Religion is less central to funerals in Britain as people choose to create their own ceremonies based around the life of the person, with their own choice of songs, readings, and tributes. But a report from the think tank Theos published this week, called “Ashes to Ashes”, says there is scope for churches and faith communities to reclaim a role, dealing with complexities of emotion and belief, and providing a community to support the bereaved.
In a Religion Media Centre Briefing, the panel heard that mourners often request a humanist ceremony, but that doesn’t mean they want a complete exclusion of religion or spirituality. It is rather that their spirituality is not fixed or tied to a particular belief system. In fact, speakers said there are frequent requests to include The Lord’s Prayer or a committal blessing, with reference to the afterlife.
The briefing discussed that the departure of organised religion from the process of death and dying challenges churches and other faith groups to examine their liturgy and catch up with societal trends. But there was also an observation that despite more public conversation about death due to covid, people were still not preparing for their final moments, indicating a lingering fear of death.
Hosted by Ruth Peacock, our guests were:
- Marianne Rozario, co-author of Ashes to Ashes
- Jennifer Uzzell, doctoral researcher at Durham University
- Margaret Doherty, director of the Centre for The Art of Dying Well at St Mary’s University
- Rev Professor Douglas Davies, leader of the Centre for Death and Life Studies at Durham University
- Deborah Hooper, director of ceremonies at Humanists UK
To join future RMC briefings, join our mailing list here >>
As religious rituals fade, funerals become more personal
Churches and faith groups have lost their role in funeral services, as people opt for person focussed ceremonies not tied to beliefs.
Full Briefing Video
We live tweet all of our briefings – find us at @relmedcentre
