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

[OneAngryDemocrat]

Source: L.A. Times

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...

Jaleesa Martin rejected that argument. "I didn’t think a judge could make me change my baby’s name because of her religious beliefs," Martin told the TV station, adding, “Everybody believes what they want, so I should be able to name my child what I want to name him."

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

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[DetlefK]

1. "Hey King, why don't you go play with Professor and Pope?"

[7962]

8. Thanks for my morning laugh!

[MarkLaw]

2. Too bad she can't focus as much energy opposing usuary.

It isn't her business what they name the child! Her religion needs to stay out of the courtroom!

[BlueJazz]

3. I believe there are a few people named Jesus. (like 3 million ?)

[KansDem]

4. Fire the judge...

She can find another job.

[RevStPatrick]

5. Hmmm... Maybe that crazy Gastonguay lady was right...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014562052

"A northern Arizona family that was lost at sea for weeks in an ill-fated attempt to leave the U.S. over what they consider government interference in religion..."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/10/religious-family-lost-at-sea_n_3738010.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

[Snake Plissken]

6. That's like saying you can't name your child "The Great One"

Because only Wayne Gretzky can be called by that name

But look on the brightside at least this judge chose to go to law school instead of medical school, and she's not working in a hospital operating room.

[Cartoonist]

14. Wha?

Jackie Gleason was also known as "The Great One"

[7962]

7. Looked at another way, the judge saved this child from a lot of bullying

Can you imagine how much that kid would be made fun of? Kids are harsh.
He's probably end up going by his middle name anyway.

[tabasco]

24. No, the judge violated the First Amendment and this act of stupidity

will be hastily reversed.

[7962]

25. Oh, you're right on that. Just hate it when parents burden their kids with ridiculous names

And yes, ridiculous in MY opinion. But try to get a job with a name like "whiskey" or "trainwreck" when you grow up.

[Moostache]

9. I am going to change my name in protest...

I shall now be called "David-Jehovah-Jesus-Moses-Muhammad-al-bin-Allah-mufti-Paul-Pius-Buddha-Vishnu-Spaghetti".... that should pretty much anger everyone that needs a sky-daddy (or not) or some external sounding board to feel inferior to in order to survive.

For the judge, I would just like to point out that to the other 30,000+ denominations of X-tians, SHE is also a heretic and damned to hellfire anyway...just food for thought when trying to keep all of the rules and guidelines straight...

On second thought, I'll keep my name - too lazy to file the necessary paperwork - but I'll refer to the Judge as Judge Love me some Jeebus.

[rpannier]

11. As a Pastafarian I object to your mixing the Great Oner, the flying Spaghetti Monster

with those mythological figures.
May the Great Spaghetti Monster strike you down with his appendage of smiting and then shun you to the outer realms of the after life with no sauce to comfort you.

[Moostache]

30. harsh, but fair in a religious sense...lol N/T

[Rozlee]

15. I have a cousin named Jesus.

Actually, he's Jesus, Jr., from a long line of Jesuses. I think she'd freak out big time if she'd met one of the girls I went to school with--Jesusa.

[blackspade]

10. all right! more christian thuggery.

[happyslug]

12. The Source for this report, also gives OTHER REASONS FOR THE NAME CHANGE.

According to Judge Ballew, it is the first time she has ordered a first name change. She said the decision is best for the child, especially while growing up in a county with a large Christian population.

"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," Judge Ballew said.

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/283997/2/Judge-orders-babys-name-be-changed-from-Messiah

Everyone seems to be quoting or using WBIR as its source for this new item, but then forgets the above two statements.

This article also said the hearing on the appeal of the Judge's decision will be heard September 24th, 2013.

[starroute]

17. "He could get teased" is not a valid reason either

Just bigotry posing as a concern for the welfare of the child.

[jeff47]

18. That's largely because that argument is bullshit.

So do we outlaw the name "Richard"?

How about "Jesus", the 101st most common name in the US? That might put someone at odds with a lot of people.

The judge was offended due to her religion, and attempted to paper over that with bullshit reasons.

[Moostache]

31. Sleight correction...the judge was upset because

she is a completely illogical fool and should not have ANY role in the justice system including sweeping the latrines of the mounted parade units.

[Igel]

32. Some names are over the top.

That said, the guy who called his son Hitler and his daugher Aryan Nation have as much right as "Messiah His Majesty" (the kid's first and middle names, "His" must be part of "His Majesty&quot . There were a lot of heated posts when the "Hitler" kid was brought up here a few years ago. Granted, it didn't help one bit that his father was a bona-fide Hitler worshiper and white supremacist wannabe-leader, but an intelligent poster should be able to separate out those two things pretty much without noticing that s/he's done so.

One Latin American country--and some European ones that many DUers sort of admire--have name registries. In the case of Europe it's to preserve traditional names. (That whole "defend the indigenous culture" idea works in Iceland just as much as it does in the Andes.)

The Latin American country, however, imposed the law because of stupid names. One father I read about had named his sons "Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto," and was working onf "Sexto" when the law took effect. "1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th" and working on "6th". Others reflected the disappointment of being father to a daughter and not to a son. Or resentment at having yet another child when the other X of them were already an economic hardship.

This "Messiah" business is at least as much about the role of religion in the US as it is about freedom to name your kid. If there'd been no court case we'd be all over the mother like white on rice, calling her all kinds of stupid.

[Posteritatis]

29. Yeahno, hell with that.

"He'll get teased for his name" is frankly a non-issue, because all kids will no matter what since most of their peers are little monsters who'll go far out of their way to find something to attack with for a good stretch of years.

Besides, that has no bearing whatsoever on the fact that the judge had no right - zero, nil, nada - to unilaterally choose the kid's name. I'll accept certain situations where a judge can veto a name, assuming they don't go off into the territory that this one did and claim only one person may have a given name, but nobody in their right mind has any business even pretending to support the distance to which the judge is carrying this.

[meti57b]

13. His nickname could be "Messy".

[no_hypocrisy]

16. It will fail upon constitutional challenge in Court.

Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Federal Constitution as applied to the states with the Fifth Amendment.

[Jim Lane]

19. A more difficult name-change question for everyone to weigh in on

This judge's nixing of "Messiah" based primarily on her own religious beliefs is a First Amendment violation. Now, what about this case: Some years ago an adult man went to court and tried to have his name legally changed to his Social Security number. The judge rejected it. How would you have ruled?

[Lasher]

20. And what about the case where parents named their boy Adlof Hitler Campbell?

[nessa]

21. I think the judge is over stepping, but it should never have been in court at all...

Don't ask the courts to help you with stuff like naming your kid or you might end up with an answer you don't like.

[LiberalFighter]

22. Should have the judge's name changed to Idiot or Stupid.

[Lithos]

23. This would not be the first child with that name

http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi

(Social Security site)

Popularity of the male name Messiah

Year of birth Rank
2012 387
2011 633
2010 650
2009 665
2008 703
2007 720
2006 800
2005 904
Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth. Data are not shown for some of the years you specified because the name Messiah was not in the top 1000 names for those years. Name data are from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the

[azurnoir]

27. heh interesting

and apparently Messiah is more popular than my son's name for all years mentioned

2012 771
2011 803
2010 851
2009 813
2008 801
2007 983

[teenagebambam]

26. Her historical information is inaccurate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_messiah_claimants

[brooklynite]

28. I wonder how the five people names "Jesus" in Cocke County feel...