[Torie]

"God bless you" hardly strikes me as a sectarian phrase. It is more simply wishing that if there is a higher power, that power will wish you well. Such a phrase does not remind me of Jimmy Swagart, militant fundamentalists, the sectarian strife in N. Ireland, or the sectarian strife of the Protestants and the Catholics in the 17th century. Is there really that much scar tissue in Europe? Are memories simply that long. My advice: just get over it and relax, and be happy.

[Gabrielle Reilly]

Aussie's are very happy and relaxed. Actually we just do not use terms like "I will pray for you" or "God bless you". Not deliberately, it is just not part of our dialog. There is no bitterness. I have not heard those terms used outside of Church and Bible Study in my entire life growing up in Australia. There is far less friction between religions so I am not sure that that is such a bad thing when most live a very compassionate, Christian like life and worship in the same manner as American's.