Jehovah's Witnesses.....?

Question

How do you feel about "God Bless You"?
1. For a sneeze
2. Just as a well wish(no sneeze)

Answer 1

Dear Rebekah:

Humans Blessing Other Humans. In contrast to Jehovah, who always fulfills the blessing He speaks, when a human pronounces a blessing on another human he may not have the ability to fulfill it. In the Bible, man’s pronouncement of a blessing often amounts to an appeal for divine blessing, even though not necessarily expressed in a prayer. So while man may be the intended object of such a blessing, the Source is admittedly God himself. Again, man’s blessing of other men may often constitute an expression of gratitude, an appreciative acknowledgment of fine qualities or of a job well done.
When individuals have done something that contributes to Jehovah’s praise, others have seen fit to pronounce a blessing on them. Moses blessed Bezalel and the other workers at their completion of the tabernacle construction. (Ex. 39:43.) The priests and Levites, as spiritual leaders of Israel, were appointed to bless the people on numerous occasions. (Numbers 6:23-27; Lev. 9:22, 23; Deuteronomy 10:8; 21:5; 1 Chron. 23:13; 2 Chron. 30:27) High Priest Eli blessed Samuel’s parents for the gift of their child to temple service. (1 Samuel 2:20, 21)

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There are similar expressions in many languages. In German the response is “Gesundheit.” Arabs say “Yarhamak Allah,” and some South Pacific Polynesians say “Tihei mauri ora.”

Believing that it is simply common courtesy rooted in social etiquette, you may have given little thought to why people say this. Yet, the expression is rooted in superstition. Moira Smith, librarian at the Folklore Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A., says of the expression: “It comes from the idea that you are sneezing out your soul.” To say “God bless” is, in effect, asking God to restore it.

Of course, most people would probably agree that to believe that the soul escapes your body during a sneeze is irrational. Not surprisingly, therefore, Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines superstition as “a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.”

If you would like further information or a free home Bible study, please contact Jehovah's Witnesses at the local Kingdom Hall. Or visit

Answer 2

On page 163 of Gibbons book "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" it states that Tertullian in his writings on idolatry, when a pagan friend says, (perhaps on occasion of a sneeze), 'May Jupiter bless you', the christian was to protest against the divinity of Jupiter.

What's the lesson here?
Well, the saying has an origin older than most people think.

Also, though as Jehovah's Christian Witnesses, we may not want to "protest' it a manner found unfitting to any side. but rather consider that they mean well, and just say thank you.

Then to, one could mention just how that saying migh have started, and it might lead to more witnessing.

I'll look up later what the society has on the saying.

Here is what I found quickly
Awake 6/8/90 pg23
“Bless You!”

In many lands it is a custom for those standing nearby to say “bless you” to the person who sneezes. Where did such a custom originate?

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.”

Answer 3

As I grew up a Jehovah's witness, the general consensus with my family was that knowing that "God Bless You" was originally religious in nature rendered it irrelevant, and therefore unnecessary as sneezing was just a physical reflex.

However, if someone said "God Bless you" to us if we sneezed, we acknowledged that they meant well.

Same for as a well wishing, though that was taken a little less well.

Answer 4

The vast majority of Jehovah's Witnesses simply say "thank you" to expressions such as "bless you", regardless of why the sentiment is offered.

Of course, when "bless you" is intended as a merely superstitious response to a sneeze, Jehovah's Witnesses do not welcome it.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20020801/article_02.htm

Answer 5

This started in the middle ages when a sneeze could mean a serious illness. Any kind of blessing is fine with me I just say thank you. It's all the same just different names right? (Not a JW)

Answer 6

Thank you. would be a polite reply to anyone saying "God Bless you".

In many cultures the "Bless you" would actually be a way of saying good health to you. ie if I sneezed and a german said "gesundheit" or a greek said " yeia sou" ... they are just concerned for my health, they would probably offer me a tissue and wish they didn't catch whatever virus I splattered them with.

Bless....... (smile)

Answer 7

My chiropractors receptionist always blesses me. I'm always like "erm... back atcha!" It's sweet, though.....

Answer 8

They don't do that because it's origin is pagan

Answer 9

good question