So Much For Separation Of Church And State - Another Part Of Constitution Trashed

[Peter Lemkin]

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Redneck Rampage: Tennessee Judge Orders Baby's Name Change From Messiah to Martin

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[TD="width: 40%"] 8/12/13[/TD]
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Jaleesa Martin, of Newport Tennessee, went to court with her husband in a dispute over their child Messiah's last name. They left the court having a baby with a new first name, because the "judge" didn't think the baby deserved such a special name.






The "judge" decided that only Jesus could be named Messiah, because in the community where the baby lives, there are Christians who might not be pleased. To be precise, "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," Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew said , explaining why she re-named the baby Martin DeShawn McCullough.


In fact, the name, Messiah, has been growing in popularity and according to Social Security, it is the 387th most popular name, with over 700 given that name last year. That's up from a rank of 611 in 2011.


BBC reports,

"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 added.

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.