h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The thought of having a stranger (dressed in a cassock) speaking about me in front of my family and friends would make me turn in my coffin.

I'd much prefer to have some sort of gathering with family and friends. Perhaps a few photos (me when I was twenty), favourite music playing, people laughing and chatting!

We tell our children that some people believe in God and other don't and they should make up their own minds.

I do not get at all the sense that this question involves any sort of dilemna as posed by the original questioner. As an atheist myself, once I am dead it is utterly irrelevant to me what living people choose to do. The funeral ritual is all about what allows the living to feel best about it in coming to terms with the emotional loss.

I really don't think I'll be turning in my coffin or shaking my ashes as I'll be dead as a doornail.

Tell your wife to do what the hell she wants.

This subject came up a while ago on TGD thread in respect to saying grace before a meal. Dawkins said he was quite happy to. He referred to the philosopher Freddy Ayers, who said, something like, 'I don't like to speak untruths but I'm quite happy to say things which are meaningless to me.'

My point is that humans are not an endangered species but are endangering to others (and even ourselves). So for the sake of bio-diversity it would be better to let those people who are fatally ill just die.

Shouldn't it work both ways? If his wife died, no doubt she would like a christian funeral.

It shouldn't all be one way. If we have respect the person's wishes, then an non-christian funeral should be just as ok as a christian funeral.

My opinion regards to the funeral, is to put me in the first rubbish lorry that comes along, after all the most important thing is being remembered about one's life and not about one's death, therefore dying and funerals are immaterial.

You cannot be classed as a hypocrite if someone decides to give you a christian funeral, as an atheist does not believe in the religion, therefore does not believe in the after life, so you cannot have any worries with regards to what anyone decides to do with your body after death. As I said in another post, people do not remember about your death, but about the joyous memories you had with your family and friends.