R3SPECT FUNERALS

CHRISTIAN FUNERALS IN SINGAPORE

The mortuary rituals start with the preparation of the deceased, in which the body will be bathed. Some members of the committee are trained to bathe and prepare the dead body for burial.

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During a Christian funeral, there is a preference of not talking too much about the deceased. Mention of the deceased should certainly not exceed in length the most important part of the speech, that is, the part concerning God and his promises, and faith in Jesus Christ. Any clothing for the deceased is acceptable, even used clothing, as long as it is clean. The deceased is never referred to as a corpse but is called by his Christian name. Christian symbols are used during Christian funeral rites (e.g. lit candles, holy water, incense, holy bible, fresh flowers and cross on the coffin).

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In Christianity, they can either engage in burial or cremation. At a crematorium, more prayers are said and the coffin is then taken away to be cremated. Later the ashes are returned to relatives to be buried or scattered. At a burial, the body is lowered into a hole in a cemetery and then covered with earth. Later a gravestone may be placed there giving some details of the person’s life. At both services the priest or minister will say a prayer and recite some passages in the bible, and hymns are sung throughout the service.