A Tennessee court magistrate has incited a media firestorm by ordering a mother and father to change their son’s name from Messiah because, in the eyes of the magistrate, the only true “Messiah” is Jesus Christ.
The controversy grew out of a child support hearing in Cocke County, Tenn., that was held because the child’s mother and father were unable to agree on a last name for their 7-month-old son.
But when Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew discovered that the child’s first name was Messiah, she sprang into action, ordering the parents to change the name to Martin. His old name was Messiah DeShawn Martin. His new name is Martin DeShawn McCullough.
“The word Messiah is a title that has only been earned by one person, and that one person is Jesus Christ,” Ballew told WBIR-TV.
Ballew said she made her decision in the child’s best interests because “Messiah” would not bode well among the community’s large Christian population.
“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,” said Ballew.
The child’s mother, Jaleesa Martin, told the television station that she did not choose the name because of its religious connotation, but because she thought it fit in with the names of her other two children, Micah and Mason.
“I was shocked. I never intended on naming my son Messiah because it means God and I didn’t think a judge could make me change my baby’s name because of her religious beliefs,” said Martin, whose appeal will be heard by the Cocke County Chancellor on Sept. 17th.
Though Ballew was taken aback by the name, Messiah is actually the fourth highest-rising name in popularity rankings, according to the Social Security Administration, which said more than 700 babies were named Messiah in the U.S. last year. The fastest-rising names between 2011 and 2012 for males were Major, Gael and Jase.
It should be noted that rapper T.I., who appears with his family on the popular show, “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle,” has a son named Messiah and one named Major.
