What happens when an atheist dies?

breadmonkey

I'm just curious as to what happens to an atheist when they die?

i.e Christian = mass+burial etc
atheist?

Zillah

What their family wants generally, unless they specified a civil cremation or something.

Personally I'd go for cremation. Burial seems wierd to me.

Hagar

Nothing...

croiadh

I b an an non-believer and what I wish to happen is a cremation all non religous.

Cake Fiend

Zillah wrote:

Personally I'd go for cremation. Burial seems wierd to me.

Me too; also, I hate graveyards. The whole idea of going to look at a stone (in a field full of other stones) a few times a year always seemed terribly morose to me as a child. Chuck some ashes off a cliff and at least you give mourners a view to enjoy.

KTRIC

I want my ashes to be put in an urn in the base of the statue that will eventually erected in my honor on O'Connell St

Scofflaw

breadmonkey wrote:

I'm just curious as to what happens to an atheist when they die?

i.e Christian = mass+burial etc
atheist?

Rotting's a favourite.

Actually, I like graveyards. I consider them a place set aside to contemplate death. On the other hand, all my father's family get cremated (I'm a fourth-generation atheist).

In general, one goes along with a pretty standard funeral - homily, some readings, organ music, etc. The difference, I suppose, is in the content, which is non-religious. Some funeral arrangers will automatically include a junior hierophant of some kind to mumble a few religious platitudes - at my grandmother's funeral, a little wet-looking C of E vicarlet rattled off a few "thoughts" about heaven, and then my father stood up and said "as you all know, my mother was an atheist, and believed in neither heaven not hell".

My great-aunt never went to funerals (even her sister's) - she used to say "there's nothing I can do for them, dear, they're dead." At her own funeral, we exited to the March of the Clowns...

You have to bear in mind that you might be an atheist, but not everyone connected to you will be. Also, you're dead. Arranging a funeral to your own preferences is expensive, and the return on investment is low.

regards,
Scofflaw

Asiaprod

breadmonkey wrote:

I'm just curious as to what happens to an atheist when they die? quote]

Burn me, climb a tall mountain, probably Mt. Fuji in my case, and scatter my ashes in the breeeze. Make sure its a very windy day so I can cover a lot of ground:)

Dades

I think when your old enough not to offend anyone - whatever you specify to happen should go (as long as you pay for it).

If I died young, I'd leave it to those I left behind to do whatever comforts them. After all I'm dead so it isn't really going to bother me.

But yeah, burial is weird. Cremation is the way to go.

Playboy

I don't understand why people think burial is weird. It has along with cremation been the burial tradition we have had for thousands of years. Is it the religious aspect to it or just the idea of it. Personally I want a big tomb with the door left open just in case I wake up and want to go for a wander

the real ramon

I like the idea of burial tbh, a nice cardboard coffin and then munched on by worms, me thus gets recycled into nature again:)

Scofflaw

Playboy wrote:

I don't understand why people think burial is weird. It has along with cremation been the burial tradition we have had for thousands of years. Is it the religious aspect to it or just the idea of it. Personally I want a big tomb with the door left open just in case I wake up and want to go for a wander

Seconded. Something nice and roomy, ideally rocky. Kind of dry and dusty, too. Big door, key on the inside, thanks, just in case. Quite like a telephone, too.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Sysiphus

As a secular humanist myself I'd like to think that after i snuff it I can be a bit more use and have willed my body to science for whatever they feel is needed. I'll be dead so what happens dosn't matter that much.

Fyr.Fytr

I want a cremation, want my favorite music to be played during the ceremony thing, have all my mates take the piss out of me and family can throw my ashes where ever they want

DapperGent

I'd like to be left to rot somewhere worth fertilizing. I dunno how much hassle that would be to arrange though, probably plenty.

I should really (and probably will) leave myself for experiments and such, but I just like the idea of being left to be scavenged/fertilize.

I dunno why I care so much about it, given that I'll be dead at the time.

Binomate

I'd like to be floated down the the liffey, preferably naked with a boner. I think it would be funny, just to see my bobbing corpse make the news and just the idea of how shocked everyone would be. Either that or one of those burials like in brave heart where they have the king on the raft made of sticks, and they burn it as it floats out to sea. Another would to just be left somewhere for the laugh where I can rot, but somewhere that I will be found by some random stranger who will get the fright of their life, like the attic of a childrens cresh or something.

Stephen

Donating my body to science/organs to people who need them etc sounds like a good idea to me.

Tar.Aldarion

I personlly would like any atheist friends to be buried so I could visit them...maybe that's just me.
I don't really care about myself.
I'll leave myself to boards for research.

Beruthiel

I'd have loved a Viking funeral, but what are the chances of that?
it will be cremation for me.
am just back from me Grans funeral where they had a wake for 2 days, it was a lovely send off, so might go for the big party before hand.

toiletduck

id like a viking funeral also

Hagar

I can do you a good deal on a funeral.

Beruthiel

dare I ask...?

Julesie

Id imagine that if i was to die anytime in the near future i would be subjected to a Catholic service as that would be what my Mother would want. If though i live to some ripe old age it will be on my terms and therefore a distinctly non-religious affair. Burial or Cremation is fine by me, its not like ill know about it.

robindch

> I'm just curious as to what happens to an atheist when they die?

I'm planning to leave enough cash for a party for anybody who knows me, or claims to, then either to be turned into potting compost for a tree somewhere, or if Dublin City Council don't like that, then to have my ashes strapped to the back of a huge firework and blasted up into the sky over Sandymount strand while the aforementioned party's going on. Can't think of a more fun way to go.

nitrogen

I like the idea of our future ancestors finding my fossils, if I was buried. Although, if I live old enough, then I'll probably request cremation with some mad weird service just to confuse everyone, hehe .

Convert me into gases and let me wander around the planet .

kiffer

I'd like to be dropped in to the top of an active Volcano.
Not my ashes mind you ... my body thrown in to the lava.

failing that...
turned in to a diamond and then have the diamond fired in to space ... when such a thing be comes possible...

boneless

As a born Again atheist, I will be leaving my body to science and when they are finished whatever is left is getting singed. The ashes will then be strapped to a red illumination flare and be fired from a 120mm rifled mortar over the Bluffs of Imaal!! A Gunners Request!!