Tips for Arranging a Non-Religious Funeral

When you're following through with your deceased family member’s final wishes, you should bear in mind that their belief system possibly varies from your own. You might be a devout catholic, but that doesn’t mean your loved one was. If she wanted a non-religious funeral, and you are in charge of making the funeral arrangements, you should preserve her memory by honoring those very important last wishes.

The fact is, the demand for non-religious funerals is increasing every year. You may feel confused about how to pay homage without a priest and a church— because you’re a religious person yourself. Put the confusion aside, for now, we have you covered. These tips for arranging a non-religious funeral will help you throughout the process.

Non-religious people often prefer cremation

Yes, you want to celebrate their life and pay your respects in a formal church setting. You probably believe all of her loved ones would want this. But she didn’t, she wanted to be cremated. Your family member wanted her cremated remains to blow in the wind, becoming one with Mother Nature.

You can find the best cremation services at Heritage Cremation Provider. Their staff is equipped to help you during the early stages of grief. You will find the best prices there, ranging from $695 to $1395, depending on the kind of assistance and services the cremation package includes. This family-owned business can assure you that you’re in good hands.

Keep your eulogy concise

When you’re reading your eulogy at the memorial service, you want it to be non-religious and concise. If you give a drawn-out eulogy, you’re more likely to lose the attention of all the people going through a difficult time. Their minds are already baffled, saddened, and hurting. Keeping your eulogy concise and to a certain word count is crucial.

While you’re writing it out, you are probably unaware of how many words are written. You can use an online free word counter to double-check how long your completed eulogy is. It’s easy to use, just copy and paste your eulogy into the site’s text area, and you will be given a word count. It also lets you know the number of characters used. You can enter paragraph by paragraph, or paste the entire body after completion. This word count tool will come in handy.

On the off chance that it feels too long, you can trim out certain parts that weren’t essential. If it happens to be too short, you know to expand upon your words further.

Choose a non-religious funeral reading

Part of paying your respects is upholding her final wishes. If she wanted a non-religious funeral, sometimes called a humanist funeral, she probably didn’t want people reading scriptures or speeches with religious connotations. Think about what her life entailed. Who was she as a person? If you are planning the funeral, but you aren’t in her immediate family, you might consider asking them a few questions.

Maybe there is a book that reminds you of your loved one. Or perhaps you know her favorite works of literature. You can compile phrases from her favorite books and the novels that remind you of her. Knowing you wouldn’t let her down by using religious funeral readings, she can rest in peace knowing her final wishes were granted.

Hire a humanist celebrant

Non-religious funerals, also called humanist funerals, don’t require a religious leader to officiate the funeral. Instead, you can hire a humanist celebrant. Humanist celebrants lead funerals or remembrance events, and they hold no religious beliefs. They guarantee there won’t be acts of religious worship while leading a personalized non-religious ceremony. Their goal is to honor the deceased wishes and speak to mourners during their time of need.

Humanist celebrants are respectful to people of all faiths. The ceremonies are inclusive for everyone. When the family wants to read a specific hymn at the funeral, the celebrant will take this under consideration. Did the deceased person sing this hymn every Christmas? Was it read at their wedding? If the hymn or religious reading meant something to the person who passed, a humanist celebrant will include it.

Learn the humanist views on death

You will want to learn about the deceased views on death before planning a humanist, non-religious, funeral. Generally speaking, a humanist is someone who values science, compassion towards others, and individual dignity. She believed in being morally responsible, not in a Higher Power.

Since your loved one didn’t believe in an afterlife, she focused more on the present. This means the primary concern she worried about was the people who would one day mourn her death, rather than concerning herself with where she’d go after death.

When you understand her beliefs and views, you will be better equipped to plan the non-religious funeral she wanted.