subject: Do Christians Have Funeral Services As A Ritual Of Letting Go? [print this page] Christians are firm believers in the coming again of God's son Jesus Christ. Moreover, Christians believe that at the moment of their deaths, judgment will be passed on the acts they have done while they were still alive. They believe that it is through their good deeds that they will be worthy of sitting next to God in his kingdom. Christians try to live by the lessons of Christ in their day to day existence.
For Christians, a funeral service signifies the start of the soul's journey to the life after death. This is the primary reason why such services are uplifting as they are looked upon as an assertion of the belief that the soul has obtained a new home in the House of God.
Christians consider death as a happy exit from the world of pain and an entry into the world of everlasting bliss. That the deceased is enjoying the bliss of heaven and is with God Himself is a comforting thought that lessens the extremity of the shock that death brings to the family. The Christian funeral service is performed by devout Christians keeping these beliefs in mind.
Christian funeral ceremony is generally conducted by the pastor. The funeral service normally takes place at the church which the deceased visited regularly. Generally the ceremonies don't have casket, but in case the service is being conducted inside a funeral home, caskets are usually present. A traditional Christian funeral service does not involve public viewing of the deceased at the time of ceremony.
The rituals in such a funeral ceremony are more like a memorial, in which religious songs and similar prayers are sung and lines from Holy Scriptures are read out loud. A short message is given by the pastor, after which there is a mass prayer.
Then the attendees partake in the grief of the family as well as close friends and talk about their own experiences as to how the dead person has touched their lives and left a permanent impression on their minds. People nowadays do a slide show of photos or play a pre-recorded video of the dead person taken during his or her lifetime.
The last step in the ceremony is that of a brief reception that is held inside the church itself and some refreshments are served. A graveside service is generally not included, but some make an exception to this.
