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A judge in the US has ordered a baby's first name to be changed from Messiah to Martin, arguing that the only true messiah is Jesus Christ, reports say.

The parents of seven-month old Messiah DeShawn Martin had gone to court in Tennessee over his last name.

But Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered the first name changed too, local broadcaster WBIR-TV said.

Last year more than 700 babies were named Messiah in the US, according to the Social Security Administration.

Christianity sees Jesus as the Messiah, while Judaism uses the term to mean an anticipated saviour of the Jews.

Dictionary definitions say the word can mean anyone seen as a saviour or a liberator.

'No choice'

The judge in Cocke County said the name Messiah could cause the boy difficulties if he grew up in a predominantly Christian area.

"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.

She was able to make the order because the parents were already in a child support hearing in a dispute over what their son's last name should be.

Instead the judge ruled that the baby was to be named Martin DeShawn McCullough, which includes both parents' last 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," she said.

The baby's mother, Jaleesa Martin, told WBIR she would appeal against the judge's order.

"I didn't think a judge could change my baby's name because of her religious beliefs," she said.

She said she chose the name not because of its religious connotations, but because she liked how it sounded with her two other children's names, Micah and Mason.

Messiah came in at number 387 in the list of the most popular of baby names in the US in 2012, up from 633 in 2011.

Pelador

Aug 12 2013, 08:50 PM

If a judge can't make a decision in a neutral and rational manner then they have no right to be a judge at all. Making legal decisions based on religious grounds will only lead to the righteous being persecuted by the ignorant and the flawed.

peep

Aug 13 2013, 12:17 AM

"The parents of seven-month old Messiah DeShawn Martin had gone to court in Tennessee over his last name."

so was his name originally Messiah DeShawn Messiah since they're changing his last name?

is it now going to be Martin DeShawn Martin?

wtf

Steve

Aug 12 2013, 08:43 PM

This is as stupid as the names Adolf and Hitler being banned.

Just a freaking name it's not like she's proclaiming her son is the Messiah.
That's an abuse of power, why the hell should anyone have the right to change someones name because they don't like it?

Using it as a name isn't the same as using it as a title what stupid reasoning.


Isn't America supposed to be the land of the free?
...

Steve

Aug 12 2013, 08:43 PM

This is as stupid as the names Adolf and Hitler being banned.

Just a freaking name it's not like she's proclaiming her son is the Messiah.
That's an abuse of power, why the hell should anyone have the right to change someones name because they don't like it?

Using it as a name isn't the same as using it as a title what stupid reasoning.


Isn't America supposed to be the land of the free?
...