Tennessee Judge Orders Couple To Change Their Baby's Name

[Jack-Hammer]

Yep, you heard it. The title of the thread pretty much says it all.

http://news.msn.com/us/judge-orders-baby-name-change-from-messiah-to-martin

Judge Lu Ann Ballew has changed the name of a 7 month old boy From Messiah to Martin, stating that the religious moniker & name was earned by only one person and "that one person is Jesus Christ."

According to the article, Lu Ann Ballew is the Child Support Magistrate and ordered that the name of the baby be changed last week. The parents were initially in court because they were unable to decide on what the last name of the child should be and Ballew decided to change the child's first name as well after she heard it. She took it upon herself to name the child Martin DeShawn McCullough so that it would include the last names of both the parents. Ballew defended her decision by stating "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." It's also the first time that she's changed the first name of a child. She further went onto say that calling the baby Messiah could cause some problems if the child is raised in Cook County, Tennessee, citing its large Christian population

Jalessa Martin, the child's mother, intends to appeal this decision and states that Messiah is unique. She also says that she liked how it sounded when compared to the names of her other two children, Mason & Micah. "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 was quoted saying after the decision.

I was surprised to discover how common the name seems to be becoming. Maybe I'm a bit sheltered or something, but I can't remember ever hearing of anyone named Messiah. I've read on other sites reporting on the story that Messiah was the fourth fastest growing boys name in the US in 2011 & 2012.

As someone with Christian beliefs, it's not exactly something I'd name my child but I don't have any issue with it if someone wanted to name their son Messiah. There are people all over the world named Jesus. The name Jesus itself is the Latin pronunciation of the Jewish name Yeshua. Jesus is also a very popular name used by Latinos, though they put an emphasis of accenting the "u" in the name and is pronounced like "hey zoos". It seems like every other Muslim has Mohammed as his name and Biblical names are as common as mud. I can't tell you how many men named Joshua, Daniel, Isaiah, Thomas, Mark, John, Luke and Paul there are in the world. My first name is David, named after the slayer of Goliath and the first King of Israel.

This judge definitely overstepped her bounds in my opinion. Even though she says she's doing this for the potential benefit of the child, I think it's pretty transparent that the child's name offends her religious beliefs. She clearly has Christian beliefs, otherwise I don't think she would have said that Jesus Christ was the only one who'd earned the right to be called Messiah.

This pisses me off to no end, not just because of the decision of the judge but because of how this looks. It would have to take place somewhere like Tennessee. You never hear about shit like this happening in California, New York, or Massachusetts. It always seems to go down in places like Tennessee or Mississippi or Georgia or Alabama or even Kentucky. It's crap like this that helps keep the negative stereotypes associated with southern states. When I read about this story, the first thing I looked for was any indication of what color the judge's skin was. I haven't found anything yet so maybe she was African American as well. If the judge is white, I'd have expected to read something about it because, let's face it, you know the press would have brought race up and made it the centerpiece of the story. The headline of "White judge changes black baby's name" sells itself. Also, if the judge was white, this story would probably be all over the place on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc. If there's one positive aspect of the whole thing, it doesn't look like that there's going to be an angle of racial tension to be exploited.

 

[Барбоса]

Leaving aside how awful a name it is and the general increasing trend for people to throw together a random series of sounds to make a new, meaningless name or pick a noun/adjective and bestow it on their offspring, there is a big difference between calling a child Jesus or Muhammad and "Messiah." The former are personal names that pre-existed their religiously significant users and the latter is a Jewish title for a Holy person anointed by God to unite the tribes of Israel and in Christian and Islamic eschatology, it became the title of Jesus of Nazareth who would be the saviour of mankind from the Antichrist. Messiah is also the same word as "Christ" so would you be okay with someone calling their child "Christ Williams" or the like?

For someone to name their child Messiah in a prominently Christian region of the southern United States is just asking for trouble. It would be like a Muslim woman in Saudi Arabia wanting to call her child "Prophet" - to some maniacs it would be potentially seen as attempting to label this child as something special and be therefore considered heretical. Now, I am not saying that in Tennessee we have the kind of nutjobs that blow themselves up in the name of their god, even if it is completely against the teachings of their religion, but it only takes one maniac to take offense for it to be a problem.

Therefore, while I strongly dislike the judge demonstrating her own religiosity by saying things like "that one person is Jesus Christ" and the fact that the courts had to be involved in the first place (although I believe that this was due to a battle over the child's surname that it came before a judge), I feel that sanity has prevailed even if the mother will more than likely appeal and even if she loses that will still call the child Messiah even if it does not appear on his birth certificate.

 

[H33LTurn]

Its already been pointed out that Messiah is not a name, its a title. Its like naming your son President, or Senator. Either way, the kid was going to get some crap over his name down the line anyway, I'm glad that the judge made the decision to change it. Going through school he would have been bullied over the name and as an adult, unless he became some sort of celebrity, the name could definitely cause issues on so many different fronts.

 

[Mustang Sally]

....and even if she loses that will still call the child Messiah even if it does not appear on his birth certificate.

Good point. Reminds me of the lyrics to Elton John's song "Levon" in which he wrote:

Levon wears his war wound like a crown
He calls his child Jesus
'Cause he likes the name

That's what it's about, isn't it? Meanwhile, the judge was either trying to inflict her own morality on the proceedings or was legitimately trying to help the family by not allowing the child to be saddled with a name that might bring trouble in the future from folks that would take exception to it. I don't know how many parents consider this kind of thing, but as the previous poster said, it makes little difference if the parents choose to call their kid by a name that offends......because that's what he'll be called forever after.

When the child is old enough, if he reports to his Mom that he's being tormented by other kids because of his name, adding trouble to the fact that it's hard enough to get through life without having something extra thrown in......then Mom will realize. Or not.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

The judge must have sited the People of Japan v God Zilla as precedent for her decision.

Is there anything right about this story. Let's focus on all the wrong:

1. Naming a child Messiah - what the fuck? My parents had high expectations for me when I was born (my mother intentionally gave birth to me in a manger). But how about naming the kid Accountant, or Assistant Manager. Let him work his way up to world's lord and savior. Are one of the parents claiming to be God by actually naming their kid Messiah?

2. Last name disagreement - so you can agree to name a child fucking Messiah but you can't work out the last name. That doesn't scream parental disfunction too much. I came up with a method of just mashing up kid's name in college. Why can't that work? Why do they need an f'in judge to decide to just give the kid both last names.

3. Court - so Timmy Rhubarb has to wait longer to be legally adopted so that this can take up the court's time. I'm not normally one to say this but if I were a Tennessee resident this is one of those time I want my tax dollars back. What a waste of time that we need judges to make these decisions. Go to any homeless crack addict and they could have come to a decision this simple and unimportant.

4. The judge's decision - no one asked the judge to make a call on the first name. This feels like a slap in the ass to the First Amendment and complete abuse of power. I can't wait for Bill-O to exploit this "activist judge". I'm sure he's all over this, right? Oh well. Let the kid grow up with the chosen name of the parents. It doesn't mean anything about who the kid will turn out to be. Unless they name the child Nikki with an "i", that's guaranteeing the child will grow up to be a big ****.

5. Rep - I'm gonna get red rep from anyone with a mom, girlfriend, wife, or sister named Nikki.

Now let's look at everything that is right about this story:

1. Rep - I'm gonna get green rep from anyone with a bitch ex-girlfriend named Nikki.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

After banging my head against a wall after reading about this I've decided to chime in.

Although I think the name Messiah is just asking for trouble (especially if all them southern states stereotypes are true) the judge has no right to make the couple change the name of their child, that's just absurd. It's no ones place to tell a couple what to name their child, I mean Stallone has a child named Moonbeam, its a dumb name but its still his decision, just like Messiah.

I get that the judge is an avid Jesus lover but this is a court of law not church, both things should be separate at all times and frankly what's in the bible should have no place in the law, it's just sad that this is clearly not the case.

What's next? You can't name your kid Moses? Perhaps a Latin family will get scrutiny for naming their kid Jesus. It's just dumb, pro christian bullshit. If this is how that judge makes her decisions then that judge should be replaced by a reasonable person. You can't preach about first amendment rights and then do something like this. I'm starting to think the first amendment isn't taken seriously anymore.

 

[Барбоса]

Actually, I have heard of plenty of examples of the authorities not allowing a child to be officially named something stupid or insulting. If I am not mistaken, there was a news report recently about a list of names that had been turned down by a national government.

A quick search tells me that it was New Zealand - hardly a state known for its hardline approach to anything - then again when you get parents wanting to call their child Lucifer, Mafia No Fear, Justice, Number 16 Bus Shelter, twins called Benson and Hedges or even Anal then you would be disappointed if the government did not step in. New Zealand also have a specific policy of rejecting names that imply that the child has some sort of title or rank, hence the rejection of Queen Victoria, Princess and King.

As I said, I think the judge made the right decision but seemingly for the wrong reasons - religion over the well-being of the child. The state can interfere when children are mistreated in other ways so why not when their parents are trying to give them a name that will make their mistreatment all the more likely?

It is incumbent on the parents to give their child a good start in life - not giving that child a ridiculous name is part of that.

Having said that, Dovahkiin Kellermeyer is a one of my favourite names ever so what do I know?

 

[Natural Selection]

I personally think you have the right to name your kid whatever you want. I mean I named my son Job, should I have to change it because he's not the Job from the bible?

This is just another example of government over stepping its bounds. It's not the first time this happened either. A NJ father had his four children removed, because he named them after famous Nazi's.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...rb-kid-custody-battle-court-article-1.1362348

 

[Барбоса]

I personally think you have the right to name your kid whatever you want. I mean I named my son Job, should I have to change it because he's not the Job from the bible?

I think the child should have the right to be protected from the stupidity of their parents, especially when it may affect the entirety of their formative years.

As to your example, Job is the name of a person in the Bible and is therefore to be considered a personal name. I have cousins called Solomon and Noah. Nothing wrong with those names either because they are names.

As I said, Messiah is a religious title that is bestowed on people in the Bible. You don't call people Christ, Pope, Patriarch, Prophet, Caliph, Sultan or any other religious titles so why Messiah?

This is just another example of government over stepping its bounds. It's not the first time this happened either. A NJ father had his four children removed, because he named them after famous Nazi's.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...rb-kid-custody-battle-court-article-1.1362348

And you don't think the government was right to step in there?!?

As for government overstepping its bounds, the court was already being asked to decide what this child should be called.

 

[Natural Selection]

And you don't think the government was right to step in there?!?

As for government overstepping its bounds, the court was already being asked to decide what this child should be called.

Based on your own example, no. He named them names, not titles.

As far as Messiah, I understand the logic of intervening, but if a parent wants to name their child something ******ed like Messiah I say let them. They will feel extra dumb on the child's 18th birthday when he legally changes his name to Zack or something...

 

[Барбоса]

Based on your own example, no. He named them names, not titles.

It is not specifically because they are titles that they should be looked at. It is due to the potential offence, correspondent ridicule and the potential threat to the child's well-being that using such titles could cause; offence and ridicule that would also be caused by the naming and dressing of children like prominent Nazis.

That should be the reason why the parents are not allowed to call the child Messiah, not the religious nonsense that the judge seems to have used.

As far as Messiah, I understand the logic of intervening, but if a parent wants to name their child something ******ed like Messiah I say let them. They will feel extra dumb on the child's 18th birthday when he legally changes his name to Zack or something...

Or when that child is hounded into suicide due to incessant bullying over his name.

Better to nip this in the bud now.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I personally agree that it's a lousy idea to name a child Messiah because it's bound to rub some people the wrong way. Frankly, I'm starting to wonder if this boy's mother didn't purposely do it with the hopes that it'd generate controversy and attention. Maybe that's just the cynic in me coming out but in the day & age of Octomom and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, nothing surprises me when it comes to people exposing themselves to ridicule for the sake of fame.

I agree that there's very little that seems "right" with this entire story. But, at the end of the day, I still don't agree with any judge imposing such a ruling when it's pretty clear it's being done so because her own religious beliefs are offended. If you take a look at the celebrity world, it's chock full of names that many people would feel are downright stupid or are the results of parents almost asking for trouble for their kids. Late rocker Frank Zappa named his four children Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet & Diva. Gwyneth Paltrow has a daughter named Apple. I've heard of some people who have named their children with what sound like titles. Hank Williams, Sr.'s real name was Hiram King Williams and was named so due to his parents' connections to Freemasonry.

While I do believe that this woman did show a distinct lack of common sense or intentionally did this for attention, this is another area in which the government has no business poking around in my opinion. Maybe this judge feels that she's genuinely trying to do right by this baby, I'm pretty certain that's what she's telling herself. But it's ALWAYS murky whenever a judge decides to use his or her bench as a means of advocating their own agendas.

 

[Барбоса]

this is another area in which the government has no business poking around in my opinion.

I am not a big fan of it either but when these parents were in court to ask the legal system to intervene in the naming of the child already, is it really a big jump to go from surname to personal name?

Perhaps the judge was angered by such a case making it to her courtroom in the first place.

Maybe this judge feels that she's genuinely trying to do right by this baby, I'm pretty certain that's what she's telling herself. But it's ALWAYS murky whenever a judge decides to use his or her bench as a means of advocating their own agendas.

The bold part is what I really have trouble with. If it is that this judge has ruled against the name Messiah because it is a title reserved solely for Jesus (it's not - it has been applied to non-Jews such as the Persian king, Cyrus the Great) and that alone then that is another bad example of religion infiltrating law.

 

[swordiris]

The government has no right to tell the parents what to name their child (I'm a stubborn Libertarian). Also I actually like the name Messiah because it is something different. People name their kids Jesus a the time.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

Apparently this judge doesn't know there's a "Messaiah" in almost every religion. However I do see the point. You don't see Jews naming their children "Meshiach" for that reason.

 

[LSN80]

I don't think the issue here is the name, to be honest. If the parents are going all the way to family court over a name, how are they going to handle truly important decisions in his life? Not to minimize this, as I suppose names are important and all, especially growing up. My parents quickly dispatched of a nickname that combined the first initial of my first name, and the first of my middle because I hated it, and simply called me by my first name.

From what Belluw said:

"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."

The kid, at an appropriate age, can take a nickname if he does find himself at odds with others, can he not? I mean, he's stuck with the name, but if it truly becomes something he dislikes, take a nickname, and by the time it starts to matter, no one may truly need to know what his name is if it comes to that.

The fact is, this is a bigger issue than simply his name. It's about his parents inability to get along over an issue such as a name, which is hardly life or death. They're going to face far bigger concerns and worries then a name, and this seems to be about a major issue between the parents than it is about the name. The name itself is incidental to far larger problems, ones that the parents will hopefully sort out in the best interest of the kid.

They're off to a really bad start.

As for the judge, did she overstep her bounds? I don't think so, as this simply isn't the case of allowing personal bias to get in the way of a decision. The earlier statement I noted seemed to be the driving force behind her decision, did it not? None of us had a say initially in our names, and her protection of him from a larger issue, namely one where he would face problems from the first name, is a reasonable one. She gave him the last name of both parents out of fairness to the parents, and then changed the name of the child out of fairness to him.

Religious beliefs or not, it seems at least somewhat apparent that she was looking out for his best interests in the future.He's already going to be facing an uphill battle with regards to his parents and how the rear him, being given a name so controversial would only make it harder.

The parents went to court over a name change, well, they got a decision, didn't they?

 

[Tastycles]

I think it's in Iceland, where there's a list of names you have to use, and that's all they will register. Personally, I think the rule has to be simple. If you have a name that's going to offend a large swathe of people you're likely to come across in your life that have to use your name - teachers, employers etc. then you shouldn't have it. In this case, I wouldn't care if someone was called Messiah, but that's offensive to a significant minority, as is things like Adolf Hitler. I honestly cannot believe I'm even having a conversation about someone naming their child that.