Blessings

[triskellian]

Someone in the finance department of the institution I work for always finishes his phone calls with 'bless you'. I just took a message from him for an officemate, and received his blessings along with his thanks, and thus was born a poll:

Poll Blessings

Comments

[bateleur]

I dislike the way Christianity is sometimes seen as the default in this country

Likewise, but in a modern context I'm not sure I'd take "bless you" as Christian (particularly since I use it myself as a non-Christian).

[pepper_field]

I used to work for a guy who was quite strongly Catholic, and who did something similar - he'd finish every phonecall with "God bless you." Personally, I did a minor double-take first time, and then shrugged it off, having spent eleven years at a C of E school. A friend who also worked there (who was non-religious but came from a fairly strict Muslim background) found it a little uncomfortable. It was, I think, the first time she'd had direct dealings with Christianity. She tended to go, "Er, thanks very much," in response - which amused me.

We talked about it once, because she wanted to know what she was supposed to say. I suggested that, IMO, it was his default way of speaking, and that he didn't really expect a response. That she should just take it as... meant kindly.

And I tend to alternate "Bless you" and "gesundheit".

[sumbitch]

"Bless you" seems entirely secular to me, more of a verbal tic than anything else, like "how are you?" in a situation in which it's clearly not a quest for information.

On the other hand, there's a checker at my local supermarket who always says "have a blessed day!" While I know she means it kindly, I hate it. Why? Because chances are she'd feel less warmly towards me if she actually knew my lesbian Jewish self. Therefore, it's always a slightly alienating experience (like all the people who wish me Merry Christmas, or assume I have a husband).