Thanks Owlswing & you could be right, i haven't been here that long & maybe he has explained things exhaustively in the past.
Didn't mean to have a go ad_o but when you replied to a question with,"Eh?", i thought that was insufficient.
The Orthodox position, for anyone who doesn't know, on funeral rites is that they not only help those left behind but help the deceased's spirit on it's way to Paradise. In my view, for those who believe, the readings, psalms and hymns are comforting and helpful in the gradual process of mourning.
Most of all, the Orthodox funeral service is independent of how anyone feels about the deceased, in that sense it's neutral and performed for any person regardless of what they may have done.
The Catholic requiem Mass serves same purpose.
Now Owlswing I going to google Exodus 22:18 and compare it with the sixth commandment - but that's for another discussion.