Hypocrisy at funerals

I attended a funeral for a childhood friend on Monday night. I haven't spoken to him in around 4 years and I haven't seen him in over 10. He was an on-again off-again christian and during the times he was "on-again", he was very open and forthcoming about his salvation: a very preachy individual.He was a very troubled individual who spent most of his 20's in and out of prison (he died at 28). He was a drug addict who abused anything he could get his hands on. He could hardly keep a job and used a lot of friends, burning many bridges.When I found out about the funeral, I was extremely hesitant because I knew it would be a religious cerimony in which the life of the deceased would not be celebrated, but instead would be a sermon. I was correct in assuming this.Here is the reason for this topic:1) The cause of death was suicide by hanging. He was scheduled for release next month. In light of this and the aforementioned life he led, the pastor and all attending still spoke of him in heaven and "being called on by god". Is this not hypocritical? Or is it ok to be a complete scumbag and kill yourself and still be all good in the eyes of your god?2) Is it appropriate to use a service for a deceased person as your (the pastor) pulpit and to preach about your own supposed salvation? Is this a christian tradition?I find it odd that through all he had done negatively in life and the fact that he committed suicide that they still decided to think of him as being in an allegedly wonderful place that heaven is purported to be. For me personally, it hammered home the reality that any thought of an afterlife is simply there as a consolation factor.

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No. Nor did I intend to imply there was. I was only saying that I feel as though that is what the belief stemmed from and hypocritical in light of the whole of religion and christian teachings. There are a multitude of other ways to console mourning individuals without fairytales.As a feel good story, fine. But in light of the nature of this board and all of the "truth-i-ness" of god, heaven and jesus etc., that is where I draw the ire of hypocrisy. Had this been a board about religion in general, and the majority of the religious members were NOT to take the bible as a matter of fact, perhaps I wouldn't have brought the topic up, since run of the mill christians typically don't contemplate the factual-ness of heaven itself, but rather just think about it to feel good.I hope I am making my point clear enough.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

From my first message: ABE:
I suppose what it appears to me is that EVERYONE goes to heaven when it comes down to it, thus negating any necessity for doing any good or having any morals, which is what the christians (for the most part) claim to have: moral superiority. If there is no real fear of damnation, why the need for any salvation? Oh, to pretend to feel good about something, right?Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

see my edit

Christian: "Do "X" and you go to hell. Be a good person, go to heaven.Oh, you're dead now? Na, you're in heaven anyways, no matter what kind of ass hat you were." Oh, the same guy who supposedly punished all of humanity for one bitch eating an apple? Yea, that guy is real forgiving all right. We aren't talking about "a" god here. These people were christians, so they were not speaking of "a" god. They were talking about jesus himself and his daddy YHWH (if there is a difference).

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Your god believes in Unicorns

How so? How am I a hypocrite?Don't tell me we have to define hypocrisy here because I don't know how much more clear I can make it.Though perhaps I could see this as a matter that I personally think it is hypocritical....which is why I made the topic...... you don't have to agree, that's fine.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

Ahh, I see the misunderstanding. You think a funeral is nothing more than a religious service (which is also part of the topic). I went (as I stated in the OP) because:
a) I hadn't seen the guy in 10 years
b) to console his mother
c) to see him one last time before he was cremated.My attendance had FUCK ALL to do with religion or my lack thereof. I went in spite of the assumed religious nature of the service for the benefit of my other friend (who was best friends with the deceased) and the mother of the deceased.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

Huntard hit the nail on the head. The hypocrisy is at the religious level, in that, as Huntard pointed out, the religious (christians for the sake of this discussion) claim moral superiority due to their salvation. Is not the whole point of christianity to spend eternity hanging out with jehovah? Isn't that their claimed purpose in life? Isn't that why they claim to do good and moral things?

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Your god believes in Unicorns

Perhaps I worded my topic wrong? This is the message I failed at conveying.....ABE:
Perhaps it should be "christian hypocrisy rears it's ugly head at funerals". How's that for a title?Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

Even when the pastor is talking about his personal road to salvation, literally? I'm not saying I bear a grudge, or that anyone else should. If they simply relegate the thought of an afterlife to one of simply something to make the mourning process easier, fine. But don't at the same time tell me how much of an evil sinner person I am simply for not believing your fairy tale all the while thinking this shit bag of a person is so wonderful. I will have to qualify this by saying that no one attending said funeral did this.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

Is this your way of telling me I am the hypocrite here?

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Your god believes in Unicorns

Fuckin' A. I sure did. That totally slipped my mind. You could almost QED this shit now. Yes, that would be hypocritical.Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

I guess I don't know much about funerals then. This was my first one in about 20 years.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

Are you telling me I am using the wrong term or what? Are you going to say anything other than "that's not hypocrisy? If I am using the wrong term, I will gladly admit that I am wrong. However, I think Ringo rightly slapped me into place and I started with the wrong premise.

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Your god believes in Unicorns

I actually thought about bringing this up at the funeral: about his place in the cosmos and doing his universal duty to replenish the universe with organic matter (something like that).

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Your god believes in Unicorns