Funerals are obviously for the living. John Mortimer wouldn’t have welcomed his church funeral<\/a> if he was alive to see it, but then – d’oh – he wouldn’t be having a funeral then, would he?<\/p>\n

All the same, there seems something deeply disrespectful to the memory of a noted and outspoken atheist to have god-infused funeral. It’s as if – even though he notably failed to come up with a death-bed repentance of his unbelief – his mourners decided to do it on his behalf. Maybe this is how the myths about death-bed conversions get attached to the lives of unbelievers.<\/p>\n

Sir John called himself an atheist for Christ,\u201d the vicar said. \u201cHe always came to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. But he emphatically did not believe in life after death. My hope,\u201d she added, \u201cis that he has had a wonderful surprise.\u201d
\nJohn Mortimer’s atheism was one of his most cherished convictions. He loved to cross-examine an archbishop about God and find his evidence deficient.
\nYet it was at the little medieval church of St Mary the Virgin, in Turville, near Henley-on-Thames, where his parents are buried, that Sir John’s family and friends gathered yesterday to sing The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended<\/em> at his funeral. (from the Times)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He went to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve? He probably loved carols. Doesn’t everyone? He may have enjoyed a bit of traditional ritual. I’ve attended any number of rituals for belief systems that I don’t seriously entertain for a moment. I hope they don’t all start scrapping over my bones when I’ve gone.<\/p>\n

I can’t see attendance at the odd Christmas service as justification for a metaphorical religious dancing on his grave.<\/p>\n

The celebatheists<\/a> site described Mortimer as<\/p>\n

…an unbeliever who is very much sympathetic to the ethical and cultural aspects of Christianity. (From celebatheists.com)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I still don’t think that justifies a church funeral. Even in his 80s, John Mortimer was writing and campaigning about civil liberties.:<\/p>\n

The latest novel, Rumpole and the Reign of Terror, concerns a Pakistani doctor accused of terrorist activities, giving Mortimer the chance to lay into what he sees as the erosion of civil liberties. And he is already engaged in formulating the next Rumpole plot, which will be about Asbos.
\n……. Now he’s on to the subject of identity cards.”One thing my father said was that if you find yourself in a country where you have to carry papers, you know it has a lousy government.” (from a Guardian interview in 2006<\/em><\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you were to find out that a Special John Mortimer Memorial Edition ID card had been issued, because Mortimer once complimented the design of a sample ID card, this would be no more startling than to find out that well-known atheist had been given a church funeral.<\/p>\n

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    Funerals are obviously for the living. John Mortimer wouldn’t have welcomed his church funeral if he was alive to see it, but then – d’oh – he wouldn’t be having a funeral then, would he? All the same, there seems … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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