“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.”– Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man, 1791 One of my favourite humanist quotations comes from Thomas Paine, an Englishman who got involved in the French Revolution before crossing the Atlantic just in time to earn his reputation as the father of the American Revolution. … Continue Reading
Living funerals are not completely unknown in this country but they are very rare.
My experience of funerals was that you arrived sad and left miserable, but the humanist attitude was different.
Humanist celebrants don’t tell couples what marriage means. Instead, we ask what it means to them and what most say is that it’s is an equal partnership.
Lots of my couples have done interesting variations on the quaich ceremony.
The lesson is simple; love will find a way.
I was flattered when Emma Miller, the editor of Hood Magazine, asked me to take over their ‘Man at the Back’ feature for a couple of issues. Here’s my Christmas gift to you – it’s still not too late to make something, and by doing so, make someone feel very special!
Independent reviews were a great help to me and my Celebrate People colleagues.
It’s not always appropriate to celebrate a life, and it would be wrong to think that’s what a humanist funeral ceremony has to be.
You don’t need to be surrounded by guests or be at a castle to still have a special day. “Celebrate your love for each other on that day and celebrate why it is that you want to get married.”