After An Atheist Dies

[Gearbreak]

Funeral isn't for me, it's for my family. I'm not going to tell them how to grieve for me. I'll either be in oblivion or enjoying/suffering whatever afterlife might exist.

[ignoramus]

"My grandmother's not well"
What's happened?
She got burnt!
Wow, how bad?
They don't fuck around at the crematorium!

[chimp3]

I once preferred cremation. I hate the idea of corpses being tenants on valuable real estate for centuries in cemeteries. Now I would prefer donating my corpse to science and then being buried in an unmarked mass grave. I want my molecules to be used by other organisms to carry on life processes. Plant an apple tree above me and toast something wonderful with a glass of cider.

---

"My grandmother's not well"
What's happened?
She got burnt!
Wow, how bad?
They don't fuck around at the crematorium!

A few years ago a local funeral home burned to the ground. I imagined the phone calls.

"Good Morning Mrs. Sullivan. We have some good news. We are going to give you a huge discount on that cremation of Mr Sullivan!"

"Oh, we don"t want a cremation , we paid for that nice cushy coffin you have in your showroom and ...."

"Err, Yes , err, well , you see..."

[ignoramus]

Are the lemons going to be bitter or sweet?

[Fake Messiah]

Well maybe you don't have to be selfish when you die and actually let animals eat your dead body (like in the forest) to return minerals back to the nature as you were taking them.

So there is a thing called NATURAL BURIAL which is a way to minimize a burial's impact on the environment. There is a documentary about this called A Will for the Woods (2014)
here's trailer

[Succubus]

"My grandmother's not well"
What's happened?
She got burnt!
Wow, how bad?
They don't fuck around at the crematorium!

I like Spike Milligan's headstone, "I told you I was ill"

[Aegon]

Sign up to be an organ donor. You'll probsnly make a BIG difference in multiple people's lives.

[chimp3]

Well maybe you don't have to be selfish when you die and actually let animals eat your dead body (like in the forest) to return minerals back to the nature as you were taking them.

So there is a thing called NATURAL BURIAL which is a way to minimize a burial's impact on the environment. There is a documentary about this called A Will for the Woods (2014)
here's trailer

You could donate your body to the Body Farm. Let your molecules return to the Food Web and help catch the next Hannibal Lecter.

[Brian37]

I was wondering, what if an atheist doesn't want a funeral or other religious practice after he or she (or other pronouns) dies? Is there any nonreligious practice with dead bodies?

Why does a mere gathering after a natural event have to be called a "practice"? A sport is something you practice. A job skill is something you practice. Mourning the death of a loved one is simply something you do, and there is no right way to do it. 

Some atheists will want to be buried, some cremated and some like me, will donate their bodies to science. Outside that the gathering will be different for the individual and those who survive the individual. 

It is always an individual thing so it is silly to call it a "practice".

But even outside what an atheist wants, I also hate the word "practice" when used by religion. You don't practice a religion, you follow and swallow and that takes no skill. You can certainly study the history of religion sure, but that isn't the same.

I can only speak to what I want. In my case, I know those who survive me will mourn, but I also would want them for their own mental health, because I'll be dead, but for them, to also spend time remembering the good and fun and joy. I wouldn't mind having a roast after all the mourning. I am a goofy guy and anyone who knows me knows that. You will never stop death so while the pain will always be there, remembering the good times and even laughing about those good times is a way of coping.

[chimp3]

If you want to donate your body to science you need to sign with some organization in advance. A Universities Med School or Alzheimer's Research group for instance. They make an agreement with a local funeral home to pick up your mortal remains and bring it to the research site. Organ donation is not for me. I don't even donate blood. I am a healthy person now but for 20+ years I was trying to catch up with Keith Richards. I was tested for HIV and Hep-C before I got married to my second wife but I still don't feel like subjecting anyone to possible micro stealth bombs.