Boy Called Messiah Forced to Change Name; Judge Says He Didn't Earn It

By Jobs & Hire Staff Reporter | Aug 12, 2013 01:11 PM EDT

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The politics of giving a name to a child run deep. The wrong name can cause a lifetime of bullying and later on, can influence a person's impression of you. A child named Allah or Metallica can be legally challenging according to experts and the name Messiah is put in the same box.

Naming a child is an act of parenthood -thinking it through is important. Giving the wrong name can maim your child for life.

A US judge recently ruled that a mother cannot name her child Messiah. In her defence, the mother said it will go nicely with her two boys' names -Micah and Mason. She said on TV, "I didn't think a judge could change my baby's name because of her religious beliefs." The mother of Messiah-turned-Martin professed that she will file an appeal to the court.

This story is more like what happened to the name Adolf. While it is an acceptable name, it is very likely that the boy who has that name will always be associated with the World War 2 instigator Adolf Hitler even if the child is not related to the historic figure.

A comment about Messiah-turned-Martin said, "Parents can be truly dense when naming their kids."

Adolf is not as bad as being named Valentine though or the boy named Sue like the song.

As for Messiah, the Tennessee-born boy now named Martin based on a judge's orders has been saved from a lifetime of taunting and possibly discrimination by the religious. The Messiah is a liberator commonly used in Abrahamic religions. Being the anticipated savior, the Messiah is a holy term in some circles and the Tennessee judge will possibly agree. In an interview about the 7-month-old infant named Messiah, the judge said there is only one person who earned the name and "that one person is Jesus Christ."

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