Viewings are to give closure to a family and at one time it gave everyone who wanted a chance to make sure for themselves that the person was really dead before the burial. I'm with you though, I have never wanted to see someone in a casket unless I didn't know them very well or I had not seen them in a long time. I prefer to remember the bodies of the people that I loved as it was when they were living in it, not how it looks in death. I have told my wife that I won't complain if she has an open casket for me when I die, but I would prefer that it was a closed casket funeral so that people didn't come around gawking at whatever's left of my body.

I certainly agree that life is definitely more than just a body but I'm sorry to hear that you have given up on the God of the Bible. I do hope that you continue searching for answers, In my own opinion, the Bible is the only record that does adequately answer all the Questions of What are We? Where did we come from? Why are we here? And what happens after we die?