Deathcare & Religious Diversity
The people we serve are unique & deserve respect for who they are. In a person’s time of crisis that respect is even more essential. Even though Religious, Secular, or Spiritual Identity (RSSI) is an important part of many people’s lives, it is not an inclusion point we discuss often enough.
Those of us who serve families in the deathcare industry have a responsibility to understand the unique challenges faced by secular and religious minority identities related to hospice/hospital care, funeral and cemetery care, and grief care. These industries attract the compassionate and empathetic. We want to help. But we sometimes make the mistake of assuming others are comforted by the same words, rituals, and traditions that comfort us.
How many?
According to the Pew Research Center, 20% of US adults describe their religion as “nothing in particular” with 9% identifying as Athiest or Agnostic. Further, 6% identify as minority non-Christian religions.
Based on Orlando’s population, that 35% is roughly 713,000 people – 408,000 religiously unaffiliated, 122,000 minority religious, and 183,000 Atheists/Agnostics – who benefit from DEI-fluent professionals who inclusively serve diverse religious, secular, and spiritual identities.
Not everyone will “see them again”.
Religious catchphrases like “I’ll pray for you”, “you’ll see them again”, “they are in a better place,” and “they are watching over you” may not be comforting for the person receiving them. In fact, for those suffering religious oppression or trauma, being pummeled with religious language can deepen isolation and complicate the grief journey.
Resources
The Identity Affirming Deathcare Directives (IADDresource.org) provides free tools to ensure individuals’ wishes are known, but as professionals in the industry, we need to be open to and educated about receiving and respecting those wishes.
The IADD site also has a resources list for LGBTQIA+ and secular individuals to find dedicated, identity-affirming resources in our central Florida community.
Professionals in the deathcare industry should be familiar with helpful resources.
A Secular Perspective on Death, Dying, and Disbelief
Below is an interview conducted by the American Humanist Association with Candace Gorham, mental health professional and author of Death, Dying, and Disbelief. While much of the advice she shares is universal, she pays particular attention to the struggle those who do not believe in a god or afterlife face with the loss of a loved one—and offers practical, life-affirming steps for them to remember and heal.
DEI Fluent Funeral Professional
Finding funeral care or affirming professionals in that industry can be a challenge for non-religious and minority-religious individuals.
For anyone seeking identity-affirming funeral professionals, please reach out to me personally. If i’m not the right connection for you (i only help with planning before a death occurs), i can connect you with an affirming Funeral Director, and would be glad to advocate for you with any funeral professionals – or other deathcare professionals – you are currently engaged with.
