Do you thank them? If not, do they get mad? Then, what do you say? Also, do you tell acquaintances to abandon the practice with you? Do they get offended? I refuse to thank people for something I didn't ask for and don't particularly like.
2007-12-02 06:46:25 · 39 answers · asked by bsxfn 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I'm not an atheist and neither am I religious... but I find it slightly annoying when people keep saying "bless you" when I am having a sneezing fit. I can easily sneeze 3x in a row. I don't need to be blessed when my nose is irritated.
And then people get mad when I keep sneezing because they feel they have to keep saying bless you.
So - what do I do... I usually ignore it at the risk of seeming rude.... I figure if I ignore the silliness of "bless you" maybe they will stop. Sometimes I will sheepishly say "thank You" quietly. And sometimes I WILL SLIP UP and say "bless you" hypocrite that I am!
So.... I just pretend I don't hear it most of the time and hope they get the hint.
It has nothing to do with believing in a G*d or not... it's just archaic practice stemming from a time of ignorance and superstition.
2007-12-02 07:05:19 · answer #1 · answered by Gary W 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Oh, sheesh.
Do you really think that we go around being offended by the religious nuts?
If someone says "god bless you" when I sneeze, I usually say thank you. It's a sneeze. Not an occasion to start spouting off and arguing.
We atheists pick our fights judiciously...like if they wanted to put the 10 commandments in a class room or force someone to swear on a bible.....
2007-12-02 07:12:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as I am concerned, the phrase "God Bless you" in the context of sneezing is just an archaic and reflexive term originally used out of superstition, but kept as a gesture of politeness and concern. So, I could care less about what the fact that God is mentioned, all it is a display of reflexive concern, which, although I may or may not appreciate (sense I like sneezing), I reciprocate with a 'thank you'. It's the least I can do...
2007-12-02 06:53:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
We are not Atheist; we are Pagan and don't believe in the Christian god, but We accept it for what it is. Either "God bless you" or "Gesundheit" (they both mean the same - one English, the other German).
The whole "God bless you" thing came about in the middle ages. People though that when you sneezed, you expelled demons that entered your body to make you sick, so sneezing was the body expelling those evil spirits.
The phrase "God bless you" was said to protect you from those demons coming back to make you ill again.
Of course, knowing that does make accepting "God bless you" more acceptable. It has just become customary.
2007-12-02 06:57:12 · answer #4 · answered by twoasonesfl 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I say thank you. Am I supposed to start a religious debate over a sneeze and a blessing? "God Bless You" when one sneezes is more of a tradition of etiquette these days than a religious proclamation, I think.
By the same token, I usually say "bless you" when someone sneezes...out of politeness and tradition. Nothing wrong with blessing someone.
2007-12-02 06:54:44 · answer #5 · answered by eris 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't make an issue of it.
It's really more of a social phrase now, even a lot of Christians who use it don't know why they use it or how it became a response to a sneeze. People just say it without thinking. I don't take it in the same way I would take it if someone was preaching at me.
2007-12-02 07:07:01 · answer #6 · answered by Jess H 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My friends say "gesundheit" to me. But I have never gotten all mad at a Xian for saying "bless you" after I sneeze. That would be pretty uncool. I mean, even most Xian's realize it is just a nice thing to say; a folkway in our culture.
2007-12-02 06:57:58 · answer #7 · answered by dychejs 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I just say thanks and ignore it. It's much better not to get worked up over the little things, life is always stressful enough. When someone else sneezes, I use the Spanish, salud. It means health, so I think that a much better way of responding.
2007-12-02 06:51:56 · answer #8 · answered by sparrer2 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Why all the offense... I know it is the sign of the times that all are fighting for individuality and the right of freedom of speech , but what has happened to honor and just plain courtesy .... Offense never gets anyone anywhere unless it is worthy of offense! Offense is a waste of energy ....
2007-12-02 06:53:23 · answer #9 · answered by blahblah 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hm. No, I do apprectiate it actually. It's originally a Roman tradition anyway, they considered sneezing to be good luck... but even if it was a purely christian habit I'd still be appreciative of the gesture.
2007-12-02 06:52:55 · answer #10 · answered by Ray Patterson - The dude abides 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋