Ifishoulddie

Non-Religious Alternatives

http://www.ifishoulddie.co.uk

19:18 06-Sep-2010

Humanist and Civil Funerals

Humanist Funerals

Humanist organisations exist world wide to serve the needs of the non-religious, evolving as those needs change.  The British Humanist Association (BHA) developed from the Ethical Union in 1967.  Humanists are non-religious people who live by moral principles based on reason and respect for others, not obedience to dogmatic rules.  They promote happiness and fulfilment in this life because they believe it is the only one we have. 

Humanist non-religious funeral ceremonies acknowledge loss and celebrate a life without employing religious rituals. They offer a dignified alternative to the traditional funeral service and are made memorable by being personally tailored to each individual situation, with the wishes of the family taken fully into account.

A typical ceremony will usually include:  
  • Favourite or appropriate music (of any kind)   
  • A welcome and a brief explanation of the ceremony
  • Poetry or prose readings
  • A 'tribute' to the deceased, mainly biographical, often with short contributions from family, friends and colleagues
  • A time of reflection for silent meditation or private prayer    
  • The Committal or words of farewell
  • A brief close, which can include thanks and announcements
  • Prior to the funeral, a Humanist officiant will normally visit a family to map-out the ceremony and to form a rounded picture of the subject. At this stage it may also be important for families to freely discuss various options in relation to procedure during the ceremony.
  • Detailed preparation prevents reliance on a standard text or format, and in the days leading up to the ceremony time and care is devoted to writing and compiling a tribute both factually accurate and with the appropriate tone. By this process, each ceremony can be developed afresh with families who welcome the opportunity for choice and personal input. A printed copy of the ceremony is always provided for the family, to send to absent relatives or friends and kept as a memento.
  • Humanist funeral ceremonies may be conducted at crematoria, cemeteries, woodland burial grounds, and other burial grounds (subject to restriction).
  • Memorial ceremonies are more usually conducted elsewhere and after some time has elapsed following the funeral. However in some circumstances, for example where there is no body or a body has been accepted for medical research, a memorial ceremony may take the place of a funeral.
  • All Humanist officiants are non-judgemental, empathic and have wide life-experience; many have professional backgrounds.
They are accredited by the
British Humanist Association,
1 Gower Street , London WC1E 6HD

Tel: 0207 079 3580 Fax: 020 7079 3588
Website www.humanism.org.uk
Email info@humanism.org.uk 

CIVIL FUNERALS

Civil Funerals have been available in most of the UK for many years now, delivered by a professional Civil Funeral Celebrant, who will be a member of the Institute of Civil Funerals. Full list of members available at www.iocf.org.uk/reg_members

A Civil Funeral is defined as:  A funeral, which is driven by the wishes, beliefs and values of the deceased and their family, not by the beliefs or ideology of the person conducting the funeral.’

This means that the professional Celebrant is happy to include religious material as well as carrying out non-religious ceremonies. In this way Civil Funerals are somewhat different to humanist ceremonies, where religion will not be included. The Celebrant will spend time talking with family members and friends and will then write and deliver a full ceremony that will reflect the wishes of the family and those of the deceased. The Celebrant also discusses and arranges participation in the ceremony of any family or friends, music and readings.

What makes a Civil Funeral different?

The quality procedures in place to measure training of Celebrants and client satisfaction are second to none. Every ceremony script is checked and controlled by follow-up client questionnaires to maintain the highest possible quality. The Celebrant will ask a family member to check the text before the day so no minor details can be wrong and afterwards a full ceremony text is provided to the family.

Who are Civil Funeral Celebrants?
The person conducting the Ceremony will be a trained professional Celebrant. Often semi-retired professional people, Celebrants have empathy and gentleness, good delivery and writing skills and a real interest in improving funerals in the UK. Funeral Celebrants will have passed an externally accredited training course and will be a member of the Institute of Civil Funerals, providing them with a name badge they will wear whenever they visit homes or conduct a ceremony.

It is very important to make sure any Funeral Celebrant IS a member of the Institute of Civil Funerals; this is a guarantee of quality and professionalism.

What do they cost?

The fixed fee for a Civil Funeral Ceremony varies from around £150 to £200.

Further information

If you would like more information on Civil Funerals or training to become a Funeral Celebrant, please contact The Institute of Civil Funerals on 0845 0048608
Or write to PO Box 160, St Neots, Cambs PE19 5WL
Further information on Civil Funerals, is available on www.iocf.org.uk