Funerals and Services for the Nonreligious
While it may be many people’s first instinct to mention God or religion during a funeral or service, it can be disrespectful, especially if the deceased had no religious affiliation while alive. When our nonreligious loved one passes away, it’s important that we strive to honor their beliefs and ideals when planning their service. While funeral services were typically always held in churches and involved a pastor, more and more options are being made available today for those who are nonreligious. If you need cremation services in Orlando, FL does not hesitate to visit us! Below, we will give you some insight on options of services to choose from that don’t involve religion.
What is a Secular Funeral or Memorial Service
A secular funeral or service is more of a celebration of life for a person who had no religious affiliation in life. These services aren’t geared toward God or any religion but instead focus on celebrating the life of the deceased, allowing families a space to grieve together, and an opportunity to keep their loved one’s memory alive. When organizing this type of service, you should feel free to customize it in any way that you please. For these types of services, we recommend including opening statements, music, readings, and eulogies or stories from friends, family, or community members.
Options for Nonreligious Burials or Cremations
Green Burials
Green burials are a preferred option for those who are environmentally conscious! If your loved one was someone who loved and cared about nature, then this is a very eco-friendly burial option. With green burials, the urn, shroud, or casket that you select will be biodegradable and contain nontoxic materials. This means that eventually the remains of the deceased, as well as whatever casket, shroud, or urn they are in will decompose in a nontoxic way with the soil, which benefits the earth greatly.
Celebrants
Finding a celebrant to conduct the service for a secular service is an increasingly popular option among those who are nonreligious. Unlike priests, celebrants are individuals who are able to draw on many traditions and rituals from various cultures. Celebrants are great at creating a meaningful tribute to honor the life of the deceased.
Appropriate Reading for a Secular Service
Typically, in regular and more traditional funeral services there involves either reading from a religious text or prayers. When dealing with a secular service, these are the kinds of things that we would like to avoid, however, this does not mean that there still can’t be readings during the service. In fact, there are many different options to choose from when choosing what you would like to read from. We recommend choosing either a meaningful poem, song, prose, or quote from literature. When choosing what to read, keep in mind some of your loved one’s favorite things. If they loved a certain movie, for example, it could be a good idea to include a quote from the movie that can pertain to the situation and emotions being experienced at hand.
Our cremation services in Orlando, FL are highly regarded, so contact us today with any inquiries you may have!
