Overheard in passing

Abstract

Writing ‘from the parish’, I seek to apply Edward Bailey’s definition of ‘implicit religion’: a person’s priorities, the moral commitments that ‘bring them to life’. Can clerical repartee about weather and about funerals prompt ‘disclosure situations’ – conversations that disclose a party’s private passions, their ‘implicitly religious’ proclivities? ‘Raw material’ for such exchanges includes weather lore and funeral reminiscences. Anecdotal evidence indicates that, among enthusiasts, weather and weather wisdom engender passions akin to ‘real religion’, implicit religion. Personalized funerals likewise manifest the fundamental priorities of the deceased, bereaved and clergy. Pastoral implications of ‘weather talk’ and ‘funeral talk’ are summarized.