With the number of non-religious people on the rise, that inevitably means more non-religious people who die as well. So what happens when it comes time for the funeral and the families don’t want a religious ceremony?

Emma Green takes a look at funeral rites for the non-religious in The Atlantic:

Tattooing yourself with a dead person’s remains is one new way of memorializing death in the absence of faith, [professor Candi Cann] said. “As society becomes more secular, and people are more and more turning to that ‘spiritual but not religious category,’ they’re forming their own do-it-yourself ways of remembering the dead.”

There’s a really fascinating look at “green” funerals in that article, too.

If you’re looking for funeral resources to honor atheists who have died, I would suggest going here and here. And, of course, Grief Beyond Belief has a ton of resources. (Don’t forget organ donations or going to medical school!)

(Image via Shutterstock)



