Terry
Rundell J.P. C.M.C.
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It is now widely accepted that the need for religious ceremonies at both weddings and funerals is a thing of the past. Today the number of weddings conducted by a qualified civil celebrant have reached a staggering high in Australia. Likewise the demand for funeral services prepared by a funeral celebrant, in collaboration with family members and friends of the deceased, is ever increasing. There is a deep human need to encompass and surround important events in life with rituals, symbolism and expressions of beliefs. Both religious and non religious people have the same right to, and need for, meaningful cultural rituals and celebration. However with an increasing number of people not practicing religious ceremonies on a regular basis, there is a need for funerals that are not bound by the doctrines of any specific religious creed. The need has arisen for funeral celebrants to step into the void, and develop and present services in harmony with the deceased's own beliefs. Today's need for an individually prepared ceremony with appropriate wording based on the life of the person who has died, with emphasis on celebrating the life rather than focusing on death. A life-centered or personal funeral is one that primarily recognizes and pay tribute to the departed, and records and remembers the life that has been lived. It allows mourners to let go of their emotions, to experience them and to face the reality of death. Most mourners do not come to a funeral to hear a sermon about sin or to philosophize about death. They come to grieve, to share with others, and to reflect on the life of their lost one and what is meaningful in life. They come to be comforted and uplifted in their time of need.
The advantage that the funeral celebrant's service has over a traditional religious service is that it is not restricted by the old rituals of the church, which are not always in harmony with the beliefs of the bereaved and the deceased. People are now free to experiment with a wide range of beliefs, and to express a wide range of meaningful rituals as part of a tailored service
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Funerals