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

[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.)