Atheists saying god bless

[Vaderecta]

What is the atheist and theist stance on saying or acknowledging god bless? I find myself saying these words or responding to them quite often these days and it seems to be mostly out of habit. Odd because I don't currently believe in any gods but sometimes it seems culturally the correct thing to say or to respond too.

USA btw.

 

[LuisDantas]

What you mean is what you mean. Greetings are often a reflex, not a conscious thing.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Yeah, cultural phrases are hard to shake. I still say 'good lord' or 'my god' or 'god willing' sometimes. It's just part of my cultural heritage even if I don't have investment into it.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

So what do you say to God when God sneezes?

 

[Vaderecta]

So what do you say to God when God sneezes?

Honestly I would probably say god bless. (And might feel awkwardly quiet after or laugh uncontrollably at how stupid that was of me to tell god to bless himself.. edit..herself!)

 

[Vaderecta]

What you mean is what you mean. Greetings are often a reflex, not a conscious thing.

Saying god bless is often the first thing I think of. No doubt church charities played a large part in my upbringing and that was often their go to greeting. I think I mean good luck and I hope this world treats you better than it has been because it is so often cruel and I think you and most deserve more.

Probably not something I would say to Taylor Swift. I might stick with god bless in that case or I'm not worthy in the case of say Gates or the like. Essentially it's a pretty neutral nebulous term and I don't think anyone can read into what's behind it but it seems like a phrase you are meant to read into and conclude with a statement pleasing to you but which may have nothing to do with the what the person saying it meant. It's actually pretty ingenious. If you say god bless to a Satanist, Catholic, Muslim or Hindhu etc... they may all respond with god bless and neither person meant to say what the other person understood it as.

God bless.

 

[psychoslice]

Many people yell out god's name when having an orgasm, doesn't mean they believe in a god, most time its just a residue from conditioning and programming that can be hard to shake off.

 

[arthra]

What is the atheist and theist stance on saying or acknowledging god bless? I find myself saying these words or responding to them quite often these days and it seems to be mostly out of habit. Odd because I don't currently believe in any gods but sometimes it seems culturally the correct thing to say or to respond too.

USA btw.

Thanks for your post "Vaderecta"!

You might be interested in the following:

The English words "Good bye" are from "God be with you".

GOOD-BY/GOOD-BYE/GOODBY/GOODBYE

All of these spellings are legitimate; but if you want to go with the most popular one, it’s “goodbye.”
This spelling has the advantage of recalling the word’s origins in phrases like “God be with ye.”

What is the origin of the word "goodbye"?

 

[Terese]

It's cultural to say things like that, we say it everyday.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It's something I've nearly entirely cut from my personal vernacular. It's very, very rare for me to use.
But, it may have been a bit easier for me to cut it since previously I worked on correcting my pronunciation of things like wash so that I actually say "wah-sh" instead of "wahr-sh," and "have" instead of saying "got" (very frequently misused here).
Odd though, because when I was younger I used to be so against learning to do it right and so into the regional dialect thing.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It's cultural to say things like that, we say it everyday.

Awkward cultural things I have noticed:
What do wish someone on their birthday when their dog died on the same day? That is not a happy day.
"How's it going" is so routine you have to sometimes watch it, lest you find yourself nearly asking someone in jail and going through meth withdrawals "how's it going?"
What if I want to have better than a good day?
Why do people who say they are going to ask someone to leave usually never actually ask the person to leave?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Awkward cultural things I have noticed:
What do wish someone on their birthday when their dog died on the same day? That is not a happy day.
"How's it going" is so routine you have to sometimes watch it, lest you find yourself nearly asking someone in jail and going through meth withdrawals "how's it going?"
What if I want to have better than a good day?
Why do people who say they are going to ask someone to leave usually never actually ask the person to leave?

One time I treated one of the Portland trailblazers (basketball). I'm not a real sportsy gal so I only knew it because someone told me. I had to fight my instinct to ask him 'so what do you do for work?' The whole time.

 

[YmirGF]

What is the atheist and theist stance on saying or acknowledging god bless? I find myself saying these words or responding to them quite often these days and it seems to be mostly out of habit. Odd because I don't currently believe in any gods but sometimes it seems culturally the correct thing to say or to respond too.

USA btw.

As a strong atheist who is aware of both the etymology and the current social usage of these expressions I tend to spice them up a bit by injecting the odd executive expletive. It breaks the monotony of the common usage and gets people's attention much more quickly. Likewise, I often add a southern US drawl to my words for comic embellishment. Ok, ok, OK... I tend to sound like a slightly smutty Foghorn Leghorn at such times...

 

[Sunstone]

I think for a non-believer to say "God Bless" reveals in stark detail the profoundly deep, entrenched hypocrisy of all atheism and why it threatens to bring about the collapse worldwide of civilization.

But I could be wrong about that.

 

[Stevicus]

What is the atheist and theist stance on saying or acknowledging god bless? I find myself saying these words or responding to them quite often these days and it seems to be mostly out of habit. Odd because I don't currently believe in any gods but sometimes it seems culturally the correct thing to say or to respond too.

USA btw.

I never saw any reason why atheists would have to take a "stance" on this.

On the other hand, I have encountered those who believe in God yet think it's wrong to say "God bless you," since humans don't have the power to "bless" another human.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

What is the atheist and theist stance on saying or acknowledging god bless? I find myself saying these words or responding to them quite often these days and it seems to be mostly out of habit. Odd because I don't currently believe in any gods but sometimes it seems culturally the correct thing to say or to respond too.

USA btw.

I live in a christian area and housing complex. So, it takes a lot of effort not tonsay god bless back when someone says it ton you. Its more of a cultural norm and most times I hear it is using it after saying goodbye. I do so in respect.

With strangers, I nod, and if they are still waiting, I say -you too-. Acquaintences, sometimes Id nod other times say I understand. Friends, I say god bless because they know im making a gesture of kindness rather than pretend I believe in god for conversation sake. 2

 

[Revoltingest]

I think for a non-believer to say "God Bless" reveals in stark detail the profoundly deep, entrenched hypocrisy of all atheism and why it threatens to bring about the collapse worldwide of civilization.

But I could be wrong about that.

No, you're correct....that's our goal.

 

[Stevicus]

I think for a non-believer to say "God Bless" reveals in stark detail the profoundly deep, entrenched hypocrisy of all atheism and why it threatens to bring about the collapse worldwide of civilization.

But I could be wrong about that.

You're close, but it's not when they say "God Bless." It's when they say "Jesus H. Christ."

But what about when Christians say things like "gosh darn it" or "gee whiz"? They're using phrases which are close to phrases which might be interpreted as using the Lord's name in vain, but just enough different that they can get by on a technicality. That's a bit sneaky.

To use the word "damn" after the word "God" is especially bad in some people's eyes. So, if someone gets angry about something, they might say "God bless it!" when they really mean the opposite.

I have a feeling it must lead to some kind of paralytic confusion up in Heaven, as all those administrative personnel are working overtime processing these endless requests for God to either "bless" or "damn" something or someone.

 

[Lirille]

I used to say 'god' and 'Jesus' as expletives very often. Lately, however, I've been striving to become more aware of my thoughts, words and actions, so I'm now trying to police my speech patterns a bit more. I now avoid using religious terms frivously when I can - specially when I among believers.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

So what do you say to God when God sneezes?

Darwin bless!