What would most people say if there was no clergyman at a funeral?

I don’t think so. It may bother some people, but I imagine most folks would just accept it as the wishes of the departed.

Personally, I want an Elvis impersonator to perform my funeral.

I would not even notice, but I am not most people. I’m the kind who hears the clergyman say how the deceased has gone to a better place and thinks “lets dig him up and ask him”.

As for the wishes of the deceased, they are dead, the funeral is not really for them. I would always honor a will, i would not always honor a persons wishes about how they want to be disposed of. I my self am an atheist, you can throw me in the lime pit once im gone. but if friends and family want some clergyman or other religious figure there I wont care. cause I’ll be dead

My grandmother was agnostic. She had her own idea of what she wanted adn had everything set up beforehand. When se slipped away her body was taken and cremated, Tha was in February. There was no funeral, no service. The following June, the whole family got together and remembered her. There were pictures set out, home movies that she and others had taken, people spoke and had anecdotes to tell. There were tears and laughter, hugs and phone numbers exchanged. Exactly what she wanted.

There was no clergy at my dad’s funeral service. One of my sisters spoke, as did one of his friends. While my father believed in god, he hadn’t attended church for over 40 years before he died. No one noticed, or at least no one remarked on it.

It wouldn’t bother anyone here (in the UK). My grandparents had secular funerals, my parents will too, and so will I.

For me the most important thing at a funeral is that I get a sense of the real person who has died. This can happen at a religious funeral, but can often (and more often) happens at a non-religious funeral where people who know the person speak.

Both my parents had a “spiritually oriented” speaker who does funerals for a livelihood. Everyone likes him a lot ; he does a fantastic job. I did not feel right asking a minister to do them when my parents didn’t attend church. But my mother was a Christian.

There is no other side. I guess people can “say goodbye” any way that they choose.

Doesn’t matter at all. It doesn’t alter what is going to happen to you when you die.

I really think that people would be deferential and mindful of whatever the family decided for the ceremony. They might think it’s not how they’d want it but no one would fault people..but maybe I’m naive..certainly I wouldn’t be shocked..I am shocked every time a family member of mine dies and the rest of ‘em continue to bring the Orthodox Christian guy as if any of the departed ever gave two craps about god…it was especially annoying when my brother, a practitioner of satanism and grey magick…had that at his funeral..I literally could feel him next to me going ‘are you shitting me?’...made me smile and cope through the entire thing.

I will haunt my family if they bring in a preacher. But, funerals are for the living not me, and I will let those that it matter to decide.