Life after Death Coursework

Life after Death Coursework-Describe a Christian Funeral Service

When somebody dies it can be a very hard for people to take. Christians take hope from the fact that they believe in the afterlife. The funeral service reminds Christians that even though that person is no longer with them on the earth they are going to heaven to be with God. For Christians death is not the end and the funeral service reminds them of this. This is shown by the first words said at a Christian funeral service: I am the resurrection and the life. This shows their hope for life after death.

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Not all Christian funeral services are the same, they vary in different denominations. There are some things that are the same though. There is a short service in most churches. A passage from the bible is usually read out; the passage will have the theme of life after death. Prayers are said to comfort the family and friends and thank God for the person’s life. There is usually a short speech read out by one of the relatives or a close friend. In that speech the person will talk about all the good things the person has achieved. They will talk about his personality and his life. The short speech is given to help the family remember the person who has died. In most Christian funerals hymns will be sung. The hymns are carefully chosen and are usually about resurrection or remind the congregation of the presence of God in times of need. It is also common for a hymn to be sung which was a favourite of the person that died.

Even though a funeral is a sad occasion for everybody that is involved, the emphasis of the service is to remember all the good things about the person and the hope of life in heaven with God. The person that leads the service will try and prevent the funeral from being all about doom and gloom but more about thankfulness and hope. The person will remind people that they are lucky to have known the dead person. After the service a person might be buried or cremated. The ministers will saw some more prayers and in the prayers he asks God to be merciful to the dead person’s soul and reminds people that God gives you life and he decides when to take it away. When the funeral is over, the family and friends go back to someone’s house and they talk about their grief and take in some refreshments.

Now that I have looked at Christian funerals in general I am going to look at Catholic funerals. Catholics believe that death is just a journey to a new life promised by jesus. Catholics believe that one day everyone will be gathered together by God

Death is a passage from this life to the new life promised by Christ. This passage is to be experienced in the light of the Resurrection. In faith, we believe that one day we will all be gathered together by God, the Father, to live with Him eternally