Religious vs Secular Funeral Service

Funeral services are much more commonly thought of as a religious ceremony. While most funerals are indeed held in a religious manner, many are often secular in nature. Both services are similar in many ways and both serve purposes of helping people begin to grieve and heal. However, they are also both very different. Whether held in a church or funeral home in Willits, CA., let’s look at these services and see how they compare. 

Religious Funeral Service Characteristics 

A religious funeral service is going to be one that focuses on the religion of the deceased and that religion’s beliefs and rituals. It will be focused on the afterlife and celebrating the life after death. 

The elements of the service will include things like hymns and other religious songs, readings from holy books, and prayers given by religious leaders. There may be other religious texts or passages read. 

Secular (Non-Religious) Funeral Service Characteristics 

The non-religious, secular funeral service will also include music and readings but they will be of a secular nature. For instance, instead of hymns being played or sung, the music choice my be a pop song or other song you hear on the radio. 

Rather than religious text being read, the readings may be that of a poem, song, or lyric that has special meaning to the deceased or their family. 

Order of Service 

Even though the elements of the services will differ, the order of service for both is very much the same. Typically the order will go something like: 

• Welcome / Introduction 
  
• Music selection played of sung 
  
• Prayer or reading recited 
  
• Eulogies delivered 
  
• Music selection or tribute video played 
  
• Prayer or blessing 
  
• Thank you's and Acknowledgements 
• Closing remarks 

Funeral Attire for Religious and Secular 

What you wear to a funeral doesn’t change whether it is a religious or secular service. Unless otherwise noted by the family, both services should be attended in clothes that are conservative, solemn, and dressy. This means dark colors such as black, gray, dark tones of greens, purples, blues. For ladies a pant or skirt suit is nice as well as a dress or a dress shirt and slacks. For men, a suit is appropriate. Men could also wear dress slacks with a dress shirt and tie. 

If you are unsure of what to wear, imagine you are going in for a very important job interview and dress for that occasion. 

What is the Length of the Services? 

Since the order of service is similar for a religious service as well as a secular service, they can run the same length in time. Of course, every service is different in that the family can add or omit certain aspects. This makes each service a unique time frame in length. Typically both religious and secular services last anywhere from about half and hour to a full hour. 

Final Thoughts 

No matter if you are attending a religious or secular service in a church or funeral home in Willits, CA., make sure you always follow proper etiquette. This includes arriving early, putting your cell phone and other distractions away, dressing appropriately, and being present.