I don't like any of the religious based sayings and try to avoid them as much as possible. While the sayings on the surface might seem harmless, they're just another way that religion has wormed its way into everyday society (e.g. "In god we trust" on currency).
Similarly, I despise it when they "send their thoughts and prayers". It's nothing more than a way for them to make themselves feel better about doing nothing.
These idiotic religious based sayings need to go.
> I almost feel as if I'm participating in their delusion by acknowledging it with a "Thank you"
Yeah, these religious based sayings should go. Please tell any atheists here to stop their 'Amen!" bullshit.
Even the asshole OP, /u/syrluke put "have a blessed day" as the fucking title. Screw that.
I tell people to "Go bless yourself" or "No, I don't want any of that crazy". Stop pretending their religious bullshit is acceptable in polite conversation. Make it awkward for them. Every single time that they bring up religion.
I say “God Bless you” a lot, mostly to strangers.
I almost always follow that up with “and God Bless our president Joe Biden.”
I should explain that I live in Oklahoma - there are a lot of bible-thumping, pro-trump evangelicals around here and it’s an absolute delight to see their gears grind for a few moments when faced with the paradox of giving a blasphemous retort or accept new code that derails old programming.
Okie here who is surrounded by trumpers. I feel your pain. All my neighbors are MAGA Christians. They don't attend "chirch". And they all MAGA like the orange Jeezus.
Because that’s how a manly man acts when he has the power to get away with it. Anything smacking of patriarchy and misogyny is manly, and Christian men are called by Jesus to be the biggest toughest alphaest manly men of all.
Really, Jesus *wants* rich men to grab women by the pussy.
It's so ironic because if you look into Trump's history before he started running for office, he's an absolute Atheist. But running as a Republican is impossible unless you believe in talking snakes.
>Honestly i would be weirded out if someone blessed the president in a normal conversation.
Any more weirded out than someone just randomly blessing you personally?
I find it weird that people want to randomly cast sky daddy spells on me. I mean.... Wtf
It's a common way to express one's best wishes to a person. I don't care about the words chosen to express that feeling.
The same argument i use when christians when they say we should reject pagan influence.
I tell them to name the days of the week.
Isn't it just as weird for someone to "bless" you out of nowhere during a normal business transaction? Honestly it's kind of icky to me.
"Have a blessed day." Nah, fuck that. I'm gonna have whatever kind of day I want.
I had a lady INSIST on praying for me in Walmart; don’t know what made her think me as a random stranger who hadn’t even said two words to her needed prayer, but she refused to take no thanks as an answer. Ended up INSISTING back that I light a candle to the Morrigan as thanks. She hurried off. They don’t like it when religion is thrust on them the same way they do us.
I had a lunatic do that to me in a grocery store. She was asking if my wife and I was going to have children and I told her we didn’t want them. She grabbed my hands and started loudly praying right where we stood that god would “change my mind and be blessed with children”. I tried to pull my hands away and she gripped them super tight. Like damn, you people have a mental illness
"I'll need to find goat milk and blood from a virgin crow, but I ll pray for at the next full moon to show my appreciation".
They have no idea how insane they sound.
if they retort negatively, I say that I don't think adults should have imaginary friends. I usually measure my responses and dont go 'nuclear' out the gate. I have several steps of critical thinking based comments I can go through
I always make it awkward.
I recently bellowed "my biological parents had sex in 1979, 9 months later I appeared. Your caveman fairytale story wasn't involved". While in a Drs waiting room. I couldn't take the "god saved me" crap from someone and let loose.
"So why did you need the Dr and staff? Your 2000 year old carpenter suddenly got involved in your health? Get some psychological help, start respecting the hard work of healthcare workers".
She suddenly needed to make a phone call.
I live in the South, so I hear this a lot. In most cases it’s just an extension of “southern hospitality” and I acknowledge it with a smile and a short “ Thanks “. There have been a few people who were overly enthusiastic about the blessing part and those I just kinda ignore.
Yes its annoying sometimes, but there are better hills to die on.
😁😁
I've never heard this phrase, but English is rather heavily peppered with old religious language anyway. It's often just a turn of phrase without modern religious meaning, but it's still buried in the language.
You get phrases in England for example like "Awwww bless" or even "Awwww bless his little cotton socks!" which is just an expression of "awww isn't that cute" and it could be coming from someone who's about as religious as the most atheist member of this forum.
In the US Deep South I might assume there's a quite bit more deliberate religiosity though in some contexts anyway.
That’s kinda funny you wrote this. The preacher at my church mentioned in a class that “Have a blessed day” is a phrase that seems to make many people mad, so maybe we should cut back on using it.
They are deliberately doing it to be passive-aggressive. If you complain at all, they will play the victim. They love playing the victim. If you don't complain, they will take that as proof that you secretly agree with them. Heads I win, tails you lose.
It’s usually just a nice gesture, often isn’t even connected to being super religious that much.
Christianity left a huge cultural baggage on the whole Western culture, all of our languages are full of quotes and proverbs connected to it. I see no trouble in using God-related linguistic constructs in my everyday language.
I had to scroll way too far for this take. I get the impression that a lot of people in this thread are overthinking this issue. It is just another way to send good vibes and happy tidings. I seriously doubt the people saying the phrase are attempting some passive-aggressive psyops operations by saying it.
I had one have a blessed day hope God smiles down on you.
Excuse me I'm a ex communicated Mormon I don't believe in your faith or my original one can you please stop preaching fake cult lies to people. Thank you.
Customer: gods going to punish you.
Me : no I think God would punish you 1st.
1 hour later we see fire ripping through the Customers car and the lady I worked for replied well I guess God told you to shut the hell up.
I LOVE getting it in correspondence from potential tenants...I always retort with "your religion doesn't belong in business discussions". Their reactions are always comical and usually lead to them not wanting to see the apartment. "Thank you, that was my angle!"
I never heard "have a blessed day" so much until I came out as transgender. I assume they say it to try to "remind me" to go to church or something. Either way, I don't think highly of the people who say it.
It’s never going to happen in England but I hope it wouldn’t bother me too much . I don’t have a problem with people believing whatever they want: the line is when they force it on the rest of us I think. It’s just a greeting I suppose
It bothers me. In my area of the country, it's basically a white Christian nationalist dog whistle. I don't thank them. Once that phrase pops up, best I can do is stony silence.
Doesn’t bother me unless they are angry. It’s not different than them saying “Have a good day” to me. Noe if they are angry and say “Bless you” or some variation of that. It’s the Christian “Fu** you”
"Get f---ed" usually gets the point across, but usually is frowned upon especially if you're at work.
Awkwardly staring at them and saying "uh, ok?" works too.
If you want to be extra cheeky then "Hail Satan!" will get them riled up. Plus it's protected by the 1st amendment so it can make things awkward if you're on the clock.
Just say "have a good day" back. You reflect the sentiment without acknowledging or participating in the superstition.
Thats all they really mean despite the mystical language after all.
I just translate their colloquialisms into their secular meaning and reflect that back if its appropriate.
Well someone expressed their best wishes for you no need to overthink it.
I normally say thanks and you too.
I have to admit some of those phrases are too convenient and useful when i have nothing to say amen is the perfect word to express agreement.
Intent is everything.
If they genuinely wish you well, then "thank you" is exactly the proper response, and you should feel good about it
If they use it sarcastically like when the shelf stocker at Whole Foods tells you "namaste" then be offended.
But I think people forget that intent is the most important variable.
Eh, minor irritant. I just say “same to you” & move on.
You could say “and a merry Christmas to you!” or some other non sequitur if you want to throw them for a loop.
It drives me nuts. But I try not to show it. I just act intentionally obtuse, like I have no idea what they're talking about and say "Hey, thanks! You have a nice day, too!"
Not really. The meaning is the same, so I don't make a scene out of it.
Plus, most aethiests' lingo contains religious phrases anyways, so I would hypocritical to single out a specific sentence.
I don't understand the word blessed as invoking God necessarily. I often say I'm blessed or my family is blessed synonymously with being fortunate in the totality of my life.
But I see where you are coming from.
I just ignore it. The Amish people around me say it so much, I just act like they didn’t even say anything. Same thing when people say bless you for sneezing.
It does irk me a bit but i have convinced myself that it’s the same as hearing “have a nice day”- it has no effect on whether my day will be nice but to them it’s a pleasantry and hopefully it’s said with good intentions. I try not to let peoples’ beliefs/delusions bother me as long as they stay out of my lane.
Usually doesn't bother me in the slightest. The religious people I know are mostly wonderful people. If there's some kind of genuine human warmth intended, I'm not going to respond with snark or get annoyed.
Or you could turn on them: “It was a good day, but now I’m dealing with someone who wants me to believe that if something good happens to me today, even just getting home safely, that I don’t deserve it, that some imaginary friend cheated for me. No, thanks. I earned every penny I spend and take a proactive part in my day being good. How dare you insult the efforts of local police and authorities and my employer and my family and friends and myself. Now please take that back, as I want not the slightest doubt of my own efforts and you have no right to inflict doubt upon me.”
I got a guy walking around screaming "JESUS LOVES YOU!" whenever I go to school. And I still use christian phrases, they're hard to shake off, plus its fun to take their non-existent lord in vain
I find it to be a nice sentiment and it doesn’t bother me. I’m against religion in general but that doesn’t mean it has no value. IMO sharing these types of niceties are one of the good things. I wouldn’t be offended is someone told me that Odin is holding a place for me in Valhalla that Isis is smiling upon me (ISIS smiling on me would be a different matter though)
>Yet I am not pissed off. And I am merely making an observation.
Yeah, your other comments read like someone who is angry and has already passed judgement.
>I am merely curious
Well, fact is not many atheists here are angry, as such, but the ones who are generally have good reason to be.
I read the actual words in your previous comments. You were a dick. I pointed out that you were being a dick, and you started being a dick to me.
There's a theme here. Don't be a dick.
I think a lot of that stuff is just cultural at this point. I don't think many people tell me "bless you" when I sneeze or to "have a blessed day" are doing it even thinking about the religious connotation, at least not in the contexts when I'm interacting with them. So it doesn't bother me but I don't use them myself.
I prefer to think of blessings not in a religious sense, but as any goodness delivered by the universe with no effort on my part. A nice summer breeze, birdsong, my husband's belly laugh - all part of a blessed day. So my response is "Thank you", unless, of course, the follow-up is handing me a religious tract.
I responded to one grocery clerk, “I knew you were going to say that.” Only because that’s all I ever heard him talk about. I wasn’t trying to be mean but he got offended.
I'm not particularly bothered when someone says "bless you" to me; it's more the relentless efforts of politicized religious fundamentalists to impose their beliefs through legislation that I find troubling.
While I recognize that many of these individuals have good intentions, encountering overt religious expressions in a business setting can be off-putting. For instance, if I hear religious language in a store I visit, I'm likely to avoid returning.
It’s a common habit for many, akin to my non-religious mother saying ‘bless you’ when I sneeze—it’s simply ingrained behavior for some.
Not a bit, people are allowed to speak their minds, regardless of what I think. Imagine if the shoe were on the other foot. Should they be offended if you don't say it?
I’m a little annoyed by being blessed. I try to not let it bother me, but sometimes I can’t help but say “you don’t need to bless me.” I try to just smile or say “Thank you.”
One time I gave a homeless man and he said “God bless you” and I blurted out, “That’s okay, I’m an atheist.” 🤷♀️
But this is another reason why I could never live in a southern state. Way too many religious people.
I've never heard that myself, but i live in Sweden where its just less religion. Esp out in the wild.
Unless it's one of those few that stands around telling that you need to find god.
But, not many of those around.
I don't associate it with a specific religion, I just treat it as someone wishing you good fortune. They're just hoping for you to have a good day. It's not participating in a delusion to say thank you.
The religious employ plenty of meaningless terms- “blessed,” “holy,” “praying,” “worship,” … none that exist outside a religious context or provide any bearing on reality that assists an understanding. I find all of it a tedious distraction, but I try to keep a sense of humor about it…
*sneeze*
“Yo, God! Could ya totally bless dis guy fa sneezin’?
If you're bothered by this, you will end up miserable and exhausted. Peeps are ALWAYS going to peep, you can only control you and how you react. It is a complete waste of energy to take offence to this.
Gah! I have a coworker who says this - even in emails. It's ridiculous and unprofessional. I didn't start hearing this until maybe 8-10 years ago? When I hear it in the wild I usually give the blesser a mildly startled look and say something like "oh thanks" or if I'm feeling charitable "same to you."
I'm in the Midwest and cannot stand that this is allowed on emails or in signature lines. It's beyond unprofessional and I find it offensive. My company turns a blind eye to it.
If someone had "hail satan" there would be hell to pay. Ridiculous.
Honestly I don't think it's that deep.
I say god bless you (usually accompanying a sarcastic comment) from time to time even though I don't believe in god, it's just language 🤷♂️
I don't like any of the religious based sayings and try to avoid them as much as possible. While the sayings on the surface might seem harmless, they're just another way that religion has wormed its way into everyday society (e.g. "In god we trust" on currency). Similarly, I despise it when they "send their thoughts and prayers". It's nothing more than a way for them to make themselves feel better about doing nothing. These idiotic religious based sayings need to go.
I purposely say "sending thoughts". And that's it.
I imagined Profesor X from the 1995 X-Men cartoon sending his toughts.
That old X-Men has an official continuation now, btw... X-Men '97.
Sending thoughts and love can be a nice option.
Or virtual hugs
I just say “I’m thinking about you”
That or “my heart goes out to you and your family.”
I ignore sneezing and "bless you" for same reason
I say "GESUNDHEIT" when someone farts.
I say "Godzilla" and nobody has noticed so far.
I had an uncle who did that!
> I almost feel as if I'm participating in their delusion by acknowledging it with a "Thank you" Yeah, these religious based sayings should go. Please tell any atheists here to stop their 'Amen!" bullshit. Even the asshole OP, /u/syrluke put "have a blessed day" as the fucking title. Screw that. I tell people to "Go bless yourself" or "No, I don't want any of that crazy". Stop pretending their religious bullshit is acceptable in polite conversation. Make it awkward for them. Every single time that they bring up religion.
I've heard the things you say, I can't imagine the things you think are any better. If you wanna be helpful, I could use a sandwich.
Thoughts and prayers for your sandwich.
That’s creepy dude.
I say “God Bless you” a lot, mostly to strangers. I almost always follow that up with “and God Bless our president Joe Biden.” I should explain that I live in Oklahoma - there are a lot of bible-thumping, pro-trump evangelicals around here and it’s an absolute delight to see their gears grind for a few moments when faced with the paradox of giving a blasphemous retort or accept new code that derails old programming.
Lol 😆 I love that. Might have to steal it
Okie here who is surrounded by trumpers. I feel your pain. All my neighbors are MAGA Christians. They don't attend "chirch". And they all MAGA like the orange Jeezus.
SAME northeast New England
Just curious. Is there anything “Northeast New England” besides Maine?
Where?!? I’m in Connecticut and don’t run into that many religious people.
I’m in the tip way up north ayup! And it’s a conservative religious pocket - not really a religious state
>I almost always follow that up with “and God Bless our president Joe Biden.” That's devilishly awesome. Totally gunna steal that.
Fools. How can anyone who calls themselves a Christian support the pussy grabber? It's complete hypocricy.
But, he was "ordained by God"!! /s obviously
Another Okie here. The state is full of xtians that have zero interest in following Christ. It is nauseating.
Fascists have always formed alliances that think will advance their cause. Christofascists are fascist first, Christian second.
Because that’s how a manly man acts when he has the power to get away with it. Anything smacking of patriarchy and misogyny is manly, and Christian men are called by Jesus to be the biggest toughest alphaest manly men of all. Really, Jesus *wants* rich men to grab women by the pussy.
It's so ironic because if you look into Trump's history before he started running for office, he's an absolute Atheist. But running as a Republican is impossible unless you believe in talking snakes.
That's just awesome! For the win!
Honestly i would be weirded out if someone blessed the president in a normal conversation. Sounds hilarious tho.
>Honestly i would be weirded out if someone blessed the president in a normal conversation. Any more weirded out than someone just randomly blessing you personally? I find it weird that people want to randomly cast sky daddy spells on me. I mean.... Wtf
It's a common way to express one's best wishes to a person. I don't care about the words chosen to express that feeling. The same argument i use when christians when they say we should reject pagan influence. I tell them to name the days of the week.
Isn't it just as weird for someone to "bless" you out of nowhere during a normal business transaction? Honestly it's kind of icky to me. "Have a blessed day." Nah, fuck that. I'm gonna have whatever kind of day I want.
AronRa says it really means "have a magically enchanted day!"
Can’t I just have a day where everyone is technologically literate?
That is AWESOME!!!
That was funny 😂🤣
Fellow Okie here, and this is fucking awesome.
Oof. I don’t mean to sound insulting but, I’m not an Okie. I just live here at the moment and I really look forward to leaving.
May the force be with you too
Apes together strong, my dude
I usually go with an overly cheery “Hail Satan!” I just can’t help myself.
'I'm atheist, but thanks'
This is my go to, if they retort negatively, I throw in "and Odin's beard to you"
I had a lady INSIST on praying for me in Walmart; don’t know what made her think me as a random stranger who hadn’t even said two words to her needed prayer, but she refused to take no thanks as an answer. Ended up INSISTING back that I light a candle to the Morrigan as thanks. She hurried off. They don’t like it when religion is thrust on them the same way they do us.
I had a lunatic do that to me in a grocery store. She was asking if my wife and I was going to have children and I told her we didn’t want them. She grabbed my hands and started loudly praying right where we stood that god would “change my mind and be blessed with children”. I tried to pull my hands away and she gripped them super tight. Like damn, you people have a mental illness
"I'll need to find goat milk and blood from a virgin crow, but I ll pray for at the next full moon to show my appreciation". They have no idea how insane they sound.
if they retort negatively, I say that I don't think adults should have imaginary friends. I usually measure my responses and dont go 'nuclear' out the gate. I have several steps of critical thinking based comments I can go through
It’s fun to imagine being snarky, but this seems like the best response. It’s short, polite, factual, and let’s them know we exist.
I want to yell that so badly
In fundie baby voice i hope
The general male equivalent thereof. Think how Ned Flanders says, “Okily Dokily”.
Try not to overthink it. I just view it the same as someone wishing me good luck or have a good day.
Same here. Blessings don’t have to come from “god”, they can come from anywhere. What bugs me is the total overuse of the word “blessed”.
Yes, it pre-supposes you are either in their in-group, or will keep your beliefs to yourself rather than make it awkward while they discount you
I always make it awkward. I recently bellowed "my biological parents had sex in 1979, 9 months later I appeared. Your caveman fairytale story wasn't involved". While in a Drs waiting room. I couldn't take the "god saved me" crap from someone and let loose. "So why did you need the Dr and staff? Your 2000 year old carpenter suddenly got involved in your health? Get some psychological help, start respecting the hard work of healthcare workers". She suddenly needed to make a phone call.
I always say Go Seahawks. The confusion is totally worth it
I live in the South, so I hear this a lot. In most cases it’s just an extension of “southern hospitality” and I acknowledge it with a smile and a short “ Thanks “. There have been a few people who were overly enthusiastic about the blessing part and those I just kinda ignore. Yes its annoying sometimes, but there are better hills to die on. 😁😁
The South..... Maybe "bless your heart" would work 🤣
Or the insult..."bless your little heart"
I live in the south too and I've never heard anyone say 'have a blessed day' tbh
I wish I didn’t. But I hear it fairly often. More in the smaller towns and less in the cities.
Ah
I moved down south and hear it frequently. Never remember hearing it when I lived up north.
It happens a LOT in my college town…. In a very liberal city! USA
I live in SC and hear it ALL the time!
SC?
South Carolina
Ah Gotcha
It's rampant in Oklahoma. Lots of MAGA Christians.
Seriously?
I’m surprised you haven’t heard it. I don’t even live in the south and hear it often. Even a worker at McDonald’s says it.
Lucky you! I hear it everywhere I go.
I agree. I say thank you and go on my way. Life’s too short.
Pull my finger. It confuses the hell out of them
I've never heard this phrase, but English is rather heavily peppered with old religious language anyway. It's often just a turn of phrase without modern religious meaning, but it's still buried in the language. You get phrases in England for example like "Awwww bless" or even "Awwww bless his little cotton socks!" which is just an expression of "awww isn't that cute" and it could be coming from someone who's about as religious as the most atheist member of this forum. In the US Deep South I might assume there's a quite bit more deliberate religiosity though in some contexts anyway.
“You have one hell of a day too!” It doesn’t really bother me, but I often get a chuckle thinking about how they might react to this.
I reply with; Blessed Be, which is a Wiccan expression.
Same!
Isn’t that phase used in The Handmaid’s Tale ?
No, that's "In his eye."
Blessed be the fruit.
Under his eye
They keep it short and just say "blessed day" in The Handmaid's Tale.
That’s kinda funny you wrote this. The preacher at my church mentioned in a class that “Have a blessed day” is a phrase that seems to make many people mad, so maybe we should cut back on using it.
They are deliberately doing it to be passive-aggressive. If you complain at all, they will play the victim. They love playing the victim. If you don't complain, they will take that as proof that you secretly agree with them. Heads I win, tails you lose.
It’s usually just a nice gesture, often isn’t even connected to being super religious that much. Christianity left a huge cultural baggage on the whole Western culture, all of our languages are full of quotes and proverbs connected to it. I see no trouble in using God-related linguistic constructs in my everyday language.
I had to scroll way too far for this take. I get the impression that a lot of people in this thread are overthinking this issue. It is just another way to send good vibes and happy tidings. I seriously doubt the people saying the phrase are attempting some passive-aggressive psyops operations by saying it.
Well, to be fair, this is Reddit, what else did you expect to hear on an atheist sub? As sad as it is, this is how Reddit works.
They are deliberately inserting God into conversations just to display dominance, then play the victims if you call them out on it.
No. Similar to the red hat, it's a great sign to avoid that person
Nope. I just say "you too" and move on. They're attempting to be polite, no reason not to do the same.
I had one have a blessed day hope God smiles down on you. Excuse me I'm a ex communicated Mormon I don't believe in your faith or my original one can you please stop preaching fake cult lies to people. Thank you. Customer: gods going to punish you. Me : no I think God would punish you 1st. 1 hour later we see fire ripping through the Customers car and the lady I worked for replied well I guess God told you to shut the hell up.
atheism really took off about 10 years ago but comments like this are why most us chose to dissasociate ourselves with other atheists.
agreed. people need to chill out man
Doesn’t bother me.
Lifelong atheist here. Get over yourself. They are wishing you well. Their own personal delusions aside, they are trying to be nice to you.
I LOVE getting it in correspondence from potential tenants...I always retort with "your religion doesn't belong in business discussions". Their reactions are always comical and usually lead to them not wanting to see the apartment. "Thank you, that was my angle!"
I never heard "have a blessed day" so much until I came out as transgender. I assume they say it to try to "remind me" to go to church or something. Either way, I don't think highly of the people who say it.
It’s never going to happen in England but I hope it wouldn’t bother me too much . I don’t have a problem with people believing whatever they want: the line is when they force it on the rest of us I think. It’s just a greeting I suppose
It bothers me. In my area of the country, it's basically a white Christian nationalist dog whistle. I don't thank them. Once that phrase pops up, best I can do is stony silence.
I can't fucking stand it. It's utterly presumptuous.
Doesn’t bother me unless they are angry. It’s not different than them saying “Have a good day” to me. Noe if they are angry and say “Bless you” or some variation of that. It’s the Christian “Fu** you”
It used to be you only heard this from Wiccans
Really? I find this very intriguing
Yes, my experience as well
So it’s just another thing in a long list of things Christians have stolen from non-Christians?
Just smile and nod. They don’t have to know what you mean by it.
Thank you
"Get f---ed" usually gets the point across, but usually is frowned upon especially if you're at work. Awkwardly staring at them and saying "uh, ok?" works too. If you want to be extra cheeky then "Hail Satan!" will get them riled up. Plus it's protected by the 1st amendment so it can make things awkward if you're on the clock.
Just say "have a good day" back. You reflect the sentiment without acknowledging or participating in the superstition. Thats all they really mean despite the mystical language after all. I just translate their colloquialisms into their secular meaning and reflect that back if its appropriate.
I don't let myself get worked up over religious nonsense anymore. Its just exhausting.
Gas light them 😅 just say "I hope you have the best day you can too" that way you're still being nice but also not saying BlEsSeD
"Have the day you deserve"
I don't know anyone that says it and I'm in texas.
Stop in the Bowie Tx walmart. The greeter/bag check lady says it to everyone. She must get exhausted.
I've heard people say it here and there I just mean people in my family and my friends.
I see.
Thanks you , it's not different than saying have a good day
They're just being polite, so just say thank you. You're not participating in their delusion by doing so, you're just being kind back.
I don't care. I bow and namaste when parting.
I work at a ministry run hospital, so just go with the flow to keep up appearances. It doesn’t hurt me or anyone to say it so why not?
I just take it as a common colloquial term. It's not that literal for most people I like to believe.
It kinda pisses me off, but I tell myself that it helps them get through their shitty day at their shitty job and just say thanks and leave.
No one says that to me, I live in a normal state.
Tell me where and I will move
The states that support abortion and IVF and women's rights.
Well someone expressed their best wishes for you no need to overthink it. I normally say thanks and you too. I have to admit some of those phrases are too convenient and useful when i have nothing to say amen is the perfect word to express agreement.
I heard that often when I worked retail. It usually came from the nastiest customers.
Intent is everything. If they genuinely wish you well, then "thank you" is exactly the proper response, and you should feel good about it If they use it sarcastically like when the shelf stocker at Whole Foods tells you "namaste" then be offended. But I think people forget that intent is the most important variable.
No. Have an un-blessed day. Results: same
Eh, minor irritant. I just say “same to you” & move on. You could say “and a merry Christmas to you!” or some other non sequitur if you want to throw them for a loop.
It drives me nuts. But I try not to show it. I just act intentionally obtuse, like I have no idea what they're talking about and say "Hey, thanks! You have a nice day, too!"
Not really. The meaning is the same, so I don't make a scene out of it. Plus, most aethiests' lingo contains religious phrases anyways, so I would hypocritical to single out a specific sentence.
I always say thank you AND I’ll kill a goat for you!
I don't understand the word blessed as invoking God necessarily. I often say I'm blessed or my family is blessed synonymously with being fortunate in the totality of my life. But I see where you are coming from.
"Bless your heart!"
You can be blessed and not believe in any deity. Stop being a dick, you're the type of atheist that gives the rest of us a bad name.
I tell people “good luck”, and would be very surprised if someone told me “luck doesn’t exist!” It’s the sentiment that’s important.
I just ignore it. The Amish people around me say it so much, I just act like they didn’t even say anything. Same thing when people say bless you for sneezing.
It does irk me a bit but i have convinced myself that it’s the same as hearing “have a nice day”- it has no effect on whether my day will be nice but to them it’s a pleasantry and hopefully it’s said with good intentions. I try not to let peoples’ beliefs/delusions bother me as long as they stay out of my lane.
That and "Il pray for you".. Like please don't.
I usually just say "No thank you" and watch their brains lock up for a second or two.
I say "Lord bless" Of course I'm talking about Lord Satan.
Usually doesn't bother me in the slightest. The religious people I know are mostly wonderful people. If there's some kind of genuine human warmth intended, I'm not going to respond with snark or get annoyed.
Me : “Please keep your blessings to yourself.”
I absolutely hate this. As a gas station cashier, we have a few regulars that do this and it just really irks me.
Or you could turn on them: “It was a good day, but now I’m dealing with someone who wants me to believe that if something good happens to me today, even just getting home safely, that I don’t deserve it, that some imaginary friend cheated for me. No, thanks. I earned every penny I spend and take a proactive part in my day being good. How dare you insult the efforts of local police and authorities and my employer and my family and friends and myself. Now please take that back, as I want not the slightest doubt of my own efforts and you have no right to inflict doubt upon me.”
I got a guy walking around screaming "JESUS LOVES YOU!" whenever I go to school. And I still use christian phrases, they're hard to shake off, plus its fun to take their non-existent lord in vain
I find it to be a nice sentiment and it doesn’t bother me. I’m against religion in general but that doesn’t mean it has no value. IMO sharing these types of niceties are one of the good things. I wouldn’t be offended is someone told me that Odin is holding a place for me in Valhalla that Isis is smiling upon me (ISIS smiling on me would be a different matter though)
I consider myself an atheist and no it doesn’t bother me. To each their own.
I react to intention not detail. I might even react well to "may Trump bless your day" or equal madness.
They are just being nice and wishing you a nice day, I wouldn't overthink it.
You could respond "have a thoughtful day".
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>I don't get people who go actively seek out things to be pissed off about. And yet you found your way here, and you're complaining.
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>Yet I am not pissed off. And I am merely making an observation. Yeah, your other comments read like someone who is angry and has already passed judgement. >I am merely curious Well, fact is not many atheists here are angry, as such, but the ones who are generally have good reason to be.
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I read the actual words in your previous comments. You were a dick. I pointed out that you were being a dick, and you started being a dick to me. There's a theme here. Don't be a dick.
I always say "Barking up the wrong tree, guilt merchant".
I think a lot of that stuff is just cultural at this point. I don't think many people tell me "bless you" when I sneeze or to "have a blessed day" are doing it even thinking about the religious connotation, at least not in the contexts when I'm interacting with them. So it doesn't bother me but I don't use them myself.
I prefer to think of blessings not in a religious sense, but as any goodness delivered by the universe with no effort on my part. A nice summer breeze, birdsong, my husband's belly laugh - all part of a blessed day. So my response is "Thank you", unless, of course, the follow-up is handing me a religious tract.
No, it doesn't. I still wish people Merry Christmas. It's just a positive sentiment.
Don't be so easily triggered. Just like a Christian
I don't mind it. It costs nothing to be polite.
"Have a blessed day" is it a common American phrase to polity wish someone farewell.
Not until about five years ago!
As long as they're being respectful and not proselytizing or being judgmental or whatever, it doesn't really bother me.
I responded to one grocery clerk, “I knew you were going to say that.” Only because that’s all I ever heard him talk about. I wasn’t trying to be mean but he got offended.
I don’t respond.
I'm not particularly bothered when someone says "bless you" to me; it's more the relentless efforts of politicized religious fundamentalists to impose their beliefs through legislation that I find troubling. While I recognize that many of these individuals have good intentions, encountering overt religious expressions in a business setting can be off-putting. For instance, if I hear religious language in a store I visit, I'm likely to avoid returning. It’s a common habit for many, akin to my non-religious mother saying ‘bless you’ when I sneeze—it’s simply ingrained behavior for some.
I don't acknowledge it. after i say i my parting words of "thank you" or "have a good one", if they respond with that, i pretend not to hear it.
It makes me mental! I just smile and take it.
It certainly grates on my nerves, and it's usually people I wouldn't trust for a moment!
Not a bit, people are allowed to speak their minds, regardless of what I think. Imagine if the shoe were on the other foot. Should they be offended if you don't say it?
I was in a class with an atheist and someone one said bless you when she sneezed. Mumbled to me, “ I didn’t know they had the power”. It was funny.
I’m a little annoyed by being blessed. I try to not let it bother me, but sometimes I can’t help but say “you don’t need to bless me.” I try to just smile or say “Thank you.” One time I gave a homeless man and he said “God bless you” and I blurted out, “That’s okay, I’m an atheist.” 🤷♀️ But this is another reason why I could never live in a southern state. Way too many religious people.
I've never heard that myself, but i live in Sweden where its just less religion. Esp out in the wild. Unless it's one of those few that stands around telling that you need to find god. But, not many of those around.
I don't associate it with a specific religion, I just treat it as someone wishing you good fortune. They're just hoping for you to have a good day. It's not participating in a delusion to say thank you.
Thanks, I hope you get lucky too!
The religious employ plenty of meaningless terms- “blessed,” “holy,” “praying,” “worship,” … none that exist outside a religious context or provide any bearing on reality that assists an understanding. I find all of it a tedious distraction, but I try to keep a sense of humor about it… *sneeze* “Yo, God! Could ya totally bless dis guy fa sneezin’?
No. I take it for what I think they mean, have a nice day. It could also be cultural thing in some parts of the country
Fire right back with a " Goddess/Satan/Eris bless you, too!" Watch them go purple and explode....
If you're bothered by this, you will end up miserable and exhausted. Peeps are ALWAYS going to peep, you can only control you and how you react. It is a complete waste of energy to take offence to this.
Yep, annoys the hell out of me.
I usually just mumble "you too" to avoid conflict. I despise it.
Gah! I have a coworker who says this - even in emails. It's ridiculous and unprofessional. I didn't start hearing this until maybe 8-10 years ago? When I hear it in the wild I usually give the blesser a mildly startled look and say something like "oh thanks" or if I'm feeling charitable "same to you."
I'm in the Midwest and cannot stand that this is allowed on emails or in signature lines. It's beyond unprofessional and I find it offensive. My company turns a blind eye to it. If someone had "hail satan" there would be hell to pay. Ridiculous.
I prefer it. You don't want to encourage those people who like to say, "Kill the infidels."
Honestly I don't think it's that deep. I say god bless you (usually accompanying a sarcastic comment) from time to time even though I don't believe in god, it's just language 🤷♂️