Adieu, the final farewell, an exploration of death!
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Globally some 16%, or 1.2bn people state that they are secular, or agnostic, or atheist making this the third-largest grouping for ‘religion’.
Because this sector has little to no religion and the deceased may have had no attendance in religious ceremony, then a different approach to funerals may be adopted.
Key among these options are civil and humanist funerals. Many who claim a religious belief might still adopt this approach with more of a financial motive, because they are often selected together with wicker coffins and direct cremations, making the ceremony much simpler and less expensive.
In the UK, civil funerals are organised by the IOCF, The Institute of Civil Funerals, founded in 2004. Celebrants are self-employed. They liaise and work with individual funeral directors. At the funeral, the celebrant leads the ceremony, ensuring it runs smoothly and to time, allowing relatives and friends to say goodbye with love and respect.
The difference between a civil celebrant and a humanist one, is that a civil celebrant is prepared to handle spiritual content and include hymns and prayers within the ceremony. But in all other aspects has much the same objectives.
A humanist funeral commemorates a life without resorting to religious ritual. It provides instead a service of memorial and celebration of life. It is led by a humanist celebrant and tailored to the family’s requirements, using a uniquely created script rather than a dusty, archaic formula. It is based on the humanist principle that every life is individual and valuable.
You do not need to be a humanist to opt for this approach. This is a preferable approach for a deceased who was not particularly religious. These are often upbeat with the deceased’s style of music. The ceremony can be held (virtually) anywhere crematoria, graveyards, burial grounds…
Humanists UK was founded in 2017, from the BHA, British Humanist Association, which in turn had been founded in 1967 from the Ethical Union. It had been founded back in the nineteenth century as Victorians’ faith began to stumble. Humanists are non-religious people who believe we shape our lives in the here and now, because they do not believe in any afterlife or any reincarnation.
The humanist celebrant is non-judgmental, empathic and has broad life-expertise – many have professional qualifications.
A humanist ceremony has a formal welcome, it will include any favourite music, with readings of prose and poetry. The celebrant delivers a unique homage to the person from the information previously gathered from relations. This homage can also include brief statements by family, friends and colleagues. There is time set aside for reflection and meditation. The proceedings are completed by words of farewell and a closing statement.
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