“It's all part of the job. Everyone has the right to such a funeral, regardless. The following website deals with the matter nicely. www.bakewellchurch.co.uk/funerals”

“Postscript to the comment below: My apologies, Father Ed, for the mis-typing of your name; the worst thing a funeral celebrant or minister could have done!!”

“As an independent celebrant - trained by, but no longer practising with, the humanists, and with a wider view of spirituality and religion than they will bring to a funeral - I have to agree with Father Ted. If you listen, what he's actually saying is that those who opt for a minister of religion for the funeral of a loved one should do so consciously. If you want a ceremony that's meaningful to you and the person who has died, you need to think about what that means: a priest? An independent celebrant? Yourself? A friend? If you ask for a humanist, think about whether the person who died was actually a humanist. Most people END UP WITH a humanist funeral simply because they don't want a religious one, and they ask the Funeral Director, "what else is there?", and 'humanism' is the only answer they get.

Ask your funeral director what the choices are. And if you don't get a full answer, go on the web - believe me, there are plenty of choices, from pagans, atheists, spiritualists, independents, retired vicars who'll cooperate, self-taught people, you name it.
And if you're not up to the task, ask a friend to do it for you. Come to that, ask a friend to ring round a few Funeral Directors as well, to see which ones sound as if they'll feel right.
Don't roll over and accept what you're given. And don't ask a priest to compromise on his or her religion - I can't count the number of times a vicar, at a crematorium, has said to me: "I wish a lot more people would ask someone like you to conduct the service. I'm fed up with looking at a sea of hostile faces, all wishing I'd hurry up and get the God part out of the way."”

“Rev barry Tomlinson says -"The problem of the person taking a funeral not knowing the deceased is not confined to the Christian Minister. The humanist funeral taker will suffer the same problem." I'm afraid he is talking without any knowledge of how accredited Humanist Celebrants operate. We always visit families to discuss what they want and to learn about the person who has died, except where families don't want it, or where circmstances make it impossible. It's a shame he has no idea of how we operate.”

“I totally agree with father Tomlinson. I have insisted in my will that I have a Christian funeral and I have also purchased my burial plot, because I do not believe in Christians being cremated. I want hymns and prayers and NO modern music.”

“As an independent funeral celebrant, I am shocked to the core that so many people don't seem to realize that Christian and Humanist funerals are not the only options. Of course Christian ministers do an amazing job within their communities, and I have attended Humanist ceremonies that have proved really uplifting for the bereaved. But there are a growing band of professionals (like me) aiming to reach the 65% of the population who are neither regular church-goers nor atheists (staggering statistic isn't it?); who are neither comfortable with ministers of a certain faith nor with Humanists ¿ who believe in the science of life and death and nothing thereafter. More and more people are now demanding individual funerals in ceremonies that weave together the colourful strands of a singular life. These people are neither formally religious nor atheist (humanist), but they value individualism and spiritual values. They want a ceremony that reflects their life, character and beliefs, on their terms, with their creed, favourite words and music ¿ and it really doesn't matter whether its via a prayer, Pachelbel or punk rock. We are talking about ceremonies with heart and soul, where the independent celebrant is happy to embrace spiritualism, buddism, or just merely that belief that there is 'something else out there'. It's about taking the time to get to know about loved ones, so that we can really capture the essence of those those who are being mourned ¿ and in turn help the bereaved to properly grieve and keep happy and significant memories with them. Despite talking to me (for about 30 minutes), the retired minister I settled for at my mother's funeral got it so wrong it was embarrassing, and those words couldn't be taken back . The Humanist officiant who conducted my father's ceremony was superb, but we couldn't mention the years he spent with my mother as a spiritual healer, and that was such an important part of their lives together. Somehow it seemed incomplete. I aim to fill in the gaps ¿ not only professionally but also (and more importantly), with tender loving care. Everyone is individual, and they deserve nothing less than to be treated as such.”

“Psychoanalytic investigation has shown that the idea of god is a spontaneous product of the human mind. As such to ignore it is to live in a state of dissociation with an essential element of our own being, or, put another way, with our soul. This is not mumbo-jumbo, but the product of scientific research. As such, I say to the unbeliever, adopt a more circumspect view of yourself. We believers do not need need the fruits of these investigations.”

“Fr Tomlinson's blog is well worth reading. He makes an important contribution to a discussion which this nation really needs to have. If folk do not want a Christian funeral then they need much better provision than exists at the moment. Even nominal Christians are not well served by a twenty minute slot in a Crem Chapel by a minister who never knew them. Thank you Fr Tomlinson.”

“We no longer live in the dark ages, if you look at the whole matter logically using the scientific knowledge available
you can only come to the conclusion that for one or more gods to exist is almost impossible. Where do they come from? where are their parents and siblings? who has ever seen one?
We are bombarded with the god rubbish from cradle to grave it permeates every part of our society. Psychiatrists know it's all in the mind, implanted there by autosuggestion and brainwashing. It is an ancient idea developed by people who had no other explanation and later used as a means of power and influence over the masses.
Psychiatrist and hypnotists will tell you how easy it is to brainwash humans, once implanted it is very difficult to get it out of the mind. Theist leaders and evangelists know that full well, which is why they and their followers bombard us with it incessantly,
In particular evangelists (or missionaries as they are normally referred to) take full advantage to imprint their message in the poorly educated people of poor countries.
Brainwashing people with such rubbish is a disgusting practice which often results in false hopes.
My own parents were afraid of not believing in god in case something terrible might happen to them after death. How abominable religion is to do that to people.
As far as I am aware there has never been a miracle which stands up to proper scrutiny.
What humans need to do is face up to realities in a logical way, things that don't exist are of less use than things that are really tangible. A false crutch resolves no problem.
Humans need to wake up to what the evangelists are doing. I have got more than 3,000 of my allotted words spare but I don't see any point in using them up for the sake of it. If you people just look at the proper facts you can work out the truth for yourselves.
Gods are a part of human evolution which should now be confined to history.”

“The problem behind all this is having an established Church of England, where people dont'grace the doors of any particular church from one Sunday to another but then ,at baptisms, weddings or funeral s expect the clergy to be "all hunkey dorey", pliable like a willing servant,and treat them as if they were long lost friends, and demand all sorts of secular rubbish, which is often at varience with the Christian faith., and in the case of most popular music is more, often than not,bound up with sex and relationships.
Islam, Judeaism and Hinduism, don't seem to have the same problems They are firmer over such matters., and are not hampered with by the well meaning but more often than not , misguided interference from the State.
The behaviour from those , non -church going people,requesting ministrations at some Weddings and Baptisims I have attended has ranged from the blaze to the arrogant,downright rude, bad mannered and hostile.with no regard for the Sacred nature of the church building , especially if the Sacrament is reserved there.
In the pub, doctor's surgery or a shop such people would be asked to leave immediately.
. Christian Clergy are ordained to preach the Gospel and minister within a Christian framework, not to be at the beck and call of those who often despise the church and want their own non Christian Agenda and often ideocincratic ideas put forward.
We all know that at times of berevement , people are fragile and vulnerable, but would we ask the doctor to leave his surgery and come and fix our car because it had broken down in the steet outside his practice., while he was attending to patients.?I think not!
Whilst clergy know that dealing with death and berevement is a large part of their ministry, and they do this on a daily basis , with tact ,care, love and understanding; it really is quite unreasonable to expect them to be available, and totally pliable for the funeral of persons they often don't know ,and at the end of the day their parishes do not benefit personally, from this, as all fees go back to the diocese. I know this not about money , fees and the like but to many in this selfish society of today it makes the point more forcabily than references to civility ,and the appreciation of a clergymans vocation. By the way I am a layman, and not likely to be requested to take such services. With a disestablished church anyone could take their own services and do just what they wanted.
As a Christian , I say "God help us!!”