2007-01-20 13:13:41 · 24 answers · asked by ? 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Early Catholics (The pope told them, lol) believed that when you sneeze, you are sending evil spirits out of your body. So God is thus blessing the person sneezing by ridding them of evil.
Seriously, and I'm a christian, by the way.
2007-01-20 13:17:29 · answer #1 · answered by Doug 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the 1700's I belive. People thought That when you sneezed Demons were coming out of you {wich is untrue sneezing is caused by dust and particls irratating you nose.} So thay Sai God Bless you. wich was shortened to Bless you
2007-01-20 21:22:31 · answer #2 · answered by Arc_Angel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is a polite blessing and maybe agree with the heart stop theory as being the beginning of it possibly. It is said as sort of a blessing because a sneeze may mean illness which you may need to recover from. Who really knows? I'm just glad we didn't start that tradition for passing gas! (Christians have a sense of humor too you know!) Maybe it was an awkward social situation and that's how one responded to it to be gracious.
2007-01-20 21:20:20 · answer #3 · answered by Lovin' Mary's Lamb 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I believe it was the Greeks who started blessing people when they sneezed - they believed that evil spirits could inhabit you in that split second so they would bless the person sneezing so they would not be possessed.
2007-01-20 21:18:35 · answer #4 · answered by padwinlearner 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I read somewhere about an ancient belief that your soul escaped when you sneezed. Without a pretty immediate blessing, your soul would just fly away. The blessing brings it back, I guess.
2007-01-20 21:17:30 · answer #5 · answered by AceT 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Back in the really olden days, some people believed that when you sneezed your soul left your body for that second. The "God bless you" would guarantee that the devil would not get your soul.
2007-01-20 21:23:23 · answer #6 · answered by Mary W 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i know that one! i know that one!
because in early times it was supposed than sneezing was a way of getting the demon out of the body so the "bless you" thing was a kind of exorcism...In Spanish instead of bless you some people say "jesus" as the name of jesus was considered to have a great exorcistic (or whatever you say so) effect but afterwards it was seen as a bit blasphemous and they changed it to salud (health!)...
I feel so inteligent when i know one answer...do i have an A?? do i have an A??
2007-01-20 21:18:51 · answer #7 · answered by whoknows 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So it says that your heart actually stops for a few seconds when you are actually sneezing, and that is why we say "bless you", in hopes that your heart starts again after sneezing.
2007-01-20 21:17:21 · answer #8 · answered by selysammi 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
To invoke God's blessings of course.
Peace and Love
2007-01-20 21:43:46 · answer #9 · answered by mil's 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the expression came from Europe when there was the Black death going around, that was like one ofthe sympotoms or something, so ppl say bless you to, i guess pray that you'd be alright.
2007-01-20 21:17:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋