NEWPORT, Tenn. (AP) — A judge in
Tennessee changed a 7-month-old boy's name to Martin from Messiah,
saying the religious name was earned by one person and "that one person
is Jesus Christ."
Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered
the name change last week, according to WBIR-TV
(http://on.wbir.com/1cDOeTY). The boy's parents were in court because
they could not agree on the child's last name, but when the judge heard
the boy's first name, she ordered it changed, too."It could put him at odds with a lot of people and at this point he has had no choice in what his name is," Ballew said.
It was the first time she ordered a first name change, the judge said.
Messiah was No. 4 among the fastest-rising baby names in 2012, according to the Social Security Administration's annual list of popular baby names.
The judge in eastern Tennessee said the baby was to be named Martin DeShawn McCullough, which includes both parents' last name.
The boy's mother, Jaleesa Martin, of Newport, said she will appeal. She says Messiah is unique (Z: apparently not, see the red above!) and she liked how it sounded alongside the boy's two siblings — Micah and Mason.
"Everybody believes what they want so I think I should be able to name my child what I want to name him, not someone else," Martin said.
Ballew said the name Messiah could cause problems if the child grows up in Cocke County, which has a large Christian population.
"The word Messiah is a title and it's a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ," the judge said
What do you think? Me, I think growing up in COCKE County is bad enough for a little boy, but maybe that's just me :-). oops.
And, by the way..MESSIAH is the No 4 fastest-rising baby names? WHAT?
WOW...they say we're beginning to be a country of people with no God, that we're 'all about us' to the point that we worship ourselves, and how injurious that is to any society...but MESSIAH? "Hi, I'm MESSIAH?!"
What do you think? Like the name? Like the Judge's stepping in? Do you think either the name or the intrusion is appropriate?
Z
63 comments:
There is no longer any such thing as propriety in America. Anything goes. My next child I'm going to name "Doctor" and the one after that, "President." Then I'll name one "Congressman" (inviting immediate shame, or course), and finally, "Senator." Oh...I forgot, "Professor."
The name 'Princess' has been around for awhile, why not 'Messiah'?
I don't think this is in any way the purview of a Judge. The dark side of me can find benefit in an IQ test to breed.
Thank Goodness ... I was afraid we were running out of government!
Hate the name. But it is not up to a judge to decide what name is appropriate.
Z - I don't think the name Messiah is appropriate but I also don't think the judge should step in and change it. Parents should be allowed to name the child what they want.
"Thank Goodness ... I was afraid we were running out of government!"
Good one, Mustang!
I'm from Tennessee originally, but I don't remember anybody being as stupid as that judge. He must be an immigrant from Alabama.
Note: The best thing coming out of Alabama is Interstate-20.
A tornado touch down in Alabama last week and did $2 Million in improvements.
What name would be short for Messiah, Messy?
I looked up "Obama as Messiah" in the Google search engine. Amazingly Barack Insane Obama came up first. Interesting, but along with that there was an article about Ramadan Ending With 69 Blown Up in Iraq
Messiah was No. 4 among the fastest-rising baby names in 2012, according to the Social Security Administration's annual list of popular baby names
Are you kidding me?
Bob said: What name would be short for Messiah, Messy?
Note THIS: [Middle English Messias, Messie, from Old French Messie...
**chuckle**
Joe, why not!? I once dated a guy who had a title through his family...Baron. The "Baron" was used as a middle name "James Baron Fox" but he scrambled it and became Baron James Fox when we couldn't get into a popular restaurant...then we got in :-)
CI...the dark side of you is probably right, sadly. For most of us, MESSIAH has a different connotation and importance in meaning than PRINCESS. Actually, I've only heard Princess as a nickname, but..
Mustang; we should BE so lucky!
EVERYBODY: I agree; It's a completely inappropriate name and offensive to many, but it's not the judge's place to, well..JUDGE.
ON THE OTHER HAND: I do see Hispanic guys spraying vegetables at my local grocery store with the name tag JESUS! :-)
Bob...great lines about poor Alabama :-)
I guess muslims aren't as sensitive as this because every other muslim is MOHAMMED !!
I personally would like to think Christians had more respect for Christ than to name their children Messiah...but that's just me, I guess
I promise you there'll be a country western song about this...
The Messiah boy from Cocke County.........oy.
What law gives the judge the right to change a child's name? Can the name parents give their child be considered "child abuse"? In the Spanish speaking world, the name Jesus is very common and no one gggives it a second thought. Should Messiah become a common name, noe would give it a second thought either.
People have a right to be stupid. at least in the case of being burdened with a stupid name, it can be changed when the child becomes an adult.
Ducky, you're right..I mentioned that above.
EVERYBODY:
I think this goes to something really bigger than this particular case and it dovetails what some of you said;
Things are changing in America because our values are changing. There isn't the VALUE on MESSIAH there once was by as many people.
Teens used to turn down a car radio if mature adults indicated it was too loud; or they'd not even have made it that loud. Today's VALUES say "Screw you, oldster" to those who don't like it "...we are entitled to play our radio as loud as WE want."
etc etc etc etc (fill in the dots with your VALUES stories; I'll bet you've seen a LOT)
That these people don't think there IS a problem naming their child that is the BIGGER PROBLEM.
I think "messiah" is every bit as valid as NeShayIalbub. But at least we now know where black people get those idiotic names: from a juvenile court.
Well, the Hispanics having been calling their baby boy's "Jesus" (pronounced Hay-SOOSE) for centuries, so why shouldn't we use "Messiah?"
I prefer names like Caligula, Nero, Moonbat, an Sarastro, myself, but there's no accounting for taste, is there?
If I had ever had a girl, I would have called her Clytemnestra or Medea -- or possibly Satana, if I wanted to be more "modern."
Doo Doo would make a lovely name for either a boy OR a girl come to think of it.
Or maybe Crankshaft for a boy?
Whatchathink?
"A judge in Tennessee changed a 7-month-old boy's name to Martin from Messiah, saying the religious name was earned by one person"
Well, given that logic (or lack thereof) I guess the name "Barack" is totally out-of-the-question!
As for "Jesus" (Haysoos),
the hebrew is Jeshua (or thereabouts) which we transomethingorother as Joshua, all of which mean "He who saves".
Therefore, now that I think of it, "Jesus Saves" is redundant, eh?
But Christ means "Anointed One", and is the Greek for Messiah.
And Christ is a common surname.
All that aside, I get a little more upset at the people naming their poor unsuspecting children Hitler, manson, etc.
"All that aside, I get a little more upset at the people naming their poor unsuspecting children Hitler, manson, etc."
Yeah,
And Icould say the same about: Hillary, Michelle,Nancy,Debbie,Ellen, Jehmu.....just to name a few-you get it.
I am suspecting M. Liberalmann is the racist. He neglected to capitalize the word Negro.
How about
SHINKICKER?
GOANN BELTERWUN?
BUTTERUMP?
BLASTOFFSKY?
ACNE VULGARIS?
I wonder how that judge would've ruled if Frank Zappa's kids came before her court?
Her names was Virginia.
They called her Virgin for short -- but not for long. ;-)
So what's next?
YAWWEH?
We'll do it your way, Yaweh
"Cause there ain't no way
But your way, Yaweh.
I tried it my way
Now I'm on the highway
Thumbin' a ride.
Or how about JEHOVAH?
Roll me over quick, Jehovah.
Let's go do it in the clover.
None will see us but ol' Rover
And you know he won't tell.
Can we still meet in hell?
Short video about this topic -- worth watching, IMO.
I don’t happen to agree with the name, messiah … but it is certainly not up to any judge to change that child’s name. I hope the judge is at the end of her legal career. On the other hand, I really do think that we should do something to stop the Jaleesa gene from replicating. And let us all hope this child doesn’t grow up to become a diplomat in the Middle East.
I don't see how a judge can not only eliminate that name, but choose the replacement? I'm quite sure there is no law that allows either of those decisions by a judge. So, how could this be done legally?
I wouldn't choose a name like that for my son, but, for a judge to do this is incredible!
Unbelievable that a judge could, or would, make such a decision, but not surprising, considering the direction things have taken, recently.
I don't see how anyone should have the right to name another's child without permission fronm the parent, or parents.
It's not a name that I would choose for my own child, but I think they have every right to name their child anything they desire to name it.
BTW...I'm a little surprised about the negative comments about Alabama.
That's where I'm from, and I turned out pretty well, if I do say so, myaelf. :)
Jan, I don't know Alabama, but I'd like to see it!
I thought the lines were clever; I don't know how well they fit :-)
I will say you haven't lived until you are from California and blog with conservatives who don't give a damn how badly they slam your beloved state...knowing you're from there. As if all the others have nothing wrong with them.
Z...
I'm not offended, by any means, so I hope no one took it that way.
I used to love California when I lived there, and I have friends living there who still do.
I don't think anyone means to be unkind when they make such remarks, anyway...but I thought everybody liked Alabama! :)
To each his own, huh?
xoxo
I don't like a judge changing a first name. At all.
A hospital told Mr and Mrs Zappa that they wouldn't deliver the baby if he was named Dewezil, so they named him David. When he was older, he changed his name back to Deweezil.
How many mexicans are named Jesus - pronounced HeyZeus?
You know people shorten people's names like the plague. So would he become Messi ? (I see that's occurred to many)
Like This Name is a problem in THIS World?
If we're going to ban names, I vote banning Zoe and Chloe.
Everybody probably knows this one
@Jan:
".I'm a little surprised about the negative comments about Alabama."
Me too...it's Jersey and NY that really deserve the ridicule...no?
Imp..
Gosh, I don't know about those two, since I've only been to Manhattan a few times. That was pretty nice, I must say! ;)
I like your neck of the woods, too.
You may remember that I've mentioned living in Titusville, for a couple of years, when my husband worked at the space center.
Besides, nothing stays the same, forever, does it?
xo
Bob -
"Tennessee Valley Authority" the big government hydroelectric boondoggle that needs nuclear power plants to actually produce electricity.
As a native born Alabamian, I suggest that when your state builds and runs five or more nuclear power plants and trains astronauts for space flight you can honestly start badmouthing intellectual backwaters like Massachussetts.
Did you know that Popeye's girlfriend, Olive Oyl. had a brother named Castor?
She also had sister named Canola and another brother called Codliver.
Their father's name was Linseed, but everybody just called him Seedy.
Olive's mother married into the family. Her maiden name was Vinegar.
@Beamish --- start badmouthing intellectual backwaters like Massachussetts(sic).
-----
Man, you are one serious thinker.
The Hub of the Universe salutes you.
duck, you're helping Beam make his point. You realize that right?
The mother ought to be bitch-slapped up side the head for sticking her child with a name that is sure to get him a tough childhood, but so should that piece of shit in a robe! How dare she trod all over that families Constitutional rights??!!
Where the F### is the common sense in this country these days? I know it never was all that common, but GEEEEEEEZ,(pun intended) this is ridiculous!!
Tangeroa
Krakatoa
Siva Tongwar
Kali O'Malley
Buddhette Shorenstein
Beelzebub Jones
Frankfurt School O'Shaughnessy
Davenport de Leight
Slufoot McGonigle
Castadiva Slutt
Altarino
Crucifixion O'Neal
Fellatio Schmidt
Areola Bronstein
Hubcap Luciano
As Forest Gump would say............
beamish: "As a native born Alabamian, I suggest that when your state builds and runs five or more nuclear power plants and trains astronauts for space flight you can honestly start badmouthing intellectual backwaters like Massachussetts."
Yeah. Right.
Massachusetts leads the country as the state with the highest number of citizens with undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Now go see how Alabama measures up with the rest of the country in that category.
Hint: It's below the national average.
With all those fine nuclear power plants and all that astronaut training, why is Alabama always among this country's 10 poorest states? It's a GOP majority state, and yet, always ranks among the poorest. Why is that?
Massachusetts is among the richest.
Never let facts get in the way of your prejudices.
FT,
What a name fest! I love it.
AA,
Where the F### is the common sense in this country these days?
GONE!!!
Shaw, of course, has no bias whatsoever. Sheesh.
Don't miss Shaw's post last Saturday: "CONSERVATIVE NINCOMPOOPERY." No bias on Shaw's part, right? **snerk**
But, hell, I don't care. My own "Nincompoopery" post last Saturday garnered an incredible number of comments. Hehehe.
Beamish - Please don't be disappointed if I do not defend TVA, another incompetent Federal Government entry into the private market. I was a utility engineer for a while for a city that bought electric power from TVA, and the arrogance factor at that organization is off the charts.
Alabama - I hold the State of Alabama in high esteem. Within exists the best college football team in the nation, and sometimes the other best team. Between Auburn and U of Alabama, there are a couple of great schools both academically and athletically.
However, we who live in Georgia thank God for Alabama. If you look at the map Alabama buffers us from the "Mississippi darkness rolling down to the sea" (from song, "City of New Orleans").
There is a time and place for everything. The time for Alabama is Saturday afternoon at the game.
Bob..hey, I just remembered that Georgia is where I was actually born. A little place called Cedartown. I lived there, the first eight years of my life, so I guess I'm not "from" Alabama, after all!
I like your sense of humor, BTW. :-)
Torquemada
Savonarola
Flapjack
Canker
Bubonica
Malignancy
Transplant
Transvestine
Pope
Vlad
Goerring
Bob,
War Eagle! 'Nuff said.
Shaw,
How come you rich college grads up there in Masso'stupids can't figure out Boston Harbor isn't a medical waste disposal site?
On the beaches of Alabama, you may step on a random jellyfish washed ashore.
On the beaches of Massachusetts, you need a snow shovel to dig out a space among the used IV needles and soiled colostomy bags for your towel.
I think you're a goober and need to get a life.
A d yours was a great post, thanks for it. As for Shaw's. what else would anyone expect but a load of BS from a load of Bull Shitters.
Your "hate week" was FAR better than your jokes or poems .
Hey Free Thinke, time to bring back your Hate Shaw month.
It is hard to believe Messiah is the number 4 fastest growing name.
Must be because of Barack Barry Soetero Messiah Hussein Obama.
Debbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com
If we were expecting twins, I'd name them SODOM and GOMORRAH.
DIARRHEA, PYORRHEA, SEBORRHEA and GONORRHEA would make lovely names for a girl.
TOXICUS, SEPTICUS VOMITUS, and FLATULUS are great names for boys.
COPROPHAGIA
UROLAGNIA
MICTURIA
I'd have the God-damned judges hopping off their benches and hot-footing it towards the exits and heading for the hills.
Name your kid SATAN for all I care -- or SHETPAWT.
FT,
What a name fest you've been having?
My idiot cousin just named her child Suhaila. Nobody can spell it, so she calls the little girl Halo. Sheesh.
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