Atheists? would you take offence to this?

Question

if you sneezed and i said god bless you to be polite would you take offense to it or say something to me? Ive always wondered because as lame as it sounds i can see that kind of situation turning into an argument.

Answer 1

Lol no!  Gosh I can just imagine some dogmatic atheist taking the slightest opportunity to have an argument but I think most would, like me, just say thanks.  It'd be the same if someone prays for me.  While I don't believe it helps (at least not for the reasons claimed), they do and they take the trouble to do that for me so I'm very grateful.  It's the thought that counts at the end of the day.  Actually now that I think of it, I still say "Bless you" when someone sneezes!

Answer 2

It doesn't bother me a bit.

Answer 3

Hopefully one day we will evolve out of having to say some idiotic comment, when someone sneezes.  

Answer 4

I would thank you if I thought it would gain me something.  Otherwise I'd ignore you.  Under no circumstances would I start a fight over it.

Now bad spelling... that's a different matter!

Answer 5

A few people actually tell me God bless you.  I don't care.

Answer 6

It doesn't offend me in the least.

I do find it to be a silly tradition to acknowledge the act at all however.

Why don't we say "bless you" when people f**t, cough, hiccup, or burp?

Answer 7

I do not care i would just walk away just like when people tell me merry Christmas

Answer 8

It is deemed to be polite in western culture so we are ok with it.

Answer 9

don't care. it's just an expression. i know what the intent is.

Answer 10

What? I'm an atheist and I say 'bless you' every time someone sneezes. It's just a conscientious and polite thing to do. It has more meaning in manners than it does with religion so yeeeeah! I say it all the time.

Answer 11

No....many people say it to me, i think its used as more of a saying than an actual religious meaning!!  I say plesh u to my baby or pash u!  Pash is a kiss in Australia, so if you get a pash out of it...sweet!

if someone meant 'god bless u' i would just say Thank you! and smile!!  I dont have a problem with it!

Answer 12

When someone accidentally spits when they are talking, I say

"The luck of Pan be upon you."

Answer 13

no, it's just being polite.

atheists who shove their atheism in people's faces are just as bad as religious people who shove their religion in people's faces.

Answer 14

I'd take it in the spirit in which it was intended.  If you saw me on the street, you would not know my religious feelings, and if I sneezed, courtesy dictates you say GOD BLESS YOU.  Courtesy also dictates I say THANK YOU, which I would do.  It has become little ore than an accepted figure of speech, and I doubt very much if many people even honestly think about what they are saying when they say it.  I just say BLESS YOU, if someone sneezes around me, then I wipe the snot of my arm or face or where ever they blew it!!  

Answer 15

Its just a polite gesture. I certainly don't say it to anyone, though.

Answer 16

Why not just make life easy and say "bless you"? Or why not be cooler and say it in a different language?

As lame as it sounds, who cares? Its just a word.

Answer 17

No.

It's a basically meaningless phrase (I say gesundheit, myself) one says when someone sneezes.

Anyone who took offense would be rude to do so. If someone tries to start an argument, just apologize for wishing them well, and don't engage.

Answer 18

No, I wouldn't think twice about it. People say it all the time...

Answer 19

I would not take offense at all, but there are crazies on both sides of the spectrum so I could see it happening.

Answer 20

Lol Dane cook Flash back to his joke like this. Some do some don't all depends.

Answer 21

i dont care

Answer 22

no.....

it's called an idiom

who says GOD bless you anymore anyhow?

that last (well countless) times i've sneezed and somebody said anything it was just 'bless you'