Well, those kind of ceremonials are a way of formalizing on the outside the various feelings that people are attempting to process on the inside when they have lost a friend or relative. If handled properly, I should think they could be quite helpful to some people no matter what religious tradition or form they are taking place in. It's all a question of who is conducting those ceremonials and how much sensitivity they bring to the process.

I've attended Christian funerals, Wiccan funerals, North American traditional Native funerals, and Hindu funerals. They all served basically the same purpose, though the formalities differed. In most cases, I'd say they had a useful effect for many of those who were there. It's a way of showing respect and memorializing someone you've known. You don't have to be "religious" to want to do that.