Can anyone person predict the future.....'god' knows I'm not sure what I'm up to on the morrow! 

This made me smile, I think it should be made into a poster 

Both my mum ( lapsed Catholic) and more recently my dad ( christened in the Church of Scotland) chose to have humanist send-offs. We all found them a huge comfort and as uplifting as those kind of things can be.. it was all about them and their lives, like katty says, a celebration.  Very personal , moving, and , because of the people my mum and dad were, funny at times Good music too  

That's the way I'll be doing it . 

Cos in the Catholic faith we are brought up to believe that everyone is lent to the earth until God needs them back, when we die we are meant to be going to a better place so should'nt be mourned....

My mother died this year and I do not believe in religion, I actually think its just a massive money making racket but I organised a non religious funeral but had one prayer and one hymn put in for her friends, the rest was just about my mother and her life....

Is there a difference between faith and religion?

That was a really thoughtful thing to do IMO. I went to a humanist funeral earlier in the year with my daughter. Although I'm not overtly religious at all (although I do sound it up there^^^) I found it a bit devoid of something because there wasn't a prayer.

Somehow I would have found a little prayer a comfort. I know that's a bit silly at a Humanist funeral but I suppose years of conditioning and expectation at these sort of rituals have an effect.

I was baptised,and confirmed, low church C of E, I sang in the choir and rang the bells. Maybe religion hasn't kept up with science, I don't know. I do know that if one rejects religion then one needs to find something rather strong to fill the void, or one needs to be strong to go without a faith. Otherwise we replace our religion with even dafter beliefs.

If it was left to me I'd have left all religion out but I thought there will be people there who believe and it would'nt be fair on them, strange thing is I had to make the decision of religion early on cos the humanist ones are cheaper, if you need any prayers or hymns in it costs more....

Religion shouldn't hurt folk. Folk hurt folk, folk use religion as a way to hurt folk.

Religion can be used and is used for good. It brings comfort to people, it brings community and belonging to some people. It teachs people.

So no, I don't believe Religion does more harm then good. Religion or belief doesn't do the harm, someones interupretaton of parts of some Religions can be twisted to please even the sickest minded people, to hurt people.

I'm not a believer have never really ever been a believer but I might envy people who can give themselves to something without question, wholeheartedly, and who get great comfort and solace from something I couldn't begin to imagine. Who believe and know through their belief that there is more, more to come...