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Why do people say "god bless you" when you sneeze?

Home ▸ Archive ▸ Serious Business ▸ Why do people say "god bless you" when you sneeze?
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Aug 6, 2012 1:23 PM
Never understood the reason for telling people "god bless you" after they sneeze. If you were blessed by god, would you ever need to sneeze in the future?
I ask this question because it really makes no sense to me why someone thinks that they have the power to bless someone when they sneeze. I do remember a couple of days ago there was a girl in front of me at Kroger's waiting to pay and she let loose with a squeak of a sneeze and the teenager in front of her turns around a says god bless you, she looked right at him and said thanks, but seeing how you have been staring at my chest since I got in line, I think god has already blessed me. The kid was speechless and the girl working the register looked at him while laughing and said she would pray for him, he was so embarrassed that I felt bad for the kid.
Aug 6, 2012 1:23pm
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

Nick Mangold

32,056 posts
Aug 6, 2012 1:28 PM
"You are sooooo good looking."

[video=youtube;o2dWtK3tRpo][/video]
Aug 6, 2012 1:28pm
gorocks99's avatar

gorocks99

Senior Member

10,760 posts
Aug 6, 2012 1:30 PM
Honestly? I think it's because, way back in the day, people thought a sneeze was your soul trying to escape the body. Saying "God Bless You" kept it in. Or some stupid shit like that.

Now people just say it because they've been saying it forever.
Aug 6, 2012 1:30pm
The Equalizer's avatar

The Equalizer

Dark Lord of the Ville

1,003 posts
Aug 6, 2012 1:30 PM
I think it had to do with the plague. if you sneezed there was a decent chance you could wipe out your village so it was to ward it off.
Aug 6, 2012 1:30pm
power i's avatar

power i

Senior Member

1,296 posts
Aug 6, 2012 1:46 PM
When you sneeze, you actually stop breathing. So someone felt it was necessary to say "God bless you" so the person wouldn't die.
Aug 6, 2012 1:46pm
S

Steel Valley Football

Senior Member

4,548 posts
Aug 6, 2012 2:02 PM
The checkout line story is fabricated.
Aug 6, 2012 2:02pm
gorocks99's avatar

gorocks99

Senior Member

10,760 posts
Aug 6, 2012 2:07 PM
Steel Valley Football;1241043 wrote:The checkout line story is fabricated.
Aug 6, 2012 2:07pm
S

Steel Valley Football

Senior Member

4,548 posts
Aug 6, 2012 3:25 PM
gorocks99;1241050 wrote:

It would have been faster to type that.
Aug 6, 2012 3:25pm
like_that's avatar

like_that

1st Team All-PWN

26,625 posts
Aug 6, 2012 3:29 PM
Steel Valley Football;1241129 wrote:It would have been faster to type that.
You obviously don't get it.

/svf
Aug 6, 2012 3:29pm
S

Steel Valley Football

Senior Member

4,548 posts
Aug 6, 2012 3:38 PM
Ya huh.
Aug 6, 2012 3:38pm
said_aouita's avatar

said_aouita

Banned

8,532 posts
Aug 6, 2012 3:39 PM
Same reason people own pit bulls.

Stupidity.
Aug 6, 2012 3:39pm
Heelz's avatar

Heelz

Senior Member

780 posts
Aug 6, 2012 5:11 PM
It was either your soul trying to escape or your body trying to get rid of evil spirits .
Aug 6, 2012 5:11pm
S

Steel Valley Football

Senior Member

4,548 posts
Aug 6, 2012 5:53 PM
The answer is unknown. It's all speculation.
Aug 6, 2012 5:53pm
gorocks99's avatar

gorocks99

Senior Member

10,760 posts
Aug 6, 2012 5:54 PM
Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.
Aug 6, 2012 5:54pm
Laley23's avatar

Laley23

GOAT

29,506 posts
Aug 6, 2012 5:56 PM
It may be unknown, but Im sure whenever it started there was a reason behind it. I doubt someone just randomly said God Bless you.
Aug 6, 2012 5:56pm
believer's avatar

believer

Senior Member

8,153 posts
Aug 6, 2012 6:27 PM
"God bless you" was designed to annoy guys like Sleeper. ;)
Aug 6, 2012 6:27pm
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Aug 6, 2012 10:05 PM
Steel Valley Football;1241043 wrote:The checkout line story is fabricated.
Story is not fabricated. That is the reason I started wondering why people even make the comment to people that sneeze.
Aug 6, 2012 10:05pm
gerb131's avatar

gerb131

Senior Member

9,932 posts
Aug 6, 2012 10:08 PM
Easier to say than gezoomtight.
Aug 6, 2012 10:08pm
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Aug 6, 2012 10:29 PM
Why say anything? I don't see people saying anything to people when they cough, except telling them to cover their mouth next time.
Aug 6, 2012 10:29pm
O-Trap's avatar

O-Trap

Chief Shenanigans Officer

14,994 posts
Aug 6, 2012 10:36 PM
password;1241400 wrote:Why say anything? I don't see people saying anything to people when they cough, except telling them to cover their mouth next time.
Traditionally, I believe it had something to do with the (untrue, as I recall) belief that your heart stops beating when you sneeze, which doesn't happen when you cough.
Aug 6, 2012 10:36pm
password's avatar

password

Senior Member

2,360 posts
Aug 6, 2012 10:48 PM
O-Trap;1241408 wrote:Traditionally, I believe it had something to do with the (untrue, as I recall) belief that your heart stops beating when you sneeze, which doesn't happen when you cough.
So there is no real reason to make the comment to anyone that is still standing?
Aug 6, 2012 10:48pm
O-Trap's avatar

O-Trap

Chief Shenanigans Officer

14,994 posts
Aug 6, 2012 10:53 PM
password;1241420 wrote:So there is no real reason to make the comment to anyone that is still standing?
Well, the belief was that it only stops for a fraction of a second, so nobody would have been falling over, I don't think.

Today, it has been adopted as the polite gesture. As with most colloquial gestures, they really don't serve a purpose other than being polite. No different than saying "hi" to someone you obviously see and who obviously sees you.
Aug 6, 2012 10:53pm
S

Steel Valley Football

Senior Member

4,548 posts
Aug 7, 2012 9:32 AM
password;1241383 wrote:Story is not fabricated. That is the reason I started wondering why people even make the comment to people that sneeze.

Not buyin' it.
Aug 7, 2012 9:32am
S

Steel Valley Football

Senior Member

4,548 posts
Aug 7, 2012 9:34 AM
password;1241420 wrote:So there is no real reason to make the comment to anyone that is still standing?
The same can be said of many other customs that are considered good manners. For ex, women are perfectly capable of opening the door themselves, but many men do it for them anyway.
Aug 7, 2012 9:34am