Al's Funeral

[poliphilo]

Al had always said he didn't want any religion at his funeral. So the undertaker provided this beardy guy (they always have beards, I don't know why) who we were informed was a humanist minister.  He started off pretty well- with a long, detailed account of Al's life- but then- about five minutes before the end- he allowed Jesus to creep in through the side door and invited us to praise him, thank him and ask him to do us favours. Ailz turned to me and said. "If Al can hear and there's room in that coffin" (which there won't have been because he was a very big guy) "he'll be spinning!"

It was the coldest night thus far. The temperature at Dukinfield cemetery was two degrees below. On our way there we had the sun setting to the left of us and the moon rising to the right of us in a totally cloudless sky.

Comments

read

[(Anonymous)]

Read the comments on the one related to solstice monkey boy.

[baritonejeff.livejournal.com]

I am always appalled when someone officiating, especially at a funeral, clearly doesn't have a clue about the beliefs (or lack of) of the person involved.

Often, when situations such as the one you describe occur, it's the family circumventing what they know to have been the beliefs or preferences of the deceased. Sometimes there's a perverse sense of power on the part of the survivors, now that the person is unable to speak for themselves. Other times, it's often the officiator's having been left in the dark, and feeling the obligation to supply what is "expected."

Either way, it's a shame, considering the finality of the situation.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't know what happened exactly. We weren't there when he called and spoke to the family. We were told he was an ex-Methodist minister and assumed that meant he was someone who'd left Christianity behind. Well, clearly not. I don't suppose anyone there was offended by what he did. Ailz and I weren't- we just thought it was funny. "He doesn't quite get this humanist thing, does he? she said. "But he's working at it," I replied.

collective thought

[(Anonymous)]

It seems dissapointing in general life when points of view are forced upon people or preached where there is no need for a preacher. Espescially in the situation you spoke off, you dont get clothed ministers in a nudist wedding its just not fair, he should be praying that his verbal religious diahreah is forgiven by his god and the people attending the funeral because insensitive to the departed and damn right rude and disrespectfukl to those attending. Hopefully a bird will shit on his holy shoulders for his sins.

Re: collective thought

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't know what part of "humanist funeral service" he failed to understand.

Ah well, mainly I think it was funny. And I suspect Alan would have done so too. It's my experience that most funeral services are pretty bloody awful.

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

I'm a Christian, yes, but... Urgh, some times people need to keep religion the f*** away from people who are not interested in it.

I remember a school trip in the 9th grade to a inter-Nordic camp, where the last day was marked by a gathering that was held in the local church, though we had been told that this was only because it was the largest room in the community and that there wouldn't be any element of religion to it. My teacher got fuming mad when this turned out not to be quite true. In the middle of everything she stood up and told her class rather loudly that we were free to leave if we didn't feel comfortable with the rather missionary tones coming from the pulpit. Exeunt teacher and entire Danish class...

Sadly, a funeral is not the place for such a statement. I'm sorry that the occasion was imposed upon in such an unsuitable manner. (But I love Ailz's comment... Irreverence is sometimes the only response.)