religious or not. As nom de plume said, ask your funeral director.

LEJC

My friend recently talked this through with the undertaker who was able to offer suggestions.

you can just opt for a cremation with nothing surrounding it or you can opt for something of a celebration of life service...this can be conducted by anyone in the end I believe that the celebration took place outside and consisted of members of the family who shared their experiences of life with the deceased....I may be wrong but I'm not aware that they had anyone who actually officiated over the proceedings.

The legal part of the proceedings ie the cremation needs to take place but how you reach that conclusion is I understand up to the deceased or relations of and there does not need to be an official service etc

jackyann

Most funeral directors have a list of available celebrants. Certainly I know a few who are completely independent.
One of them told me she preferred to be independent as BHA guidelines tend to exclude any mention of God. At services she conducts, she can offer what the family like: a common suggestion is a non-religious service, but with something like "we will now have silence during which some of you may wish to pray, and other to remember x....". Quite a lot of people like to sing hymns such as Jerusalem or Morning has Broken even if they are not religious. So she & her colleagues offer a mix to suit.
I have also been to funerals where the "service" was conducted by a family friend. They were lovely, but a piece of good advice is to have everything written out, and to share because it can be very emotional.

cacti

Thanks to everyone. You have given me plenty to think about.

lemontart

lots of relevant info here for you

https://humanism.org.uk/ceremonies/non-religious-funerals/

Air_Cooled_75

We lost our baby and had him cremated with a Humanist service. It was lovely and the lady who did it was lovely too. I want the same for me when I go (we are atheists).

mazza111

When we buried my dear old dad, God wasn't mentioned other than in the hymns that my mum chose. He had lost his faith years ago and never found it again, so it was quite suitable for him. And the hymns gave my mother some comfort. They spoke about his life rather than God, it was a lovely service.

Armchair23

When my Husband died a couple of years ago we had 'done' funerals for the grandparents and we all had things we hated about that. Cars,flowers, hymnns etc.,

My Husband was an atheist/maverick, we had his body taken in a willow coffin to a woodland burial ground - in a van not a hearse.
His brother , myself and our kids sat in a courtyard garden in jeans and T shirts and spoke about him between ourselves over a coffee.

The funeral director read out a few words that I'd written, but they were all that needed to be said and then we walked behind his willow coffin and he was buried.

Love and dignity go beyond anything that people tell you NEEDS to be done.

Very little needs to be done legally you can be buried in your own garden if you choose.

The key thing is to choose what you want and be happy with it. You most certainly won't please everyone but I know my Husband was buried in exactly the way he wanted and I have not one single moment of regret about his burial.