Tennessee judge, citing Jesus, changes baby's name from "Messiah"

[cali]

A Tennessee woman named her baby Messiah, but she and the boy's father couldn't agree on whose last name he should bear. So they went to court.

Except at a hearing in Cocke County Chancery Court on Thursday, Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew changed Messiah's first name.

"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 told WBIR-TV, a local channel.

The judge explained her decision to WBIR-TV in an interview by citing the area's heavily Christian population.

<snip>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-baby-messiah-20130811,0,5368290.story

[hobbit709]

1. The judge is an idiot. So are the parents.

I feel sorry for the kid.

[redgreenandblue]

2. A title that was earned??

That jugde needs to refresh her theology...

[TBF]

3. I hope the ACLU gets involved & takes this up on appeal.

Parents name their children all kinds of crazy things and as far as I know the government does not get involved and change the names.

What the hell is going on in this country? I thought we still had freedom of speech. Of course I also thought we still had the 4th amendment so apparently I'm behind the times.

Your American Taliban at work ...

[KinMd]

5. That apply to this case also?

[link:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/adolf-hitler-campbell-custody-battle-nazi-names-new-jersey_n_1561046.html|

[COLGATE4]

6. Not the same thing at all. In this case the court refused

to return the nazi-named kids to their parents because of child abuse by the parents. Names weren't an issue.

[msanthrope]

7. They still have their names. They were removed because of neglect issues. nt

[MineralMan]

8. Ha! What about all the kids named Jesus and Muhammad?

What of them? I think this judge needs to rethink a bit.

[LostOne4Ever]

10. Don't forget

Immanuel

[Recursion]

11. Those are names, not titles

So you could name your kid Yahweh but not God...

[MineralMan]

13. How about Moshiach?

That moronic judge wouldn't even recognize it. How about Salvatore (Savior)? We name people after commodities in America (Cotton Mather), gemstones (Sapphire, Opal), fruits (Cherry), wines (Sherry), Military ranks (Major), and many other things. Some names don't make any sense at all.

As far as I'm concerned, people can name their kids anything they want. If a parent want to saddle the kid with a stupid name, then Moon Unit Zappa is a perfectly legitimate name.

I can't imagine anyone caring in an official way.

[Recursion]

14. I know there's a legal precedent somewhere for changing it for the kid's sake

No idea if it applies in Tennessee, though.

[MineralMan]

15. If so, they should use it to stop anyone from naming a kid

Michael Hunt.

That one's just cruel.

[Ghost in the Machine]

18. I went to school with a boy named Dick Shaver, & who could ever forget the girls on my grandparents'

street (I'll leave out their first names) whose last name was "Goodhead"? I currently have a female friend whose last name is "Lovinggood", too.

I've known some people over the years with some unusual names. You should read up some time about how the guards at Ellis Island gave refugees new identities, and what some of *those* names were...

Peace,

Ghost

[LostOne4Ever]

9. People need to get it through their thick skulls

That the united states is a secular country and they have no right to force their beliefs on others through the law.

Judge had no right to do that and should face consequences for her actions.

[Marr]

12. It's amazing how far the religiously insane sometimes get in their chosen fields. /nt

[laundry_queen]

17. My first thought when I saw the interview with the judge was that

she was batshit crazy. Seriously fucking off the deep end.

I didn't know 'Messiah' was forbidden as a name. Does she make people who name their kid Jesus change their name? or is that ok? What about Damien? what if people don't give a shit because THEY ARE NOT RELIGIOUS! Does a religious judge have the right to change your child's name? She said she does because it's a Christian area and life might be more difficult for the child with that name. So if you are in a secular/atheist area and you name your child Hezekiah, does that atheist judge have the right to change your kid's name because life might be difficult for him in an atheist majority culture? God, the stupid is so strong with this judge.

ETA - what if the family decides to move in 5 years? Can the kid have his name back? Fuck this is a dumb judge.

[cthulu2016]

16. Fire and disbar the judge. I only wish she could be imprisoned for this.

Abuse of power is always serious stuff.