"Bless you"

[Thistledew]

I'm not talking about a response to a sneeze, but AIBU to find it patronising and irritating to my atheist ears when people decide to "bless" me for just going about my daily life.

I have a couple of Christian relatives who do this. Some recent examples when they have let the need to say "bless you" have included me serving them lunch at my house, or telling them about time I have spent with an elderly and frail relative (not a chore, I enjoy spending time with them) or talking about a health problem that I am working to overcome. It seems I can't tell them about anything that is part of my daily life without them saying "Oh Bless you"! I don't need or want any special recognition for something that is quite ordinary to me.

I think it annoys me in part because amongst non Christians "Awww, bless!" is what you might say when seeing something cute and slightly daft, and it surprises me that my Christian relatives don't seem to realise this. Also, it seems to be part of a bigger picture of them being quite condescending about their faith any my lack of it, and it feels a bit like them saying "I'm Christian and wonderful and can hand out blessings when you manage so well at daily life despite your lack of faith".

So AIBU to be irritated by this? Should I feel grateful? Or do I just need to work harder at letting it fade into white noise?

I'd go as far as to say we all have faith - it's just that around half of us don't need to externalise it as some sort of ghostly third party.

So you'd, admit, Gallic you are no more rational than a believer. And I never claimed to have a monopoly on hop, just asked, if not from God, where it comes from - since it can defy reason.

^hope. Typo.

It will probably ultimately be man who destroys the world.

Pfft, that's arrogance for you!

Humans won't destroy the world. We'll probably destroy our own species. The world will carry on just fine without us.

Humans won't destroy the world.

This again is a statement that clearly includes belief.

Nope, cap, I'm a great deal more rational than a believer

Hope's just a coping mechanism. It doesn't need to "come from" anywhere. I don't need to invent a reason for it. I have psychological tools, this is one of them.

Nope, cap, I'm a great deal more rational than a believer

Belief, since you don't know every believer.

I thought God wiped out most of humanity in his fury that they didn't live up to the form of morality he prescribed? I suppose that was just their fault and he couldn't help himself.

... actually, I'll elaborate on that, cap. Being hopeful is evidence-based in so far as we may be certain that things will change. It's just a natural given.

No otherworldly agent is required to effect change.

Oh, FGS () Allow me to re-phrase. I think it unlikely that humans will destroy this planet, this galaxy or this universe. I think it quite likely that we will destroy our own species, one way and another, in due course.
These statements are based on the knowledge available to me at this time.

I am more rational than every believer.

My beliefs are subject to alteration with the acquisition of new facts.

Gallic Ah now, your 14:53 post is better in terms of accuracy. You've now acknowledged there is quite a bit of belief implicit in your statement. Good, good.

Gallic Oooh that is a BIG I am. Be prepared for new facts. Will you be able to acknowledge them?

If only you you knew me, Gallic....(looks at finger nails and pats hair).

Stop nitpicking. I'm using the term 'believer' out of politeness. You know perfectly well I mean "anybody who follows a religion or similar fairy system."

You also know the difference between that and what I mean when I say I believe things that are evidenced by fact, as far as I can reliably ascertain.

And that I don't believe things that claim to be evidenced by the very absence of supporting evidence.

If only you you knew me, Gallic....(looks at finger nails and pats hair).

Oh, please tell me your fingernails are a metre long, you have three on each hand & foot, and your hair is long & wiry

Well, sorry to disappoint, Gallic. My fingernails are medium length, plain, clean and no varnish. My hair is long but pretty soft.

And if you believe anything there is a lack of supporting evidence since, for it to be belief, the evidence is not conclusive.

Oh and I have the requisite 5 nails on each hand and foot. Not that it would mean anything much, in terms of what I was saying, if I was missing a nail or two.

I think talking about hair and nails has killed this thread! Bless you all! :)

Probably just as well, since it went far beyond the original post.

it certainly did!

This sort of thread usually does. Though the ending (if it has) of this one in a strange flurry of hair and nails is unorthodox!

Agree with ConeyIP - I am Christian but always have said 'bless you' - it's been centuries since it actually meant a blessing for an escaping devil [now that's an old-fashioned idea anyway!] and is just common usage!

I find if people say "bless" or "aww bless" , it is a bit condescending, but I find "bless you" a warm, caring, good natured thing to say