Many people are not members of any religious congregation, what we call unaffiliated (to a religion or set belief system). Over the past twenty years funeral practices in the UK have undergone remarkable changes, giving families far more choices and options. There has been a clear shift away from the impersonal, standardised and theologically focussed funeral services of the past. Many aspects of the funeral ceremony come down to personal choice with the opportunity for families to take an active role in choosing the music and readings and eulogising the person who has died. The primary task of the funeral professional today is to assist families in creating such a funeral.
‘Unaffiliated funerals’, by focussing on the person who has died rather than a theological interpretation of death, articulate shared meaning by emphasising individual beliefs according to cultural, rather than religious standards.
Now making up around two thirds of the population, the unaffiliated are faced with a unique challenge when they wish to plan a funeral: to whom and to what do they turn? They have no connection with a religious minister or a particular denomination, and thus have no prescribed model of how the funeral might be. They are free to create the funeral from scratch and to choose whatever elements are desired. How the elements are chosen indicates whether unaffiliated families are taking the lead as ‘ritual creators’ or continue to rely upon professionals.
Through our sister company, Green Fuse, we have trained over 400 funeral celebrants across the UK and beyond to help families create meaningful rituals around death. The loss of religious rituals, sacred symbols and myths to answer life’s deepest questions leaves a big hole which needs to be filled by more than just a ‘celebration of life’. Life and death still need to be put into a universal context. The unaffiliated funeral is constrained only by what the family and friends planning the service deem to be most meaningful. They provide an opportunity to explore the possibility of shared meaning in our highly individualistic society.
At Heart And Soul Funerals we believe it is important to support these types of rituals right through the time between the death and the funeral – ritualising the washing and care of the body; holding a vigil at our premises or at home; encouraging people to talk about the person who has died and their values and beliefs; being involved in preparing for the funeral; and providing the right environment on the day for the funeral itself to use rituals and symbols which provide meaning and comfort by encapsulating the death in a larger context.
Over the past few decades funeral practices in the UK have undergone remarkable changes, giving families far more choices and options. There has been a clear shift away from the impersonal, standardised and theologically focussed funeral services of the past. Many aspects of the funeral ceremony come down to personal choice with the opportunity for families to take an active role in choosing the music and readings and eulogising the person who has died. The primary task of the funeral professional today is to assist families in creating such a funeral. Find out more here >
