It oogs me out, but I understand where they’re coming from and that it’s just a basic, friendly politeness. I generally just say “Thanks!” or ““Have a lovely day” or something and go on with my life. Personally I detest Religion of all flavors and feel like that is the source, not the succor, of most of the horrible things that happen on the planet. But, since I am surrounded by it and I do know a few quietly religious folk who gain strength and peace from worship, I keep my snark to myself.
That’s because racism and sexism are unequivocal wrongs. There’s no valid reason for expressions of such.
Religion is different. You have to balance the fact that some people may be bothered with the value of tolerance and freedom of religious expression.
In other words, religious tolerance is a virtue while tolerating bigotry is not.
(Again, not saying that means “accept whatever.” Just that the difference in kind with religion means the balance has to be different. I myself think the cultural balance should be against the self-righteous displays version of this, at least.)
They both represent an irrational factually inaccurate belief about the superiority of one group over another. As such neither should be tolerated in the slightest.
The only difference I can see is one set of irrational group hierarchy beliefs had become somewhat unfashionable for a few decades but is now reversing among at least some backward-looking sectors of the populace while the other remains steadfastly acceptable in all its horror.
Both conceptual horror in a rational universe of rational minds and in the physical horrors it visits upon the real human world every day.
Irrational belief in group superiority: Just say No. Everywhere all the time about every such belief.
I get it on occasion. I interpret it (based on who says it to me) as not specifically Christian, more generic “spiritual” blessing rather than “I want the abrahamic god in particular to bless your day”. Which strikes me as a bit silly as “have a nice day” is perfectly good not specifically Christian way to wish someone a nice day.
It’s just someone wishing me well in a way that also expresses their own piety. I wouldn’t be bothered by other quasi-spiritual sayings like “let the fairy folk smile upon your path” or “merry parting” so why would I be bothered by a different flavor of supernatural benediction?
It’s well meant, it harms me none, it’s no issue.
I will say that it does put me a little on guard for other expressions of faith, because these people love expressing and witnessing. So I do ready myself to say “not interested, thanks”. But it’s rarely an issue.
Just follow the link where my first post says “Dudeist priest.” Or right here. It’s free to get ordained and officially have the title, but they’ll sell you a certificate and/or and ID card or other priestly merch. (I don’t begrudge them a bit of modest capitalism to keep things going.) Looking at the “Big Ordination Kit” now, I see that they have more stuff available than they did when I signed up.
Here in Chicago suburbia, I almost never heard “Have a blessed day”. It’s a number greater than zero but not high enough for me to feel like it’s a thing likely to happen. I probably get it more from business Teams calls with people in other regions. It feels a bit performative to me but it doesn’t upset me. I assume that if you say it enough times it just becomes rote though that in turn seems to negate the point of saying it. Just say “Goodbye” (and no one cares about what people meant in the 16th century when they said Goodbye).
I’ve heard Gesundheit plenty of times but there’s always an undercurrent of trying to be a bit cute about it. Tee-hee, I’m using the silly word instead of “Bless you”.
Do you really think so? Are they giving any thought to what the person on the receiving end might think “nice”? If not, is that nice of them?
Love it! Giving serious thought to trying to incorporate this into my expressions.
For whatever combination of reasons, lately I’ve been becoming less and less willing to simply quietly tolerate just about all manner of religious thought and expression. Not saying religious folk say and do nothing of value. But those words and deeds would be AT LEAST as worthwhile if free from religious baggage.
Christians do not have a monopoly on “Blessed”. I wouldn’t assume they are Christman, any more than they would assume I’m not. Bothers about as the Lebanese shopkeeper at my local corner store thanking me with a “Ma’a as-salama”. Which is not at all.
Have a blessed day? According to who? Coming from a stuffed sausage in a polyester thrift suit from a second chance bin? Likewise is all I’ll say.
Re sneezing: I sneeze in 3’s, 5’s &7’s, can’t help it. I always say excuse me or pardon me when I’m done. I understand it’s distracting.
But when I’m amidst in a sneeze marathon don’t fucking bless me, like I need to hear it over and over. Actually it kinda enrages me and causes my nasal blasts to reach peak noise levels. There I’m done now bless me all you like don’t expect thanks.
I’m in the same area, and I agree, I hear it every once in a while, but not often.
But, I travel down to Alabama regularly for business, and hear it more often there.
I would say, “yes, and…” It’s also a bit of low-key evangelism, IMO. It people who said it only wanted to be nice, they’d say “have a good day” (or something similar). Using “blessed” is an active choice that they are making, due to their faith, and part of being an Evangelical Christian is believing that God has called on you to share the “good news” with others.
FWIW, when I was in college, and a member of an Evangelical campus group for a time, members of that group made a point of intentionally saying “God bless you” rather than “gesundheit” when someone sneezed, for this very reason.
Certainly, but in my experience, in the U.S., the casual “have a blessed day” appears to be nearly always uttered by people who are almost undoubtedly conservative/Evangelical Christians.
I rarely hear it in Chicago, and tbh I never assumed that it was necessarily a Christian thing as opposed to nonspecific new age woo, but it sounds like it is.
We have a long history of religious intolerance leading to very, very bad things. We have no such history with an intolerance of bigotry. A while back most of us decided it was best for everyone if we just let people practice their own religion without interference.
You remind me of a coworker I had in the late 1990s. We had two Muslim coworkers who would take a bit of time each day to do their prayers at the appointed time. They would very quietly go into an unused meeting room, close the blinds, perform their prayers, and they’d go back to work. This upset one of my coworkers greatly. She made sure to stomp into the meeting room when they were finished to open the blinds and would complain to anyone who listens that they shouldn’t be able to pray. It was her own bigotry that upset her not anything our Muslim coworkers were doing.
I don’t hear it that often here in Arkansas.
Probably no more than than when someone says goodbye or have a nice day.
Yup. It’s just a rote automatic response to end an interaction. Getting bent out of shape about seems akin to “How dare they tell me to have a nice day!?”
I certainly wasn’t suggesting I get “bent out of shape.” But I do notice - and disfavor - it. I think apt the description of “low-key evangelism.”
At BEST, they have led such blindered lives, that they are simply unaware that folk outside of their narrow community might feel differently than they.
