-
Features
God bless you! to an atheist?
- Thread starter none
- Start date
Good analogy; little bit too wordy, I think. Might be hard to hold 'em through the whole thought. You might be able to switch it up and put the comparison early and the back-up after, like,
"Lefties don't want to hear, 'you can just do this righty world,' constantly, even if it's from a converted ex-lefty. Especially if, really, everyone was born lefty and most converted because someone convinced them that the widespread contrived righty world somehow indicates that they 'ought' to. 'God Bless you' is like that. An assumption that a contrived reality is somehow important to join. Who wants to hear that, really?"
"Lefties don't want to hear, 'you can just do this righty world,' constantly, even if it's from a converted ex-lefty. Especially if, really, everyone was born lefty and most converted because someone convinced them that the widespread contrived righty world somehow indicates that they 'ought' to. 'God Bless you' is like that. An assumption that a contrived reality is somehow important to join. Who wants to hear that, really?"
Kharakov
Quantum Hot Dog
Just say "nature fucked you" when someone sneezes.
If they say "wuuuuhhh??" Explain to them that their allergies, cold, flu, or whatever are a consequence of evolution, and that they were just fucked over by the unfolding of natural laws.
If they say "wuuuuhhh??" Explain to them that their allergies, cold, flu, or whatever are a consequence of evolution, and that they were just fucked over by the unfolding of natural laws.
Random Person
Senior Member
What does "God Bless You" even mean in regards to a sneeze?
Kharakov
Quantum Hot Dog
Ehh, well, it used to draw God's attention to someone back before people had more medical knowledge.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1958/why-do-we-say-god-bless-you-after-a-sneeze
An old buddy of mine would say "Come's out loose" after I said "gesundheit".
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1958/why-do-we-say-god-bless-you-after-a-sneeze
An old buddy of mine would say "Come's out loose" after I said "gesundheit".
Davka
Senior Member
I don't think the analogy works. It's more like "how would you feel if I said 'May Darwinian selection favor your genes' during and after every conversation?"
Christians throwing around "God bless you" randomly is a form of evangelism lite. They're doing it because they want you to feel Jesus shining though them, and they're hoping to add just a tiny bit of weight to the scales which will eventually tip in the favor of your conversion. They need to know that we don't appreciate being mini-preached to any more than they would.
Christians throwing around "God bless you" randomly is a form of evangelism lite. They're doing it because they want you to feel Jesus shining though them, and they're hoping to add just a tiny bit of weight to the scales which will eventually tip in the favor of your conversion. They need to know that we don't appreciate being mini-preached to any more than they would.
Yeah, I read it as including all the times when they blesserize you including the non-sneezes. Like thanks for calling, God Bless You. Which is the evangelist shorthand secret code ring stuff. I get so eye-rolled at those.
T.G.G. Moogly
Traditional Atheist
As the word "bless" has it's root in "blood," maybe you should respond, "I hope not."
Kharakov
Quantum Hot Dog
I'd rather overhear someone saying "nature fucked you".
When a Christian says "God Bless You" to an atheist, it more often than not sounds like "Go Fuck Yourself".
funinspace
Don't Panic
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2004
- Messages
- 4,204
- Location
- Oregon
- Gender
- Alien
- Basic Beliefs
- functional atheist; theoretical agnostic
There was some poster here in the past that would end each post with "God bless". My replies to the poster always ended with "May the Farce be with you".
Malintent
Veteran Member
When someone states, "God bless you" to me (apart from it being a kneejerk social response, like please and thank you), I return with, "May the tooth fairy bring you many coins"... That way, I am all setup for the rebut if they take my response poorly... and the rebut goes something like, "You don't say? Well then I would be more than happy to arrange a full pillow for her tonight on your behalf, if you would like my 'blessing'.
Kharakov
Quantum Hot Dog
Funny, that's what my loan shark said.
Keith&Co.
Contributor
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2006
- Messages
- 22,444
- Location
- Far Western Mass
- Gender
- Here.
- Basic Beliefs
- I'm here...
Thus a friend of mine who responded to sneezes by shouting 'Nothing happens when you die!'
Then he'd sit in ambush for someone to ask why, and explain that Christains get to advertise at every sneeze, why can't atheists?
My radical fundamentalist quasi-Christian/Pagan sister made the "God bless you" comment to me after our conversation.
I hadn't talked to her in nearly 4 years until just recently when we had a few conversations and when I hung up the phone I thought I would call her back.
She plays games with the phone using it as a weapon spout her bullshit and this time I got the answering system.
I said "About the god bless you thing don't include me in your religion, I don't want it, I don't need it, and I don't appreciate it"
Probably talk to her in a few weeks again cuz she said she was going to call, I really don't have any reason to call her at this point other than to say "hello how are you doing?".
the ball is in her court, she said she would call and if she listened to my message she knows how I feel.
I hadn't talked to her in nearly 4 years until just recently when we had a few conversations and when I hung up the phone I thought I would call her back.
She plays games with the phone using it as a weapon spout her bullshit and this time I got the answering system.
I said "About the god bless you thing don't include me in your religion, I don't want it, I don't need it, and I don't appreciate it"
Probably talk to her in a few weeks again cuz she said she was going to call, I really don't have any reason to call her at this point other than to say "hello how are you doing?".
the ball is in her court, she said she would call and if she listened to my message she knows how I feel.
Malintent
Veteran Member
Is that you Kris? You owe me some extra interest.. some friends of ours will be around to speak with you about it shortly.
Keith&Co.
Contributor
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2006
- Messages
- 22,444
- Location
- Far Western Mass
- Gender
- Here.
- Basic Beliefs
- I'm here...
If she likes unwanted religious attention, offer to set her up with a Mormon proxy-baptism. Would she be comfortable with the idea that they put her on their booksas 'One Of Ours?'
Her problem is too confusing at this point for me to understand what she believes besides saying "god bless you" and speaking tongues as part of her behavior.
She's a fucking weirdo as far as I am concerned, what church would take her is beyond my understanding.
Underseer
Contributor
It depends on the context. If someone says "god bless you" in response to a sneeze, that is no different from the various utterances Christians make that are technically blasphemies that would send them to Hell were Hell real. Many of such utterances are just things that are embedded in our language, and most such utterances are unwittingly anti-Christian rather than Christian.