A few months ago, a judge ruled that a Tennessee mother had to change the name of her child from ‘Messiah’ to something that she deemed to be more appropriate. I reported it HERE. She told the young mother that “Messiah is a title that is held only by Jesus Christ.” She feared that others would misunderstand and the child might be subjected to ridicule and taunting.
The child’s mother, appalled by the decision, fought back. The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation agreed to file a complaint with the Board of Judicial Conduct against the presiding judge. They perceived that she allowed her personal beliefs and biases to interfere with making an objective decision about the young man’s name, especially since the original case was about parental rights and child support allocations.
Once the media found out about the court’s ruling, it instantly became an international story about the rights of parents versus the oversight of the courts. Even those who disagreed with the mother’s choice of a name were outraged that the court overstepped its boundaries.
Last week, a Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled that the mother has the right to name her 8-month-old child whatever she wants.
During the appeal’s hearing, Chancellor Telford E. Forgety overturned Ballew’s decision stating that it violated the parent’s constitutional rights. He found that the law did not support the judge’s decision and instead, the judge violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
He ruled that the child’s name should revert back to how it appeared on his original birth certificate: Messiah Deshawn McCullough.
This ruling signifies a major breakthrough for parental rights.
Source: All Christian News
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