Sneeze question

I found myself again confronted with a question that I believed need to be answered. This time the question was "why do we say God Bless You to someone after they sneeze?" again I asked many people and again the answers were all different. Some people thought that it was because your heart stopped for a brief moment while others thought it had something to do with your soul. Well I looked it up..... Drum roll please........

“Have you ever wondered why we say “God bless You” when someone sneezes? They say it dates back to primitive times when early people believed the soul dwelt inside the head, and a sneeze was an expelling of evil spirits. Therefore, a “God bless you” was an exclamation that God had expelled the bad spirits from you. A more accepted theory is that it began in the sixth century. Carlo Signonio, the Italian historian, believes that the practice of saying “God bless you” after a sneeze began during the pontificate of Gregory the Great. At this period a virulent pestilence raged in Italy which proved fatal to those who sneezed. The Pope, therefore, ordered prayers to be said against it, accompanied by signs of the cross. It was during this era that the custom of crying “God bless you!” to persons who sneezed became definitely established. The phrase, or benediction, is still in general use. [Lillian Eichler The Customs of Mankind ]

Interesting huh...... kinda makes you wonder why in the world we are still saying it today, perhaps its just polite.
hope you enjoyed