A U.S. judge in Tennessee has ordered that a child’s first name must be changed from “Messiah” to Martin, saying that the word “Messiah” was a title that had been earned by only one person – Jesus Christ. The parents of a seven-month-old boy, who had been named Messiah DeShawn Martin at birth, had gone to court in Tennessee fighting over what the child’s last name should be. However, when Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew found out that the child’s first name was “Messiah” she ordered that the baby’s first name must be changed as well. She argued that Messiah was not a name but a title, and that the title had been earned by just one person, and “that one person is Jesus Christ.” udge Ballew, who has confirmed that this is the first time she has ever ordered a child’s first name to be changed, said: “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.” Ballew settled the dispute about the baby’s name between the parents by ordering that his name be changed to Martin DeShawn McCullough, which includes both parents’ last name. The judge argued that the name change was in the best interests of the child as the name Messiah could cause him problems if the child grows up in Cocke County, which has a large Christian population.
