Does is Bug you when someone says "God Bless You"..........?

Question

.........Right after you sneeze? It P*sses me off to no end. Why do I need to be blessed for sneezing? And who gave people the right to Bless others? It actually offends me and I wish people would stop it. Does this bother you too?

Why say Anything when someone sneezes, coughs and farts don't need Blessings.

Answer 1

As a Christian I do not say that phrase nor do I appreciate it being said to me either. It is a superstition and here are some interesting facts about why people started saying it after someone sneezed:
"This custom of saying "God bless you" to someone suffering from a cold and given to the occasional sneeze goes back to an old belief. The essence of this superstition is centered in the belief that a demon lay within the sick person and causes the illness.
The soul of the sick person, it was believed, was somehow possessed and needed to be exorcised. The only way to get rid of the demon was by sneezing but this also had inherent dangers. A person who sneezed was thought to be close to death because sneezing could also expel the soul from the body. Therefore, whenever someone sneezes, the name of God is evoked as a prayer and blessing that the demon and not the soul has been expelled."
This sounds like something done at a seance or an exorcism and talking to the dead is something detestable to God (Deut. 18:10-12)
Christians need to stay away from anything connected to superstitions as Isaiah 2:6 tells us: "You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob.They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and clasp hands with pagans." NIV

Answer 2

Nope, doesn't bother me. I'm thankful when someone takes the time to bless me.

This is how I heard the practice of saying "God bless you" when someone sneezes started........when someone sneezes their heart actually stops for a split second, so back in the old days of long ago people would say "God bless you" to help the person live through the sneeze.

Sorry you don't like it

Answer 3

Actually, even though I see where you're coming from, it doesn't. People who say that are generally just using it as a reflex. They don't usually really mean "GOD BLESS YOU." It's just what we say when people sneeze, much the way we say, "Have a nice day" even when we couldn't give two farts whether the person we said it too has a nice day or not.

I am with you...I don't like proseletyzing or having peoples' religion shoved in my face. I say "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas." But in this case, I just think of it as something we were taught as kids that has no meaning any more.

Answer 4

I actually don't say "God Bless You", I just say "Bless You", more because it's an American tradition, rather than a 'religious' thing.

My understanding is that the custom started because your heart skips a beat when you sneeze, so if you die, you're blessed before you die.

Now, honestly, that's not why I say "Bless You" I just say it to be polite when someone sneezes. If I knew that offended you, I would make a point of not saying it to you.

The Germans say "Gesundheit", which means 'health'. That would actually make more sense, but it's just not an American custom.

I would not force a "Bless You" on anyone if I knew they didn't want it.

Answer 5

FOR your information God give Good blessings as well as bad ones, I would rather have a good on than a bad one, perhaps you should be thankful that there are still some people in the world to wish Gods Blessing up on you.And do you not Know that there is Power in words that you use. You have the power to uplift some, or destroy there selp image by what you say....and God gave me the right and free will, to be a blessing to others by my actions...my prayers.....my words....what are you going to do with what he has given to you?

Answer 6

GOD BLESS YOU!!! It's polite I wont stop saying it for anyone as much as you wont stop being pissed for anyone. So we are even. Put a big sign on your head that says by the way it really pisses me off to be blessed so incase I sneeze don't bless me...ummm k?? Maybe that will solve your problem. God Bless

Answer 7

Don't be so intolerant, it might turn you into one of those raving Christians before you know...
It's actually an old superstition from a time when a cold could turn into a dangerous illness, so people felt better for a short blessing.
If people can curse each other, why not bless?
In Ireland they still say"Dia linn" (God with us) and in Germany they say "Gesundheit!" (health).
I have to admit though, that people who spice their sentences with "Thanks be to god", or similar things annoy me no end, too.
It makes me want to curse and rant, just like you did in your question. The other sort, who can't string 2 words together without putting a f*ck in between, dont bother me half as much.

Answer 8

Why would kindness p*ss you off? You are one of the haters...It is not a statement of forcing a religion down your throat, it is a phrase that has been around longer than you have been alive a phrase of politeness (like saying Thank You when someone does something nice for you) and you are a very immature person to not be able to see that.

Answer 9

Your heart stops when you sneeze-- that's why they say Bless You.

May God bless you every time you sneeze--so your heart will keep on beating.

Answer 10

In my culture, we are taught to ignore the sneezes, so when someone told me "God bless you," I was confused...especially since they wanted a "thank you" and I didn't give it to them.