Texas Professor Bans Students from Saying ‘God Bless You’

A professor with the University of Texas System sparked outrage after he forbid students from saying 'God Bless you' in his class.

The demand was part of the syllabus the unidentified professor from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley posted online outlining the new school year's curriculum. Included in the summary of instructions was the following sentence: "Please refrain from saying, 'God bless you' during the classes and exams."

That did not sit well with some of his students, who spread the image on social media, and the Internet, predicatively, went nuts.

Why would saying 'God bless you' be a problem, you might be asking? People use that expression all the time, mostly as a common courtesy when someone sneezes. Well, apparently, it's disruptive.

In a statement released to a local television station, UTRGV officials explained it like this: "The professor's syllabus sought to identify examples of potentially disruptive behavior the professor believed could hinder the classroom learning environment, including use of cellphones. The intent was not to limit the religious freedoms of UTRGV students, but to avoid unsolicited comments that might distract others."

University administrators have since spoken with the professor, and the offending statement was removed.