Sunday, August 11, 2013

let's be controversial, shall we?

I usually shy away from addressing controversial topics, on the blog as well as in real life. I have strong opinions about a lot of things, but I know that others do as well. Their opinions are just as valid as mine, and while I do enjoy a good debate, I think there are certain things that should just be kept to yourself. However, sometimes the stupidity of the world smacks me right in the face and I just have to rant a little bit. Prepare yourself.

While scrolling through Yahoo tonight, I came upon this article.

http://news.yahoo.com/tenn-judge-changes-infants-name-messiah-215423538.html

I was seriously flabbergasted by this. I'm always amazed when there is something in the news about the government intervening in parenting, and have heard of this happening often overseas, but this is just absurd. In case you don't want to read the article, here's the reader's digest version: a mother and father went to court because they couldn't agree on their child's last name (it doesn't specify, but I'm guessing that Daddy wanted it to be his last name and Mommy didn't) and the judge presiding over their case TOOK IT UPON HERSELF to determine that this child's first name was inappropriate, and ordered it changed. Not only that, but LEGALLY CHANGED IT HERSELF, without the parent's consent.

You see, this little boy has been named Messiah. Granted, probably not the best name for a little boy in a small, conservative town in Tennessee, but seriously? Why exactly is my legal system wasting my hard earned tax dollars to change a little boy's name, because someone may find it offensive? The judge said that "the word Messiah is a title and that title has only been earned by one person and that person is Jesus Christ." So if I decided to name my child Captain, is that illegal because he didn't earn that title? Or how about Adolf? Mussolini? What about the extremely popular name CHRISTIAN?? Why isn't that just as offensive? Where exactly do we draw the line?

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The judge, after determining that this little boy's name was inappropriate, took it upon herself to rename him Martin. MARTIN? Are you freaking kidding? The kid goes from being something epic like Messiah to MARTIN?

Thank goodness the mother plans to appeal. I cannot tell you the kind of hell fire I'd rain down on the justice system if they presumed to tell me what I could or could not name my child. If Kim and Kanye can name their spawn North West, then this poor woman should be able to name her child Messiah if she wants to, religious zealots be damned (see what I did there?).

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What do you think? Is Messiah an acceptable name? Was this judge right to intervene??

3 comments:

  1. Honestly, whether I think Messiah is an acceptable name (and I could really care less) I don't think its anyones business (including the judge) what they name the child. That whole article is pretty disturbing.

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  2. So it's perfectly fine to legally name your child "Lol" or "Hashtag" or something they would not even begin to learn how to spell until they are 29 years old but naming them something like Messiah is illegal? Well then all those people running around with the name "Jesus" or "Mohammad" need to change their names post haste because they are really breaking some laws there!

    oh the dramas I could cause with this in my arsenal on facebook..... this would be worse than the whole breast feeding in public debacle!

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