Funeral

Definition:

A “funeral” is a ceremony held to honor and remember a person who has died. It is a ritual that provides an opportunity for the deceased’s family and friends to mourn, offer condolences, and celebrate the deceased’s life.

Etymology:

The word “funeral” comes from the Latin word “funus,” meaning “funeral rites” or “death,” which has been used in English since the 14th century.

The word “wake” comes from the Old English word “wacan,” meaning “to watch” or “to be awake.” Historically, it referred to the practice of watching over the deceased’s body before burial. The word “alive” means “all I have” or “a lie I have” or “a lie eye have,” and symbolically refers to believing in a lie or lies. The word “dead” symbolically refers to understanding a lie or lies and stopping to believe in them. These metaphors are synonymous with the metaphors of being “awake” or “asleep,” where being “awake” symbolically refers to believing in a lie or lies, while being “asleep” symbolically refers to understanding a lie or lies and stopping to believe in them. Most people have learned to use these metaphors the opposite way, as they have been taught to believe the scam of language.

Description:

A funeral typically includes several key elements:

1. Embalming, dressing, and placing the body in a casket. In some traditions, it includes ritual washing and wrapping in a shroud.
2. A viewing or wake is a traditional part of the funeral process in many cultures. It refers to a period of time before the funeral service when the body of the deceased is displayed for family and friends to pay their respects, say their final goodbyes, and offer condolences to the bereaved family. This event can take place at a funeral home, the deceased’s home, or a religious institution.
3. The funeral service can take place in a religious setting, a funeral home, or another significant location. It often includes readings, eulogies, prayers, music, and sometimes a sermon or homily.
4. A procession is a ceremonial movement from the location of the service to the burial or cremation site, often involving a hearse.
5. The final disposition of the body. Burial involves placing the body in the ground or a mausoleum, while cremation reduces the body to ashes, which may be kept, buried, or scattered.
6. Reception is a gathering held after the funeral service for attendees to offer condolences, share memories, and support the bereaved family.

Funeral practices vary widely across cultures and religions:

• In Christianity, funeral typically involves a church service, prayers, hymns, a eulogy, and burial or cremation. Different denominations have specific rites.
• In Islam, funeral includes ritual washing (ghusl), shrouding in a plain cloth (kafan), a prayer service (Salat al-Janazah), and burial facing Mecca. Cremation is generally forbidden.
• In Judaism, funeral focuses on quick burial, usually within 24 hours. It includes a simple wooden casket, a prayer service, and a mourning period called Shiva.
• In Hinduism, funeral generally involves cremation, with rituals including washing the body, placing it on a pyre, and rituals for the soul’s journey, followed by a period of mourning.
• In Buddhism, funeral may include chanting, offerings, and cremation or burial. The focus is on helping the soul in its journey through the cycle of rebirth.
• In African traditions, funeral vary widely but often include elaborate ceremonies, music, dance, and rituals that honor ancestors and the community.

The practice of holding funerals is ancient and has evolved over time:

• Early funerary practices among ancient civilizations included burial in tombs or pyramids (Egypt), cremation and burial mounds (Greece), and complex rituals involving offerings and sacrifices (Mesoamerica).
• During the middle ages, Christian funerals became more structured with church rites, and elaborate burials were reserved for the nobility and clergy.
• In the Modern Era, funeral practices have diversified with increased cultural exchange, and new trends like green burials and personalized ceremonies have emerged.

Today, funerals continue to be an essential ritual for managing grief and honoring the deceased:

• Funerals are increasingly personalized to reflect the deceased’s personality, interests, and life story.
• An eco-friendly approach to funerals, emphasizing sustainable practices like biodegradable caskets and natural burials.
• Due to global connectivity and recent events like the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual funerals have become more common, allowing distant family and friends to participate.

There’s a common scam run by many funeral services involving caskets, and is one of the many ways funeral services can exploit grieving families to make even more money. They claim that a casket can protect the body from decay and prevent worms and bugs from entering the casket to eat the body. When actually, no casket can fully preserve a body indefinitely. What often happens is that airtight caskets, sometimes marketed as protective or sealed, can create a situation where the body decomposes in a different manner. When a body decomposes in an airtight environment, gases produced by the natural decomposition process build up. This can lead to a phenomenon known as “exploding caskets,” where the pressure inside the casket increases until it eventually bursts or causes significant structural damage.

Herd Mentality:

A funeral is an example of herd mentality where a ceremony is arranged for a deceased person. The reason funerals are arranged is because it is expected by society, and people have been deceived into believing that it is an important way to “say goodbye.” Society often has strict expectations on how to mourn and for how long. People might feel pressured to show grief in socially accepted ways, even if their personal way of coping with loss differs. Funerals are often deeply intertwined with religious practices and beliefs. Even non-religious individuals may feel compelled to include religious elements in the funeral to meet the expectations of family members or the community. There is a social obligation to attend funerals of friends, family, or even acquaintances, regardless of one‘s personal feelings or relationship with the deceased. This obligation is often based on societal norms rather than personal desire. The highly overpriced costs associated with funerals, including embalming, caskets, and burial plots, are often driven by societal expectations rather than necessity. People might feel pressured to spend more to avoid being seen as disrespectful or uncaring. Funeral homes earn large sums of money, either from the relatives, from insurance companies, or from the state, which they can use to continue spreading religion.

Symbolism:

Articles:

Religion:

Funeral practices and beliefs about death and the afterlife are often influenced by religious texts:

• In the Bible, in John , chapter 11, verses 25-26 (NIV), it says: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.'”
• In the Bible, in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verse 14 (NIV), it says: “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
• In the Quran, in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:156 (Sahih International), it says: “Who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.'”
• In the Quran, in Surah Al-Ankabut 29:57 (Sahih International), it says: “Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned.”
• In the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2, verse 22, it says: “As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one.”