Throughout the ages, blessing someone after they sneeze has been a societal custom. There are a few theories on this that have been around for centuries, but no confirmed account. If you look at the theories, however, you wonder why ”Bless You” is still commonly said today. There is no longer the rampant threat of Bubonic Plague. I don’t know if current theology still asserts that your soul might leave your body during a sneeze, or gives the Devil the opportunity to sneak in. Catching it or blocking him with a “Bless You” may be considered outdated in the religious circles.
I am not religious and always wondered why I would say it to someone who sneezed. Who am I to bless someone? Or even asked for them to be blessed since I don’t believe. Doesn’t that make me a hypocrite? Do other atheists say “Bless You” without even thinking about what they’re saying? Do religious people truly pray for that person’s blessing each time they say it? Why am I now obligated to thank someone for blessing me when I don’t care about being blessed?
I also wonder why only sneezes get this special blessing. Why don’t burps or farts get a “Bless You”? Both are at times involuntary and could have been just as susceptible to the Devil trying to gain possession of your body. I’m sure people in the middle ages burped and farted just as much as society today. I imagine they didn’t even try to stifle or hide it like we do now. In fact, it seems like the ratio of burps and farts to sneezes would be higher because of this, so why the difference in treatment?
The unpleasant odor that often times accompanies the burp or farts, but rarely sneezes, could have also been considered “proof” the Devil was leaving your body, the unpleasantness of it a sure sign of his evil presence. Then you’d think a “Bless You” would have been a natural, almost panicked, reaction because you needed God to come in quick and fill the space the Devil just vacated. Or maybe they thought the smell alone would ward off the Devil? I don’t know about you, but my impression is that the Devil would be attracted to and thrive in unpleasant odors. By this thought process, it’s completely unexplainable why the burps and farts were ignored and the sneezes got all the attention.
Unless… what if people faked a sneeze to cover the burp or fart, and the “blesser” played along and blessed the sneeze, knowing all along it was one of the other Devil access opportunities? “Bless You!” <wink wink>.
Has anyone else ever considered the term “Bless You”? If you say it when someone sneezes, why? Custom? Belief? Habit? Do you feel better when you’ve been blessed after sneezing? If you don’t, why not? Do you feel people think you’re rude or insensitive because you don’t say it? Have you ever been in a lengthy debate about whether or not “Bless You” is still necessary? What do you propose we should say instead? Should the sneezer just say “excuse me” like we do already for the burps and farts? Equal treatment for all bodily functions and no special treatment for sneezes seems fair. But do we really need to acknowledge these natural bodily functions at all? Why draw more attention to them? If it’s loud and obvious, the “excuse me”, or “pardon me” or “OH MY DEAR GOD I AM SO SORRY!” should be on the offender not the receiver. The receiver shouldn’t have to do all the blessing work, right? They’ve got enough to contend with just trying to breathe.
It’s a strange this custom has prevailed all this time if you stop and think about it.
