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18 minute read
A funeral is one of the most important occasions for any religion, as it marks someone’s passing out of life into what might be an afterlife beyond. Religious funerals are normally structured in a very traditional, formal way, complete with specific rites, prayers and music coinciding with scriptures or worship practices. They are most often led by a religious figure of some kind, too.
In this article, we will be writing about different beliefs on death and funerals in religion, giving an overview of death-related beliefs in some of the largest religions in the world. We will also ask how the modern world has influenced the format of religious funerals, and whether people in the UK still favour religious funerals for themselves.
Through a religious lens, death, despite how it might look on the surface, may not be the end.
What we do in life matters for its own sake, of course, but if you’re religious, you may believe that it also matters for you personally after your death. That’s because most religions have some concept of an immortal soul that survives our physical death, and of an afterlife. In fact, to go even further, you might believe that your soul is set to arrive in one of a number of different afterlives depending on how morally you’ve lived your mortal life, according to that religion’s code of ethics.
That’s precisely why a funeral is so important in religion, as it’s a formal and symbolic part of the soul’s transition from the mortal world into what happens next.
With the decline of religion in the UK, fewer and fewer of us believe in a god. Yet, a 2022 King’s College London study on the UK’s attitude to religion found that, despite the falling belief in God, belief in an afterlife has remained stable among British people since the 1980s. This shows that, even if many of us recognise that we don’t go to a religious temple, like a church or mosque, to pray or worship, we may still live or behave as if we are living in a religious or spiritual world.
This insight reveals the entrenched, deeper power that religion still has over our imaginations and worldviews. It can be hard to contemplate the idea that, when we die, that’s it. Many of us, to cope with the death of a parent, or when saying goodbye to a dying friend, hold on to the thought of seeing them again in some sort of afterlife, as it can comfort us like nothing else.
Given that most religions are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old, there are many diverse and contrary notions among the followers of each one about what the afterlife could look like. What paradise, damnation, or purgatory could be has evolved through religious discussion throughout the centuries. Not every religion has its own version of these concepts, and even if they do, they may be distinct across different religions.
In general, there tends to be the idea of some kind of paradise, commonly referred to as ‘heaven’ in English regarding that of Christianity. An interesting fact about death is that how ‘paradise’ looks and feels could be influenced by the earthly culture practising the religion. For example, the Ancient Egyptians – a very agricultural society – imagined it as a peaceful plot of fertile land on the banks of the Nile for everyone to farm.
Followers of a religion may be taught that they will be rewarded with access to paradise, should they live a good life on Earth according to the moral codes of their religion. It could be the case that the spirits of our loved ones who’ve died before us will also be there, assuming they’ve also lived a good, moral life. Exactly what paradise consists of is interpreted widely across every religion, but in general, there are themes of plenty, peace, restfulness, harmony, endless learning and contented beauty.
The opposite of this paradise is typically some sort of eternal damnation, usually referred to as ‘hell’ in English. Many Christian artists through the centuries, including in art found on the walls of churches, have attempted to represent hell vividly. John Milton imagined a ‘darkness visible’ generated by an inextinguishable furnace in his own vision of hell in Paradise Lost, for example.
The idea behind such a destination is that it should act as eternal punishment for the souls of those people who have failed to meet the moral expectations of their religion, as well as a deterrent from bad behaviour for those on Earth.
In Christianity, this is a largely catholic idea, but there are similar concepts in other religions. Purgatory is a temporary place, that may or may not be like hell, where the soul waits before it can ascend to heaven. Some religions teach that there is a purifying fire that cleanses the soul of residual sin before it can move on. In other cases, such as in some forms of Judaism, purgatory (or ‘Sheol’), may be more like a waiting room that is dark and gloomy, with the possibility of later access to heaven. In Islam, this concept is called ‘Barzakh’, and is a temporary place where the person’s soul is treated according to how they behaved in life until the Day of Judgement.
Funeral rituals at religious funerals play a crucial role in what is considered to happen to the soul after death, and into which state it will enter. For instance, whilst it’s a popular cremation myth to say that all religions forbid cremation, this is the case for Islam. That could be due to the fact that ‘Barzakh’ is often held to take place in the grave of a dead person, and because muslims believe in the physical resurrection of the body after death. If they have been cremated, instead of buried, it could interfere with this process, and thus, the journey of their soul afterwards.
It’s important to bear in mind that, due to the many centuries for which most religions have been practised, it’s hard to make simple statements about what they claim. With that said, in general most religions assume some concept of eternal life. This could be seen through continuous reincarnation, such as in Hinduism or Buddhism, or not, as with the survival of the soul after bodily death in monotheistic religions like Islam and Christianity.
The vast majority of religions hold life to be eternal in some way, but they have different ways of interpreting it within themselves. For instance, Judaism isn’t dogmatic about the concept of eternal life, with only some branches believing in the later resurrection of the dead. In general, Christianity, Islam, some Jewish sects, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions like Zoroastrianism, hold life to be eternal, with some version of an afterlife.
While each religion interprets this point in its own way, we can generally divide them according to what happens with the soul.
Naturally, this is a simplified account of what some of the main religions in the world have to say about eternal life, and there are many exceptions, contradictions and caveats.
What a faith teaches about the soul and immortality has a big impact on the way that its funerals are conducted. For instance, a Hindu funeral is designed to set the soul free from the confines of its body, and send it on its next journey. The way the body is wrapped and positioned, as well as the offerings of food that are made, are intended to placate the ancestors of the person who has died, and make their transition as smooth as possible.
Religion and death are closely intertwined, as the soul’s journey onwards, whether to reincarnation or the afterlife, is one of religion’s main concerns.
Religion offers comfort and guidance to people who are facing death, as well as an overarching purpose in life. The togetherness that comes from worshipping collectively, and from regulating your life under the umbrella of the spiritual and moral guidance that a religion can provide, helps people to feel that their life has a deeper meaning. In facing death, whether by saying goodbye to a loved one, or even in later remembering a loved one, a belief that death is not truly the end can bring hope.
Sometimes religion can cause tension towards the end of someone’s life, particularly if not everyone in the family is religious. It can be really important for us to get things off of our chests before we die, or before losing a loved one, and that can include our position on things like whether there’s an afterlife. You might be reading this article because you’re unsure of how to talk to a dying relative about religion: a good death doula can help to create the space within a family for talking about death and dying as well as what may await us beyond.
Each religion has its own specific rituals and practices at the time of death, with some being more all-encompassing than others. Ancient myths about death, such as those of the Egyptians, could be much more instructive and practical than we might expect of more modern religions. Aside from a highly elaborate mummification process, laden with spiritual significance, they also had the Book of the Dead. It was enclosed in the sarcophagi of those who could afford it, providing them with what was essentially a route-map to the afterlife.
Across different religions today, the funeral itself may feature funeral hymns which relate to the themes of that religion and the soul’s journey onwards. There will likely be relevant readings from the scriptures of the religion, given by a priest leading the ceremony. Before the death, there may be specific traditions which are observed, such as a wake, as in catholic households, where people spend time with the person who died. Catholics also have the practice of the ‘rosary’ or ‘vigil’, which is a group prayer service held at the church, often on multiple days before the funeral itself.
Naturally, each religion has its own way of processing the dead, and of overseeing a funeral. Funerals are tied to the particular significance of religious belief, and designed to reflect the specialness of each faith, and each soul.
Whilst their content and subject might differ, it’s fair to say that most religious funerals contain prayers, readings, incantations, chants, hymns or blessings of some kind. It’s normally also the case that religious funerals are witnessed by a local community or congregation, who can come together to mourn as one, and to condole with the family of the person who has died.
There may also be some sort of funeral procession, whether with limousines for the bereaved family, and pallbearers for the coffin. Religious funerals almost always occur in some kind of religious temple, whether a church, mosque, or synagogue, whereas with the modern alternatives to traditional funerals, like direct cremation, the funeral could be completely unattended, with the family honouring their loved ones with a meaningful celebration-of-life after the cremation itself. It is possible, however, for religious funerals to occur at a crematorium or funeral home too.
There may be differences between religions in who is allowed to attend a funeral. Hindu funeral rites are traditionally only attended by men, although in practice, women can also attend modern Hindu funerals. Likewise, only in some islamic communities can women attend a funeral.
In general, Islamic funerals are reserved and quiet, with the only sound being the recitation of prayers or readings. Like with a Jewish funeral, there is not normally music of any kind. On the other hand, music is a very important part of Christian and Hindu funerals, and can also be important for those practising Buddhism.
Each faith has its own way of laying the dead to rest, and sending their souls on their way.
It’s still fairly common in Christian cultures to have an open-casket funeral, which is to say, a funeral where the person who has died will be (at least partially) displayed, in death, before the mourners at the funeral. Prior to cremation or burial, if this is preferred, they’ll be washed and dressed in clothes picked by the family. Prior to the funeral, there may be a wake for the person who has died, where they are kept at home and displayed, so that locals can call and pay their respects. Often they’ll be watched over by a family member through the night, and sometimes, depending on the country, this can go on for quite a few days.
When someone from an Islamic culture dies, preparation for a Muslim funeral service begins immediately. The dead person will be washed three times at home by family members of the same sex as them, positioned with their left hand across their chest and the right hand on top of the left; it is then wrapped in a white shroud which is bound with ropes. The body of the person who has died is never viewed, either at or before the funeral, once it has been prepared.
The body is always buried, as muslims believe in a physical resurrection, and it is laid in a grave perpendicular to Mecca, with the the right side of the body facing the city.
A Hindu funeral ceremony usually consists of a cremation 24 hours after death. However, there are certain communities in India which bear the bodies (or ashes) of their dead towards the River Ganges (a holy river for Hindus), and send them downstream on its current. The body is usually dressed in white to symbolise purity (as are the mourners), but if the person who has died is a woman leaving behind a widower, she’ll be dressed in red, and if she is an unmarried girl, then it’s orange or yellow. The body is also garlanded with flowers.
In the days following the funeral, there may be two further ceremonies: the Shraddha ceremony, 10 days after the death, to help the soul enter the next world. And a memorial feast 12 or 13 days after death, to honour the life of the person who has died.
Buddhists normally cremate their dead following a ceremony at a monastery or family home. The ceremony consists of chanting, sermons, and singing. The body is normally contained in an open casket, and displayed next to an image of the Buddha placed nearby, along with an image of the person who has died. The body is brought to the crematorium in a hearse, usually by the family, and then they and the mourners will form a procession behind it.
At a Buddhist funeral you are likely to hear the ringing of gongs or bells, and to pick up on the smell of incense, which is wafted over the person who has died. Candles are lit and offerings of cloth are made to the monk on behalf of the person who has died.
There’s a very large range of different jewish experiences, so what happens at a jewish funeral will vary. In general, Jews will be buried in a simple, wooden, biodegradable coffin with no nails. Bodies are not embalmed or viewed, as it’s important for them to decay naturally. The funeral is led by a Rabbi, possibly at a synagogue, and may include psalms, hymns and a eulogy. Following the funeral, the family can host a ‘shiva’, which is essentially like a wake, where people can pay their respects to the family of the person who has died.
In some Jewish communities, there’s the practice of ‘kaddish’, which is a mourning prayer recited daily for the one who has died by their family. Each day it is recited brings their spirit higher to the next spiritual world.
The number of people opting for religious funerals has steeply declined in the UK in the last few years. Multicultural and secular society has also led to the adaptation of some religious funeral formats.
The Funeral Guide found in a recent survey that only 17% of UK funerals in 2023 were religious, which would suggest that even the religious are opting in some cases for non-traditional, modern alternatives in their funeral choices. The increasingly popular tendencies of holding a personal, non-traditional end-of-life celebration for our loved ones after they have died, and of thinking of creative cremation ashes ideas is just as likely to appeal to religious people as to the non-religious.
Direct cremation has rapidly become a very popular form of funeral in the UK. Its adoption has been accelerated by the Covid pandemic, during which attended, traditional funerals were not legally possible; and by the impact of inflation, which has accelerated funeral costs. SunLife put the average cost of a traditional funeral in the UK at £4,141 last year, whereas Aura’s direct cremation services are available from £1,095 to those looking in the here and now, and £1,595 for those thinking about a funeral plan for the future; less than half of that average cost in both cases.
It’s also the case with religious funerals in the UK that norms and traditions, particularly with Christian funerals, are not necessarily as rigorously enforced as they once were; rules around dress-code and colour are relaxed, and maybe even around music and format. Rules around attendance in the UK at islamic and hindu funerals may also be changing in some communities, allowing for the attendance of women and children, where traditionally, this was not permitted.
Again, largely thanks to limits imposed on our attendance at physical events, there has been a large uptake in the number of people who attend funerals virtually. Video communication on platforms such as Zoom and Google Meets quickly became an integral part of working and personal life thanks to Covid, and funerals are no different from that. Although the vast majority of people would prefer to attend such an event in person, where your attendance is not physically possible, whether through illness or life circumstances such as living in a foreign country, it may now be possible for you to attend even religious funerals remotely.
We hope you have found this article useful and interesting. Aura is the UK’s top-rated ‘Cremation Services’ provider on Trustpilot, with the families in our care having given us 4.9/5 stars on the platform. Whether you’re religious or non-religious, our compassionate, caring and low-cost services are available to you at the point of need, and in the future. Please just give us a call if you’d like to see how we can help.
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