Pittsburgh Freethought Community

Promoting Science, Reason and Secular Humanist Values in the Greater Pittsburgh Area.

Reply to: Death and god

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<blockquote>Anonymous wrote:

Recently, I heard about the death of a father of a PFC friend and I wanted to offer a note of condolence.&nbsp; I had never met the father and did not even know the name, so was initially at a loss for what to write.&nbsp; &nbsp;I googled condolences and many mentioned prayers, souls, spirits, "may god grant", and so forth, which clearly would not work.&nbsp; Standard condolence notes also tend to ignore the sometimes complicated relationships within families, particularly those in which one person is religious and the other is secular.&nbsp; Below is an excerpt of the message I sent.&nbsp; Perhaps it may&nbsp; give ideas to other who face a similar quandary of wanting to send condolences, but not sure what to say.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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 My sincere condolences go out to you for the loss of your father. I hope you may have continued comfort in remembering the times you shared together. My father passed away in 1997 and I can say for me that as time passes, the memories may grow a little fainter but they also grow warmer. Unpleasantries slowly fade into insignificance. Also, as you hear in the future of deaths of the fathers of other relatives and colleagues, I hope that you will use those opportunities to remember your father and shared experiences with him.
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