A Tennessee judge ruled that Jaleesa Martin will be allowed to name her son ‘Messiah.’
The judge’s ruling overturned the order from another judge who said the boy’s name should be changed to Martin because “`Messiah’ is a title that is held only by Jesus Christ.”
Last month child support magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered a name change for Martin’s son during a paternity hearing. Jaleesa wanted to maintain the last name of Martin for her son, while the son’s father Jawaan McCullough wanted the baby to have his last name.
Both parents were surprised when Ballew ordered that the baby’s name be changed to Martin Deshawn McCullough. She felt the name Messiah was not in the baby’s best interest.
“`Messiah’ is a title that is held only by Jesus Christ.” She added, “Labeling this child `Messiah’ places an undue burden on him that as a human being, he cannot fulfill,” Ballew stated.
Ballew felt that the name might offend many residents of Cocke County who are mostly Christian.
The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a complaint against Ballew with the state’s Board of Judicial Conduct. The board has not yet made any public ruling on the complaint.
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article courtesy of Eurweb.com
Tenn. Judge Rules Parents Can Name Their Baby ‘Messiah’ was originally published on praisecleveland.com
