Secular Funerals--Atheist Claims Need for Ritual

THE EUROPEAN 
By Nigel Warburton

Secular funerals, for all their sincerity, individuality, and mixture of celebration and mourning, lack something. Not spirituality of course, nor hope for the future: in this context realism should prevail over comforting illusion. What is missing is the power of ritual repetition. For whatever reason, this is something that most secularists have shunned. The emphasis on unique events tailored to reflect individual lives comes at a price. For those who believe, hearing the words of Thomas has a cumulative effect over a lifetime. Ritual may or may not involve superstition, but it touches something deep in our psyches and it shouldn’t be the exclusive preserve of the religious. [link]