What do you say to an atheist when they sneeze?

[justsaygnosis]

Obviously 'god bless you' is a faux pas.
Any ideas?

[Upchurch]

How about just "bless you"?

Personally, I don't think "God bless you" is insulting. Especially in the context of sneeze, it's just a figure of speech.

[Tricky]

I think "gesundheit" literally means "good health". The French say the same thing with "bon santé"

[Lord Kenneth]

Cthulhu bless you, of course.

[Samus]

Salud!

I also use Gesundheit, to which my Deacon friend usually replies "goes in tight? not any more!"

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by justsaygnosis
Obviously 'god bless you' is a faux pas.
Any ideas?


If you actually believe in God, not saying ' God Bless You ' would seem to be more of a faux pas.

As an Atheist, it goes right over my head. Sometimes I ask ' why ? '.. I do not recall having ever received a coherent answer.

[Blue Monk]

”You are soooooo good-lookin’”

Sorry, too many Seinfeld episodes.

I use God in expressions all the time, “God only knows…”,“God forbid….”, “God help us if…..”.

Just expressions. No more intended to have any real religious connotations that ‘Holy cr*p!’

[Checkmite]

I usually say "Bless you" to anyone who sneezes. I don't recall ever saying "God bless you", though I've certainly heard others say it - perhaps it's a regional thing. In any case, I don't think I'm out of line in saying "Bless you", because only an atheist with a severe rectal disorder would spaz out over such a response to his sneeze (stop and imagine such a scenario - it's kind of humorous :D ). I've heard a friend say "God bless you" after a companion sneezed; the companion politely said "I'm an atheist" and smiled, and my friend said "OK, then 'salut!'"

[Javalar]

Originally posted by Tricky
I think "gesundheit" literally means "good health". The French say the same thing with "bon santé" Actually, in my part of the world (Canada) we say "À tes souhaits"/"À vos souhaits". I'm not even sure what it's supposed to mean.

[Nyarlathotep]

I am surprised that no one has asked why we feel compelled to say ANYTHING when someone sneezes. Generally when someone burps, farts, coughs, hiccups or makes any other bodily noise, no one says anything, unless the bodily function in question has some other effect (such as saying PEW! after someon cuts loos with a room clearing fart). But sneezes somehow require a response. I don't get it.

[diddidit]

"Did ya get any on ya?"

did

[HarryKeogh]

as an atheist, im not only fine when someone says god bless you i feel uncomfortable if people around me say nothing. i start to think im not nearly as popular as i think i am.

[Chanileslie]

Originally posted by justsaygnosis
Obviously 'god bless you' is a faux pas.
Any ideas?

Whatever you so choose. It hardly matters, really. I firmly believe that the whole bless you thing has just become an ingrained response and has nothing to do with a god or not.

Of course that said, my friend and I, who are both firm atheists, say Damn You to each other when we sneeze, but that is a joke we started when this same issue showed up on alt.atheism years ago, and the religious kooks had to throw in that we were all damned anyway.

[Chanileslie]

Originally posted by Nyarlathotep
I am surprised that no one has asked why we feel compelled to say ANYTHING when someone sneezes. Generally when someone burps, farts, coughs, hiccups or makes any other bodily noise, no one says anything, unless the bodily function in question has some other effect (such as saying PEW! after someon cuts loos with a room clearing fart). But sneezes somehow require a response. I don't get it.

Actually, if you think about it, sneezing, coughing (to a certain extent) and hiccups are the only socially acceptable body noises. More often than not, in my experience, if someone coughs more than once, someone will ask if they are feeling okay. If one hiccups, someone is bound to ask if one is okay or if one needs a drink of water.

As to why we say things when we sneeze, it has become social convention based on old superstitions (take your pick - heart stops when one sneezes, one's soul leaves ones body when one sneezes, etc.) and it has become the norm to make some reply on sneezing.

Of course it is not necessary, and my feelings are hardly hurt when nobody replies when I sneeze.

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally posted by Chanileslie


Actually, if you think about it, sneezing, coughing (to a certain extent) and hiccups are the only socially acceptable body noises. More often than not, in my experience, if someone coughs more than once, someone will ask if they are feeling okay. If one hiccups, someone is bound to ask if one is okay or if one needs a drink of water.

As to why we say things when we sneeze, it has become social convention based on old superstitions (take your pick - heart stops when one sneezes, one's soul leaves ones body when one sneezes, etc.) and it has become the norm to make some reply on sneezing.

Of course it is not necessary, and my feelings are hardly hurt when nobody replies when I sneeze.

True but asking someone if they are okay after a coughing fit or hiccups is still more a response to the effects (or in this case potential effects) of the bodily function, rather than an automatic response to the function itself like God Bless You" (or whatever) to a sneeze.

If someone says "God Bless You" after I sneeze I am not offended, neither am I ofended by "gezundheit" or any other response. The can even say "NI!" if they want to. I just don't understand why even non-superstitious people automatically have to respond to a sneeze.

[Frostbite]

Originally posted by Tricky
I think "gesundheit" literally means "good health". The French say the same thing with "bon santé"

Actually we say "a vos souhaits" which means best wishes or something.

[Javalar]

Originally posted by Tricky
I think "gesundheit" literally means "good health". The French say the same thing with "bon santé" Oh yeah, and "bon santé" is grammatically incorrect too, it should be "bonne santé". :p

[Yahweh]

"God Bless you", "Oh my god", "God forbid...", "Holy poo", etc. they are nothing but expressions. They dont have any religious significance for me.

Usually, when I sneeze, I mutter the word "s**t". So far, its been working perfectly fine for me.

[Frostbite]

All french canadian swear words have to do with the catholic church and I say about a hundred swear words a day. If I had any religious belief I'd be hanging myself right about now.

[Thanz]

aren't you supposed to say "Good! I hope you're real sick and die and go to HELL you athiest scum! Turn to Jesus and be Healed! Or spend a lifetime in hellfire and lava! Up to you! Have a nice day, I'll pray for your soul,you heathen bastard"

Yeah, its long, but it gets the sick people away from you on the subway.....

[BNiles]

Originally posted by Thanz
aren't you supposed to say "Good! I hope you're real sick and die and go to HELL you athiest scum! Turn to Jesus and be Healed! Or spend a lifetime in hellfire and lava! Up to you! Have a nice day, I'll pray for your soul,you heathen bastard"

Yeah, its long, but it gets the sick people away from you on the subway.....

All I can say is.......:jaw:

[BNiles]

I once worked for a guy who was Dutch Reform. (???) We couldn't say God Bless You to him because they believe that in doing so you place a command on God. This obviously is a no no.

Me...I ignore all sneezes but my wife's. She always sneezes 5 times in a row, then I say God bless you, or I get hit.

[Yahzi]

It's just a figure of speech. Although I usually don't say anything when somebody sneezes, unless it's "Are you all right?"

I use gesundheit on the rare occasions I think its necessary to acknowledge an involuntary bodily function.

[Upchurch]

Originally posted by justsaygnosis
Any ideas? "Tissue?"


"Tissue? I barely know you!"

[triadboy]

Originally posted by justsaygnosis
Obviously 'god bless you' is a faux pas.
Any ideas?

I damn you to hell.

[EdipisReks]

i say "Ia ia CTHULHU ph’nglui mglui’nafh uigah-nagl fhtagn ia ia HASTUR cf’ayak ‘vulglram vugtlagn, vulgtmm ia HASTUR. Dominum nostram CTHULHU, ya-R’lyeh. SHUB-NIGGURATH, magna mater n’gai n’gah-g’haa ygnanth, ygnanth. YOG-SOTHOTH."

[Roadtoad]

Originally posted by EdipisReks
i say "Ia ia CTHULHU ph’nglui mglui’nafh uigah-nagl fhtagn ia ia HASTUR cf’ayak ‘vulglram vugtlagn, vulgtmm ia HASTUR. Dominum nostram CTHULHU, ya-R’lyeh. SHUB-NIGGURATH, magna mater n’gai n’gah-g’haa ygnanth, ygnanth. YOG-SOTHOTH."

Not bad, but your grammar sucks. :D

[Roadtoad]

Originally posted by Chanileslie


Whatever you so choose. It hardly matters, really. I firmly believe that the whole bless you thing has just become an ingrained response and has nothing to do with a god or not.

Of course that said, my friend and I, who are both firm atheists, say Damn You to each other when we sneeze, but that is a joke we started when this same issue showed up on alt.atheism years ago, and the religious kooks had to throw in that we were all damned anyway.

I like that one. It's twisted and sick. Mind if I use it?

[c4ts]

Say "YOU ARE VIOLATING TLOP, A-THEIST!!"

[calladus]

Originally posted by justsaygnosis
Obviously 'god bless you' is a faux pas.
Any ideas?

As an Atheist, I've said, "Joe bless you." to others (Ala George Carlin)

[calladus]

Originally posted by Blue Monk
[I]I use God in expressions all the time, “God only knows…”,“God forbid….”, “God help us if…..”.

Just expressions. No more intended to have any real religious connotations that ‘Holy cr*p!’ I've been trying to remove these expressions from my vocabulary - very very difficult for me.

But the question should be, why single out one bodily function over another? Yes, yes, I know WHY sneezing is blessed (Hint, Breath = spirit)

But in today's society, when we know what breath is but can't scientifically find a soul, it seems to be - arbitrary.

[EdipisReks]

Originally posted by Roadtoad


Not bad, but your grammar sucks. :D

may Cthulhu eat you for saying such a hateful thing. ;) not that it matters, since he would have eaten you whether you said it or not. :eek:

[zer0vector]

Not really related to the atheist issue, I find saying very loudly "Burn in hell" to my theist friends gets quite the reaction. Some actually believe not recieving a "God bless you" after a sneeze is somehow a bad thing. Thus the damning to hell doesn't go over very well.

[justsaygnosis]

Originally posted by Upchurch
"Tissue?"


"Tissue? I barely know you!"

That goes along with
"Can you turn the other way?"

[Starrman]

Get any on ya?

[Pahansiri]

What do you say to an atheist when they sneeze?

Hmm well you could say, " you have a little snot on your lip" if he does..

Or, just bless you.

Meaning what ever you wish it to...

[jj]

Hey, need a kleenex?

[RSLancastr]

A similar thread, asking what an atheist/agnostic should say when someone else sneezes, can be found here: http://host.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21596&highlight=sneeze

Make sure you read where Hazelip and I have a real friendly discussion about it.

[Lemastre]

I often ask whether the sneezer is contagious.