Humanist funeral was truly appalling

Sir, Over the past few days I met different people, Christians and non-Christians alike, who attended a so-called ‘ humanist funeral’ in Inverness.

Without exception, they were all appalled by what they heard and witnessed. They also told me that the majority of those present were of the same mind as themselves. One man told me that it was the ‘worst funeral I ever attended – it was quite a pathetic performance’.

Why the outpouring of dismay and confusion? Apparently, no mention was made of God, Jesus Christ, sin or the afterlife. The Bible was not read and no reference was made to any word of divine truth. No prayer was heard, and neither was there any psalm of praise sung.

There was not one word of biblical comfort, nor an expression of spiritual sympathy, for the mourners. The glorious gospel message of inner peace, salvation joy and eternal rest was not mentioned. Even ‘Amen’ was not heard.

Yes, all this was a ‘pathetic performance’ indeed. God calls it idolatry and religious sacrilege: ‘They changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.’ (Romans 1:25)

I daresay the humanist celebrant would rather, if it were possible, say nothing even about ‘death’. Alas, it couldn’t be evaded: this cold ‘last enemy’ was staring everyone right in the face. It always will. As we are all sinners, so we must all (humanists included) die one day.

One cannot but have profound pity, and feel deep sorrow, for humanists. They have nothing to live for and nothing to die for. They tragically reject all and everything that relates to God. They delude themselves into thinking that everything ends at death.

What madness, what folly, what blindness, what delusion. They somehow think they can ignore what the call of truth commands them to do: ‘Prepare to meet thy God.’

History records that Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, detested everything that Christianity represented. The world knows him, after the title of a book he wrote, called

God is dead. Days after he died in Austria words on a wall, in graffiti, said: ‘God is dead: Nietzsche!’ Someone else wrote under it: ‘Nietzsche is dead: God.’ Yes, it is man that dies, not God.

Donald J Morrison, Old Edinburgh Road, Inverness.