Comments on: G’ bless you… http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html An atheist woman, mother, wife, Ohioan and American citizen blogs. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:21:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Darlene http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-28232 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 13:46:11 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-28232 Thank you for clarifying the meaning of salud/salut/salute for me! While my husband & I are not athiests, we are not Christians either. He grew up Jehovahs Witness and I, Catholic. We don't use phrases and words like "God bless you", "God damn it", etc. The other day someone asked me where did the word "salud" come from and to be honest, I wasn't 100% sure. I'd heard it used while dining with some Mexican friend years ago and my husband has used regularly around me but I had no idea what the meaning was or where it originated from (or at least what language I was using). As I was reading this forum, I heard it in the background, used by Bobby Flay on the Food Network. Anyway, now I can confidently use the word with my cube-mates at work when they go on their sneezing fits. Thank you! Darlene Thank you for clarifying the meaning of salud/salut/salute for me! While my husband & I are not athiests, we are not Christians either. He grew up Jehovahs Witness and I, Catholic. We don’t use phrases and words like “God bless you”, “God damn it”, etc. The other day someone asked me where did the word “salud” come from and to be honest, I wasn’t 100% sure. I’d heard it used while dining with some Mexican friend years ago and my husband has used regularly around me but I had no idea what the meaning was or where it originated from (or at least what language I was using). As I was reading this forum, I heard it in the background, used by Bobby Flay on the Food Network. Anyway, now I can confidently use the word with my cube-mates at work when they go on their sneezing fits. Thank you!
Darlene

]]> by: jago25_98 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-24458 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:45:12 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-24458 Could we do `Cover your face you dirty person?` Could we do `Cover your face you dirty person?`

]]> by: Casey http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-21489 Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:26:17 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-21489 Lol. The whole thought that someone would be upset about it makes me laugh. I suppose if someone is simple minded enough to think that all of the marvels of creation came about on their own I shouldn't be surprised by what they would be offended at, but still... In any case go read up on chaos theory and quantum physics to learn about how order doesn't happen, chaos happens naturally. Oh and read up on the interaction of complex immuno-genetics and try to justify those things "just coming about" or even just the fact that hydrogen bonds form when water freezes so that ice is larger than the same amount of unfrozen water allowing it to float. Even that one tiny detail would cause our planet to be uninhabitable. In any case I rant only because I found your blog while I was looking for even more languages to say god bless you in through Google. God bless and keep you, we will pray for you in my family. Casey Lol. The whole thought that someone would be upset about it makes me laugh. I suppose if someone is simple minded enough to think that all of the marvels of creation came about on their own I shouldn’t be surprised by what they would be offended at, but still…

In any case go read up on chaos theory and quantum physics to learn about how order doesn’t happen, chaos happens naturally. Oh and read up on the interaction of complex immuno-genetics and try to justify those things “just coming about” or even just the fact that hydrogen bonds form when water freezes so that ice is larger than the same amount of unfrozen water allowing it to float. Even that one tiny detail would cause our planet to be uninhabitable. In any case I rant only because I found your blog while I was looking for even more languages to say god bless you in through Google.

God bless and keep you, we will pray for you in my family.
Casey

]]> by: Cassandra http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-605 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:53:54 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-605 Ed said: <i>"Really? Well there are about 20 posts including written in several languages about how to avoid something as benign as "bless you". Sounds like a trivial complex to me."</i> Ed, you must not have read my post. It's about being polite to the silly Christians (and other people who just don't use their brains to think about what they are saying). I was just pointing out other ways to be polite. In other languages, notice that it's translated into "health" and is not about blessings. <i>BTW, the bless you thing comes from a pagan belief that you would rid your body of spirits when you sneezed so saying "bless you" was an affirmation of a blessing already given not the request or granting of one. It is definitely NOT Christian.</i> Bullshit. While no one knows exactly why people started saying "bless you," I have never seen anything pointing towards Pagans. <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgesundheit.html" rel="nofollow">This</a> is the most popular theory: The custom of saying "God bless you" after a sneeze was begun literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague (his successor succumbed to it). Gregory [...] called for litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's help and intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting, "Kyrie Eleison" (Greek for "Lord have mercy"). When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the plague. Also, look <a href="http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/blessyou.htm" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Ed said:
“Really? Well there are about 20 posts including written in several languages about how to avoid something as benign as “bless you”. Sounds like a trivial complex to me.”

Ed, you must not have read my post. It’s about being polite to the silly Christians (and other people who just don’t use their brains to think about what they are saying). I was just pointing out other ways to be polite. In other languages, notice that it’s translated into “health” and is not about blessings.

BTW, the bless you thing comes from a pagan belief that you would rid your body of spirits when you sneezed so saying “bless you” was an affirmation of a blessing already given not the request or granting of one. It is definitely NOT Christian.

Bullshit. While no one knows exactly why people started saying “bless you,” I have never seen anything pointing towards Pagans. This is the most popular theory:

The custom of saying “God bless you” after a sneeze was begun literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague (his successor succumbed to it). Gregory […] called for litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God’s help and intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting, “Kyrie Eleison” (Greek for “Lord have mercy”). When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed (”God bless you!”) in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the plague.

Also, look here.

]]> by: Ed http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-604 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 04:30:56 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-604 stardust1954 said: "but it's how these xians really are about trivial things. They blow things way out or proportion and their persecution complex kicks in over the simplest things." Really? Well there are about 20 posts including written in several languages about how to avoid something as benign as "bless you". Sounds like a trivial complex to me. BTW, the bless you thing comes from a pagan belief that you would rid your body of spirits when you sneezed so saying "bless you" was an affirmation of a blessing already given not the request or granting of one. It is definitely NOT Christian. As a Christian, I try to avoid saying "Bless you" over a sneeze. It makes no sense at all. stardust1954 said:

“but it’s how these xians really are about trivial things. They blow things way out or proportion and their persecution complex kicks in over the simplest things.”

Really? Well there are about 20 posts including written in several languages about how to avoid something as benign as “bless you”. Sounds like a trivial complex to me.

BTW, the bless you thing comes from a pagan belief that you would rid your body of spirits when you sneezed so saying “bless you” was an affirmation of a blessing already given not the request or granting of one. It is definitely NOT Christian.

As a Christian, I try to avoid saying “Bless you” over a sneeze. It makes no sense at all.

]]> by: stardust1954 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-603 Sun, 09 Apr 2006 04:56:05 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-603 <i>Because this is an O'Reilly factor exclusive, we are breaking a story here that nobody in the mainstream media has the guts to touch.</i> I know the O'Reilly thing is a satire, but it's how these xians really are about trivial things. They blow things way out or proportion and their persecution complex kicks in over the simplest things. I sit next to a lady at work who is a minister's wife and she sneezed several times an hour..quite annoying because everyone around us makes sure they say "gawd bless you" just because they think she is holy or something. I think some of our customs are quite bizarre. Someone has an uncontrollable bodily function and the rest of us are required to give a response to it or WE are being impolite??? THE SNEEZER should be required to say "EXCUSE ME" just as if they had farted since it is the same thing...different ends of the body. Because this is an O’Reilly factor exclusive, we are breaking a story here that nobody in the mainstream media has the guts to touch.

I know the O’Reilly thing is a satire, but it’s how these xians really are about trivial things. They blow things way out or proportion and their persecution complex kicks in over the simplest things.

I sit next to a lady at work who is a minister’s wife and she sneezed several times an hour..quite annoying because everyone around us makes sure they say “gawd bless you” just because they think she is holy or something.

I think some of our customs are quite bizarre. Someone has an uncontrollable bodily function and the rest of us are required to give a response to it or WE are being impolite??? THE SNEEZER should be required to say “EXCUSE ME” just as if they had farted since it is the same thing…different ends of the body.

]]> by: Cassandra http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-602 Fri, 07 Apr 2006 17:46:41 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-602 Tom, thanks for coming by and commenting. Excellent job on the O'Reilly bit, and I'm so glad to know that it was satire. :-) Tom, thanks for coming by and commenting. Excellent job on the O’Reilly bit, and I’m so glad to know that it was satire. :-)

]]> by: Tom Hilton http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-601 Fri, 07 Apr 2006 15:00:48 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-601 Yes, the O'Reilly post was satirical...but if it's any comfort, the very first commenter (who happens to be a good friend of mine) also thought it was real. Glad you enjoyed it. (And for what it's worth, my parents raised us saying 'Gesundheit'...and they're both ministers.) Yes, the O’Reilly post was satirical…but if it’s any comfort, the very first commenter (who happens to be a good friend of mine) also thought it was real. Glad you enjoyed it.

(And for what it’s worth, my parents raised us saying ‘Gesundheit’…and they’re both ministers.)

]]> by: Brent http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-600 Fri, 07 Apr 2006 14:55:04 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-600 We either ignore it completely, offer a tissue if necessary, say "Good one!" - you know, if it was a particularly good one - or get completely goofy and say "Farfugnugen". The kids just lose it and start giggling. Heh. :) We either ignore it completely, offer a tissue if necessary, say “Good one!” - you know, if it was a particularly good one - or get completely goofy and say “Farfugnugen”. The kids just lose it and start giggling. Heh. :)

]]> by: Scott http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-599 Fri, 07 Apr 2006 07:28:55 +0000 http://www.theatheistmama.com/2006/04/g-bless-you.html#comment-599 When someone says it to me, I either just half-smile, or say "No Thanks". When someone says it to me, I either just half-smile, or say “No Thanks”.

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