why do i need to be blessed after my body performs a natural function? my soul is not going to escape lol
2007-11-21 06:31:13 · 54 answers · asked by Hockey_star104 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
People started saying God Bless after someone coughed cause it was a sign you had the plague and were going to die
2007-11-21 06:33:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
But that's what they thought way back when. They actually thought that when a person sneezed their soul could escape their body and due to the absence of the soul, a devil could get in and possess the body of the person, but that by saying "God Bless You" it scared the devil away long enough for the soul to return to the body and repossess the person. It got even more confusing when multiple sneezes were performed, as one had to be really quick in saying God Bless You, or count the sneezes and only say it on odd numbered ones. It was beleived that in the case of multiple sneezes the first one the God fearing spirit escaped/was forced out, and a devil took over. The second sneeze the devil left and the soul returned, the third the soul left and the devil returned, and so on and so on. So if someone had an even number of sneezes they felt they needed to sneeze one more time to get their spirit back into them.
Weird huh?
Weirder still that I know this much about the history of saying God Bless You after a sneeze.
Now, most of us don't believe that, but it's sort of become tradition and a way to let someone know that you believe in God without really getting into the whole thing.
2007-11-21 06:40:50 · answer #2 · answered by Tonya in TX - Duck 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The belief that the heart stops when you sneeze, and the phrase "bless you" is meant to ensure the return of life or to encourage your heart to continue beating. (Of course the heart beats because of electrical pulses that are not affected by normal functions like sneezing.)
A sneeze is goodluck and saying "bless you" is no more than recognition of the sneezer's luckiness. Alternatively, it may be possible that the phrase began simply as a response for an event that wasn't well understood at the time.
We know today, of course that when you sneeze, your heart doesn't stop, nor does your soul get expelled, nor will your eyes pop out if you could keep them open. Also, it's just about impossible to hold your eyelids open while you sneeze. They snap shut by reflex. The nerves serving the eyes and nose are closely interwined, and stimuli to the one often trigger some response in the other.
These days, one says "bless you" because it is expected, not out of concern for the wellbeing of the sneezer's soul or a need to disassociate oneself from the dying. During a multiple sneeze episode, bless once after the first sneeze and once after the last. Blessing each time gets tiring.
2007-11-21 07:35:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was a tradition that started in the times of the black plague. People were deathly afraid for good reason that a sneeze could be a sign of a deadly illness. It is good to ask for a blessing from God if you may be coming down with an illness. These days, it is something that everyone has always done and is done out of politeness. Although some claim they are offended by mentioning God, I still use this phrase.
2007-11-21 06:36:30 · answer #4 · answered by Ed H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That went lower back to the a while of lack of expertise whilst human beings concept that sneezing expelled your soul out of your physique. then you mandatory divine intervention to guard you throughout the time of the time earlier the soul gets lower back interior or you will lose that soul. Now that individuals are extra responsive to what comes out once you sneeze (no longer your soul) it is basically a prior shaped custom. it is likewise an surprising thank you to hit on an beautiful stranger in case you're close to a minimum of one in an airport as an occasion. If she sneezes you may say God Bless You and attempt to get a followup communication going. There are not very many words that are tailor made for chatting with end strangers so this has remained common. each and every faith looks to try this, possibly lower back harking lower back to previous days.
2016-10-17 15:31:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This goes back to medieval England in 1665 when the Great Plague was prevalent. One of the symptoms was sneezing so if someone did sneeze anyone withing earshot would say 'May God Bless You' as a sort of prayer of protection. Over the years this has been shortened to 'Bless you' for any sneeze, plague related or not.
2007-11-21 06:35:05 · answer #6 · answered by quatt47 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It had something to do with some people believing that you were sneezing out your evil. So they said God bless.
Another story I heard was that when you breathed in after or before, a demon could enter, so they say God bless. I hope this helps narrow down the answers.
2007-11-21 06:35:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
They used to believe that when a person sneezed, their soul momentarily escaped their body. So they would say a blessing for it to return safely.
Silly.
ADD:
One's heart does not stop during a sneeze. That's an old myth.
2007-11-21 06:34:13 · answer #8 · answered by AM Enforcer 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I believe it started because people believed that when you sneezed, you lost your blessings....or something along those lines. You said "my soul is not going to escape" as a joke, but that was quite possibly the thinking.
2007-11-21 06:36:36 · answer #9 · answered by julpanther 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The reason we bless people when they sneeze is because u could die of a heart attack,and it's a nice thing to say.
2007-11-21 06:39:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋