When one sneezes, most of the population (I don't) say "bless you". But I was told once that's its something to do with people believing demons were escaping your body when you sneezed and you needed to be blessed or something?!?! But, I thought that christians don't believe in demons. So i'm confused, help please? Also, i'm atheist and I work with christians that are always saying "bless you" when I sneeze. I don't bring up religion in my work because it's not worth the fight, so they don't know i'm atheist. Should I say anything back or just ignore them?
2007-11-30 11:54:03 · 18 answers · asked by Louise 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You're right- the phrase originated when people thought that evil spirits were being banished from the body with a sneeze, so they would say bless you to keep them from returning.
I believe that this was first seen in the pagan tradition, though, not Christian.
Also, the phrase has lost its meaning over time, so I wouldn't say anything back. They're not really blessing you, they're just being polite by using the generally accepted phrase. I don't believe in God and when people say 'bless you' to me I just say thank you.
2007-11-30 11:58:27 · answer #1 · answered by Meana 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
At this point it's just something people say. It's unlikely your coworkers are actually expressing a desire for you to be blessed. Just ignore it.
But yes, there was apparently some thinking back in the day that when you sneezed, you were vulnerable to demons. It may have come from the fact that if someone was sneezing a lot, it meant they were sick - and in the middle ages, even just getting a cold could end up killing you.
PS: You *can* sneeze with your eyes open, but only if you hold them open.
2007-11-30 11:57:48 · answer #2 · answered by senor_oso 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I've heard different reasons:
1) The soul leaves the body during a sneeze so it's a protection from Satan(?) from snatching an unprotected soul or person
-How a soul in or out of a body can be snagged is beyond me but then again so is a soul.
2)Many people believed and I am willing to be money that quite a few people still believe that your heart stops when you sneeze so it's a blessing to restart you heart so that you don't die.
Christians believe in demons their hell is full of them helping the devil torture souls or some such thing. It's only logical that if god has angels then the devil has demons.
Usually when some fool godder says bless you to me I just tell them not unrudely to save it for some fool idiot that believes in fairy tales like them.
Sometimes I just say bless me/curse me it's all the same and it doesn't do anything anyway so go ahead and waste your breathe.
I thrive on watching godders try to deal with vocal atheists, watching them stutter and get all upset and all, brings a little tear to my eye.
2007-11-30 12:11:54 · answer #3 · answered by thanatos_azrael 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Originally I think it had something to do with the plague (or some other pandemic). Back in the day, Christians did believe that it was caused by a demon. They were observant enough to notice that sneazing was an early symptom, so by blessing a person, they hoped to keep them from dying. I suppose some even thought that the method was successfull when it turned out the sneezer had nothng more than a cold! :)
If your co-workers saying "bless you" is really annoying, then I suppose it might be worth saying something, but it's generaly just a habit that people have... For what it's worth, I know an atheist who still says "Oh my God!" It's just the force of habit.
2007-11-30 12:04:58 · answer #4 · answered by Kyrainna 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In medieval europe, during the plague, sneezing was one of the first symptoms that you had caught it. Therefore if people sneezed then people would say "bless you" or "God bless you" because they assumed that rather than having a cold or the flu you had the plague and you only a few days left to live.
Incidently this is also the origin of the nursery rythym "Ring, a ring a roses".
2007-11-30 12:11:54 · answer #5 · answered by Smudge 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to the book How Did It Begin? by R. Brasch, some ancients believed that when a man sneezed, he was nearest to death. Brasch adds: “The fear was based on an erroneous but widely held notion. Man’s soul was considered to be the essence of life. The fact that dead men never breathed led to the fallacious deduction that his soul must be breath. . . . It is thus not surprising that from the earliest days people learned to respond to a sneeze with apprehension and the fervent wish to the sneezer that God may help and bless him and preserve his life. Somehow in medieval times this early origin of the custom must have been forgotten because it was Pope Gregory the Great who was credited with having introduced the saying ‘God bless you,’ to anyone who sneezed.”
Please Remember Your Handkerchief
It may surprise you to learn that sneezing has been put to criminal use. Yes, lawbreakers have devised ways of using, or misusing, sneezing for evil ends. About a hundred years ago, certain thieves in England came to be called sneeze-lurkers. They would throw snuff into a stranger’s face. Then, while he was distracted and racked by a fit of violent sneezing, the thieves would rob him of his valuables.
Most of us will never have sneezing induced by a face full of snuff. But whether overtaken by a sudden sneeze or a prolonged sneezing attack, the thoughtful person will always use a handkerchief or strong tissue to cover his nose and mouth. Not only is this a display of good manners but it is also a sensible precaution. It helps to guard against spraying the air with germ-laden droplets just waiting to be inhaled by the next unsuspecting person to come along. Neighbor love would also dictate that we try to protect others from disease by doing everything we can to limit the spread of germs.
It may not be wise or possible to stifle a sneeze. But how much others will appreciate your consideration—and your use of a handkerchief—to hold that sneeze!
2007-11-30 12:02:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Back in the day, if one sneezed it could and most likely was a sign of sickness and eventual death. Think the Black Plague. People would say Bless You in order for God to bless them before the plague took them away.
2007-11-30 12:07:01 · answer #7 · answered by MishMash [I am not one of your fans] 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well im a christian and I do believe in demons... but back in the old days they did believe that when you sneezed that it was your soul trying to escape or somehting like that... so they would say bless you to keep your spirit in your body.
2007-11-30 11:59:27 · answer #8 · answered by autumn 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd always heard the phrase "bless you" was said because people believed you sneezed your soul out momentarily & that "(God) bless you" was said to keep devils from possessing your body for that time period. It's mainly the remnants of a superstition that has pretty much died out. I think many people say it now out of habit rather than because of their religious beliefs. I would just say "thanks" to people who say "bless you."
2007-11-30 12:09:05 · answer #9 · answered by leia_tyndall 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Say bless you it is nice... they sneezed. oh and here is a true fact next time you sneeze try to do it with your eyes open. you cant
2007-11-30 11:57:43 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋