(ANALYSIS) Spectators reported intense grief and a connection with fellow mourners when they viewed the ceremony. On average, they described their sadness as intense. Most also said they felt a strong sense of unity – not only with people standing alongside them, but even with strangers across the nation who shared in the moment.
Read MoreOn lists of most dangerous jobs, professions such as logger, roofer and lineman rank high. Preacher? Not so much. But serving the Lord can be — at least occasionally — difficult on one’s physical health, as David Duncan, Randy Roper and Trey Morgan discovered.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Funerals — often thought of as solemn events filled with grief and mourning — are starting to take on a different tone. In Britain, anyway. In fact, more people view funerals as opportunities to celebrate life, rather than occasions for somber reflection. It’s a shift that’s redefining how the Brits, renowned for their stiff upper lips, are saying goodbye to loved ones.
Read MoreAn alternative funeral for a top United Methodist Church pastor who committed suicide last month following a sex scandal has highlighted a clash between religion and culture in Zimbabwe.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As late as 1970, according to figures from the Cremation Association of America, only about 5% of American chose cremation over burial. But in 2020, more than 56% Americans opted for it. And by 2035, the he National Funeral Directors Association predicts nearly 80% of Americans will opt for cremation.
Read More(OPINION) As a historian of religion interested in how different cultures make sense of death, Natasha Mikles noticed what appeared to be a momentous cultural shift in happening in America in terms of death rituals as over 850,000 Americans died from COVID-19.
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