# What is a handstabber? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-handstabber/235940 "2004-03-23T17:53:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gomez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@Gomez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gomez)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-handstabber/235940/1 "2004-03-23T17:53:56Z")
I’ve heard this epithet flung around by several people all over the boards but have no clue what it is. Can someone enlighten me? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-handstabber/235940/2 "2004-03-23T18:44:59Z")
I’m just passing on what I heard in another thread; I cannot verify the accuracy of this. Apparently there’s a story (possibly apocryphal) about some prominent atheist, possibly Madalyn Murray O’Hair, sneezing in the presence of a Christian, and when the Christian said, “Bless you,” Ms. O’Hair responded by grabbing a pair of scissors or something and attacking the offender’s hand rather than accept the sentiment of health and well-being. The last time this came up, various people attempted to verify via Google who the atheist was, the circumstances of the event, and so on. As I recall, it was impossible to confirm that the event actually happened at all. In any case, that’s the genesis: A “hand-stabber” is an atheist so virulently anti-faith that he or she will reflexively resort to violence in order to keep the religious at bay. The term was imported to the SDMB by **Libertarian** , who perhaps will be good enough to either correct or expand on my hearsay above. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-handstabber/235940/3 "2004-03-23T19:05:57Z")
Funny, I would have thought it referred to extreme fundies trying to reproduce the stigmata on their own persons. But I’ll buy this explanation too. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-handstabber/235940/4 "2004-03-23T21:09:20Z")
Cervaise has it pretty much as I heard it, except that she stabbed his hand with a pen. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-handstabber/235940/5 "2004-03-23T21:23:24Z")
Cite? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-handstabber/235940/6 "2004-03-24T01:20:36Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > Cite? [Here you go.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=4674763#post4674763) (Note that it is explicitly an _oral_ reference.) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-handstabber/235940/7 "2004-03-24T15:44:30Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > [Here you go.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=4674763#post4674763) (Note that it is explicitly an _oral_ reference.) Wow. I think I just saw the back of my own head.