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was an arrest warrant out for the men, but no copy of this was ever given to their lawyers. Atheists & religious folks argue whether there is life
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If so, and even if you didn't, what would you say to the atheists loved ones? Since most Christians I know usually say, "He/She's gone to a better place" Well, since mainstream Christianity (to my knowledge) says that anyone who doesn't believe in Christianity goes to Hell, what do you say to the survivors?
Where does everyone get this idea of Hell from? Do you really think a Christian with even half a brain would believe in a loving God who throws half his creation into eternal damnation because they don't recognize him. It's so medieval Europe (for us mainstreams.) The fundamentalists that get all the press are not mainstream.
I don't even know Christian funerals where they say 'he's gone to a better place' That's not helpful for anybody's grief. They miss the person. Sorry for your loss, is the best it gets.
I hope at my funeral, they say "Here lies Chris...and why not"
Never been to a funeral.
I can imagine nothing more utterly rude and arrogant and frankly verging on the criminal than for Christians to crash the funeral of an atheist and then use the grief of those left behind to proselytize or attempt to gain converts. [Imagine Carl Sagan's funeral who died not too long ago--his was a private affair for good cause.]
This would be like atheists crashing a Christian funeral and going up to the grieving parents of say a lost child and saying "Well, bloke, she's dead and gone and will just rot in the grave. Your faith is fantasy. Too bad for YOU!"
Can you imagine an atheist doing this? I don't think its ever happened because most atheists have a sense of decency.
But when Michael Shepherd the gay man was brutally murdered certain phony Christians stood outside protesting him with signs reading "God hates F-gs!" "Burn in Hell!".
Yeah, that's really the spirit of Jesus Christ.
That's how you MAKE atheists not convert them.
So take my advice, DO NOT crash an atheists funeral spouting religious propaganda and taking advantage of the grief to take advantage of the family.
This is not the spirit of Jesus. This is rude, arrogant and frankly criminal. It is a type of assault on their family who already have lost a loved one. They already know all about Jesus, probably far more than you do.
Be good Christians for once in your life and leave them alone. Ever heard of freedom of conscience? It is their right to follow the dictates of THEIR conscience and not YOURS.
Capisce?
This also applies to the funerals of Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Leave them BE.
Do this at a Muslim funeral and you would likely lose your head and life. And who could blame them? This is an act not of a Christian but an outrageous attack on civil rights and freedom of conscience. DON'T EVER DO IT.
If non-Christians want to hear your message, your ideas then let them. Your church door is always open?. All are welcome? Let them come to YOU if they desire, not the other way around.
I'm a Buddhist Pantheist of Jewish heritage. You'd never have the Buddha disrespecting the funeral of any family, nor would Jesus or Gandhi. And please don't show up for mine. Besides, I won't be there to greet you.
I'd like to see you do this in Israel at a Jewish funeral. You'd be arrested.
I have. And the atheist was one of my own loved ones. I didn't say anything about where he was. Just talked about memories and how much I was going to miss him.
peace
I never have, what are they like?
I've only been to a few LDS funerals.
I do not know any atheists outside of R&S.
If I went to an atheist funeral I would say " I am sorry for your loss" then say something nice about the deceased as I obviously liked the person well enough to attend his funeral.
I might have, but there wasn't a sign that said "Atheist Funeral." But to comfort the survivors, I suppose I would say "He/She is just worm food now."
Respect their religious beliefs.
Even if you don't agree with what they believe in, they're still people.
Just say "I'm sorry for you loss. I can't imagine how you feel.." You don't have to console them with childhood fantasies about going to "
a better place". I'm sure these aren't 7-year-olds who just lost a loved one for the first time.
Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust
If God wont have you
Then the Devil must!
sorry, couldnt resist!
Sure.
Why not?
Look in the real world.
Decode this lyrics " Say you say me"
Understand what is worshiping God.
Understand what is honouring the dead.
Understanding what is ghostly ancestor's culture and custom of tribe of individual community.
Understand what is funeral rites of tribe of different community.
Luke 6.39-40,41-45,46-49
What do you think?
I wouldn't say anything. I would just let them know that I'm there for them.
They could just say "I'm sorry for your loss"...you know, that little thing everybody says at some point.
Sure! We have friends of all sorts of belief or unbelief.
You do need to be aware, it's only God that confirms our eternity. We shouldn't be rewarding or punishing anyone for anything.
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"I'm sorry for your loss" is always good to say.
You go to a funeral to show your respects to the deceased and support the fam, why would you have to say anything?
Every Christian knows a funeral is more important for the survivors as than it is for the deceased.
In that situation, I generally will try to comfort the loved ones by trying relate how much I admired or respected their loved one and I may offer an anecdote to support the point.
You can say something nice about anyone if you try hard enough.
If the subject comes up about their destiny, that is to say that I get a sense that a survivor is searching for salvation for themselves, then I would take the opportunity to relate that the deceased person lived life on his or her own terms and made their decisions, just as we all do, but that does not mean that you have to make the same choice if you think the deceased was mistaken. I would then invite them to talk with me about it somewhere else.
Hope that helps.
We just say "I'm so sorry for your loss", like anybody else would, showing some compassion for them and leaving our own beliefs out of it, like we would at a funeral for someone of an entirely different religion. Good grief, what do you think -- that we start in preaching, or can't resist getting that word in about where we think the person is spending eternity? Some might, but they're complete idiots even if they are my brothers in Christ. Most of us are a little more compassionate than that.
I'll leave it to God to decide who's making it through the pearly gates.
I always say how very sorry I am about their loss. I also try to relay a funny or happy moment I remember about that person. I never say they're in a better place because many people, even Christians, don't want to hear it.
You try to comfort them in their loss, and pray for them..
It is not the time or place to try to deal with where this person did or did not go.. I have buried a few atheists and just do the best I can..
I wouldn't say anything to them except that I care about them.
But what the heck, what difference does it make to them anyway, well hey, according to Atheism, when they die that's it, all over and when their descendants die them too., Now lets take that Train of thought all the way to it's Finality ok ?
Lets go (According to Atheism) several Billion or so years in the Future when Our sun goes Super Nova, and this Planet is dead, every thing every one ever thought or done or anything will be for nothing, no purpose, no care, Nothing, so whats the point ? No Hope , No Love, No compassion, None of it matters as it will all end and it makes no difference. This is one of the reasons Atheism is not Viable.
This is why atheists need to attack Christianity. It is because Christianity makes very high claims concerning Gods existence which challenges their atheism and pokes holes in their vacuum. They like the vacuum. They like having the universe with only one god in it: themselves.
"I"m sorry for your loss" about covers it....
or "I'm sorry that a horrible accident took your loved one from you"
or "I'm hoping you find comfort from knowing how many folks admired your loved one"
or "He was a good fella... I always liked the way he laughed"
or"She sure made people laugh!... quite the joker, wasn't she?"
or anything that you actually KNOW about the person who died that you can comment on....
and you can skip the "Too bad she's in hell...".... only a dork would be so crass.........
atheist funerals are to celebrate the LIFE of the person who died...
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Mainstream Christians - Have you ever gone to an atheists funeral?