From the UK Telegraph:
More than 30,000 funerals in Britain last year were nonreligious, as families turn increasingly to 'celebration-of-life' ceremonies rather than church services, according to new figures.
The rise is being attributed to people's growing willingness to admit that they are non-believers, and to their desire to avoid 'hypocrisy'.
Ten years ago, a funeral without a minister of religion and reference to God was virtually unheard of but increasingly, services are presided over by a 'celebrant' and involve poems instead of psalms, while mourners are often asked to wear something bright rather than black.
There's something to be said for this honesty. God did say he'd rather we be hot or cold (i.e. either in His camp or fully out of it); at least they're not pretending to believe something they really don't.
It is, however, a sad testament to the rise of paganism and Godlessness. And it may leave people even more surprised when they themselves wake up in eternity to find that they won't be celebrating anything there and, um, "global warming" was the least of their problems.
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