I know why it is said. I still say "bless you." I really don't see the harm in it and am very used to people saying it when I sneeze. I don't think the anti-bless you brigade is a mantle I want to take up.
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What do atheists say when someone sneezes?
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(March 11, 2014 at 2:34 pm)Shell B Wrote: I know why it is said. I still say "bless you." I really don't see the harm in it and am very used to people saying it when I sneeze. I don't think the anti-bless you brigade is a mantle I want to take up. That's pretty much been my attitude. I try to be polite, so I always say "bless you", but it does seem silly. Maybe I'll switch to gesundheit, since that apparently means "good health" and is well known enough to be a socially acceptable response in the US.
That's MISTER Godless Vegetarian Tree Hugging Hippie Liberal to you.
(March 11, 2014 at 2:44 pm)Fromper Wrote: That's pretty much been my attitude. I try to be polite, so I always say "bless you", but it does seem silly. I'm curious: Why do you think you have to be polite and say "bless you" (or Gesundheit or any other response) when someone else sneezes? To me, the only time a bodily function requires something be said about it is when it's disruptive - saying you cough or sneeze in the middle of giving a presentation. But even then I think it's up to the presenter to say "Excuse me," there's no reason for anyone else to say anything. I am genuinely curious as to why sneezing is something that is need to remain societally acknowledged?
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
(March 11, 2014 at 6:45 pm)Clueless Morgan Wrote:(March 11, 2014 at 2:44 pm)Fromper Wrote: That's pretty much been my attitude. I try to be polite, so I always say "bless you", but it does seem silly. No idea, but the reactions are clear.
I use the German version as a little hold out without seeming rude.
I say "bless me" when I sneeze.
I know it's ridiculous, but it is a societal norm. It's just not worth the effort to change it.
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great
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March 12, 2014 at 12:14 am
(This post was last modified: March 12, 2014 at 12:15 am by rexbeccarox.)
I've recently replaced the silence which had replaced "bless you" for "gesundheit". Because of the social norm, it just felt weird not saying anything at all.
Edit: didn't make sense the first time (March 12, 2014 at 12:14 am)rexbeccarox Wrote: I've recently replaced the silence which had replaced "bless you" for "gesundheit". Because of the social norm, it just felt weird not saying anything at all. That's pretty much where I'm going with this. It is a societal norm. Not only is it considered polite to say something, but some people consider it rude not to. I don't bow to society norms on everything (if I did, I wouldn't be an atheist, or a vegetarian for that matter), but I do generally try to be polite.
That's MISTER Godless Vegetarian Tree Hugging Hippie Liberal to you.
RE: What do atheists say when someone sneezes?
March 12, 2014 at 2:16 am
(This post was last modified: March 12, 2014 at 2:16 am by psychoslice.)
I think we are so conditioned to say, god bless, it just comes out automatically, but with no meaning behind it, more importantly, what do you say when someone farts lol.
I don't know, man. In Turkey, they say "Chok yasha" meaning "live long", just like everyone else.
Though very religious people do not use this word because only God can determine how long one lives, and wishing a long life upon a person is not appropriate. Instead they use "Thank God", "Alhamdulillah". Üze Tengri basmasar, asra Yir telinmeser, Türük bodun ilingin törüngin kim artatı udaçı erti? |
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