Funerals...

I hate funerals.  I'm sure everyone does.  But I really hate how they are another chance for people to preach at you.  I haven't lost a lot of people in my life, for which I am grateful.  Death is hard on the living.  I lost my mother and aunt in 1995.  They were both very young...31 years old.  I was 11 when I attended their funerals.  I don't remember a lot, other than a lot of crying.

I've been to two funeral in the past three weeks.  One was for a friend...only 25 years old.  They other for my great-grandmother.  A month shy of her 99th birthday.  Both of these funerals were very religious.  These funerals become less of a celebration of the person's life, and more about Jesus and God.  I think it's insulting to the deceased.  I know funerals are for the living, but you should respect the dead.

 In the case of my friend, who died tragically at the age of 25.  I know for a fact that he didn't believe in any of this religion crap.  Yet his funeral was a typical catholic funeral. The priest said he was a child of god.  My friend would have been laughing his ass off.

My great grandmother's funeral was 2 days ago.  It wasn't sad, as I know she lived a great, long life.  She will be missed, but I wasn't terribly upset.  You expect people of that age to pass.  In the last year, her quality of life wasn't very good.  She suffered from dementia.  80% of her funeral was from the bible and the pastor telling us that in order to celebrate my grandmother, we should accept Jesus as our savior.  Are you fucking kidding me?  I will celebrate my grandmother by the memories I have for her.  Jesus has nothing to do with this.  As she herself, as told by my grandparents, did not accept Jesus until 4 years ago.  Which I suspect is due to my born again christian grandparents asking her on a daily basis.  Well she held out 94 years.  I'm not saying she wasn't religious, but she seemed to keep it to herself.  I sat there the other day just angry.  I know people have a right to have their religion, but when you inject the religion after the person has died, when they have no say is just completely disrespectful.  Especially if that person wasn't a member of your jesus club.

my great-grandmother...back in the day

I know people use heaven as a comfort because they are scared of death.  It's so much nicer to think that you go on to another life after this one and are reunited with your loved ones.  But the christians use this a a bargaining chip to recruit others.   You won't get to see your loved ones unless you accept jesus as your savior.  And if you don't, you are going to burn in hell.  But there is no evidence of this whatsoever.  This is the only life we have and we have to make the most of it.