So, today I went to a funeral.
The pastor spent the entire service proselytizing instead of talking about the deceased's life and achievements. Every other sentence, he professed how she was in a better place and he knew she would have liked for him to tell all of us to get "right with the LORD and follow Jesus".
Trying to convert people while they're mourning a death; real fucking classy.
The entire thing felt like a guilt trip. "If you don't give yourself over to the LORD, you'll never see any of your loved ones after they've died! We are all sinners that should repent so that we go to Heaven where our family will be waiting. Amen!"
What's worse is that he seemed to think her passing was a great gift, a gift that we should all "receive" as well. (He quoted EPHESIANS 2:8-10 several times, and something in Revelations.) She's dead and people are miserable. That's not a gift.
He also went on about his own salvation a number a years ago and how God/Jesus/whatever put down a chair with your name on it in his "house" when you are saved. Then he said the chair was there from the beginning of Creation. Which is it? When you are saved or at Creation? I don't think these inconsistencies really occurred to him.
It felt really disrespectful to me not only because he was preaching at all the people mourning, but because he barely mentioned the deceased's life at all aside from the Jesusy parts.
Did I mention how awkward it feels to be surrounded by people who are vocally agreeing to this pastor and they are definitely noticing how quiet you are? Yeah, that too.
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Anyway, what about your experiences? Every funeral I've been to so far has had a lot of God talk. How do you deal with it?
Posted Nov 3, 2010, 11:38 PM UTC