Francis Strand (How to learn Swedish in 1000 difficult lessons) has a charming anecdote with this zinger about believing in God:
The husband and I were taken aback. Do they even have a funeral for someone if no one comes?
“Yes,” she said, and sighed. “All the time. I just had one yesterday. It’s unbearably sad. Instead of speaking to the people who have come, I speak to the person who has died. It’s one of the worst parts of my job. And I think I couldn’t stand it if I didn’t believe in God.”
It must be unbearably sad to give a funeral when there are no guests, and yet I can’t help but think the “conversation” with the deceased would be quite moving as well as sad.