Sneezing

[weybourne1]

A bit of a lighter topic than the others today, lol, but I was just curious as to why people say "god bless you" when someone sneezes?

I have heard the theory that your heart stops being for a second when you sneeze, therefore there is a chance you might die from a sneeze, but regardless of what actually happens physiologically, why do people say it?

(I still say it out of habit and I'm an atheist haha)

This leads me into a more general question, but an honest one I've been curious about since joining this forum: what does it mean to send someone a 'blessing' on this site? Do they cost money?

 

[kevlite2020]

I dug this up, maybe it will give you some insight, but I don't know that there's any clear answer...

snopes.com: Etymology of Bless You!

 

[MrJDSmith]

This leads me into a more general question, but an honest one I've been curious about since joining this forum: what does it mean to send someone a 'blessing' on this site? Do they cost money?

Sending blessings only cost money if you paid for blessings. you can send blessings from your avalable ammount , that you earn by posting. from those blessings, you can send them to whomever you wish. if you want more blessings than you have you can become a site supporter or just pay for blessings or play in some of the blessing games to get more blessings.

 

[weybourne1]

Thank you! I wasn't sure if that information was available somewhere on the site.

Can you play the blessing game if you're an atheist?

 

[MrJDSmith]

Thank you! I wasn't sure if that information was available somewhere on the site.

Can you play the blessing game if you're an atheist?

yes
Take your pick
Blessings Exchange - Christian Forums
And have a few thousand for asking

 

[Chesterton]

I thought a sneeze was recognized as an indication that one might be getting sick, and I assumed asking God to bless the sneezer was just a way of saying "I hope God doesn't let you get sick". I think those explanations about dying and evil spirits are reading too much into it.

 

[Digit]

A bit of a lighter topic than the others today, lol, but I was just curious as to why people say "god bless you" when someone sneezes?

I have heard the theory that your heart stops being for a second when you sneeze, therefore there is a chance you might die from a sneeze, but regardless of what actually happens physiologically, why do people say it?

(I still say it out of habit and I'm an atheist haha)

This leads me into a more general question, but an honest one I've been curious about since joining this forum: what does it mean to send someone a 'blessing' on this site? Do they cost money?

If you want blessings, let me know as I'm really not doing anything with my 38k of them at the moment.

I thought the 'bless you' in response to someone sneezing was something that came about during a time where there was a great plague I think it was the bubonic plague, as there was a small rhyme that went with it:

Ring a-ring o' roses,
A pocketful of posies.
a-tissue!, a-tissue!.
We all fall down.

The plague had some symptoms that resembled a red ring - associated with the ring of roses, and people used to carry around sweet smelling flowers to keep the air clean, and sneezing was one of the first (very generic heh) symptoms. So when someone sneezed, you blessed them to call on God to keep them healthy and ward off the plague.

The er, 'we all fall down' bit is where everyone dies. Apparently the plague killed upwards of 200 million. :O Pretty crazy.

Anyhow, that's all I know about it really, or at least where I thought it came from.

 

[ebia]

A bit of a lighter topic than the others today, lol, but I was just curious as to why people say "god bless you" when someone sneezes?

Superstition and cultural convention, if you ask me.

 

[we are called]

I like telling people that God is watching out for them, and most people look at me funny if I do it randomly (no context). Sneezing gives me an in, and discussions like this follow.

I've heard many versions, but the one about the plague is what I've heard most. I hope God keeps you healthy.

 

[Sketcher]

A bit of a lighter topic than the others today, lol, but I was just curious as to why people say "god bless you" when someone sneezes?

It's an old custom.

This leads me into a more general question, but an honest one I've been curious about since joining this forum: what does it mean to send someone a 'blessing' on this site? Do they cost money?

It's a nice gesture. Blessings can be accumulated over time with general forum activity. You may be also able to obtain them through financially supporting the site, but the rules have changed so much that I don't know if it's the case anymore.

 

[drich0150]

I always heard that your heart stopped during the moment of your sneeze and the fact that you were able to move on was a testament to the fact that God blessed you.

 

[Criada]

In medieval times people believed that the violence of a sneeze could expel your soul from your body, and the immediate blessing made it return before it became lost.