conuly | Seriously, how do you do this?

How did you find out you can't get it changed to Empress of the Universe?

Nothing interesting - I read it in the NYTimes. There's guidelines to "why a name change can be refused" and one of them is "no titles".

I see. They need to revise it so you can't be God or the son of God either. :-P

I didn't know that! It's odd that they didn't recognize "Christ" as a title. Newsflash, American legal system - "Christ" was Jesus' title (according to Christians), not his last name...

"Christ" is allowable because it is a name. Jesus is also a name. Christ was a certain Jesus's title, but if you're not that particular Jesus, it's not a title, it's a name.

A rarely used (in America), Greek name, but still a name.

Ah, makes sense. I didn't consider it from that angle. There are lots of names in English which mean something like "fair one" or "strong one" or "God's little princess" or what have you, but they're obviously not titles, either. I had just never heard of the name "Christ" (Kristos? Christos?) before. Thanks!

I did not know that! My apologies.

The more you know. *little shooting star dealie*

But I'm sure there are still plenty of ways to argue that while technically it's just two names, there's certainly a different intent. I don't think they'd stand up in court, though.

Maybe if his parents had given him a name of his own when he was a baby, he wouldn't have needed to come up with one.

Of course, that didn't work for me, but my parents didn't have the best taste in names.

But he didn't come up with one, if by one you mean "a name of his own". He took somebody else's!

True... but at least it had some time to ripen first.

Maybe if his parents hadn't named him after his father, he wouldn't think names should be chosen based on who your father is. He may view Jesus as his heavenly father and thus find it more fitting than his birth name.

I just think naming kids after their parents is a bad idea. It sets up too much confusion and potential for comparisons, and a bit of the expectation of following in footsteps.

*izzard voice*And those footsteps were: Aaaaahhhh, I'm covered in bees!*/izzard voice*

Seriously, I don't care what your reasoning is, you don't take God's name. In vain or otherwise!

(And this goes for every god. I don't like it when people name their boys Artemis either, and even Diana makes me twitchy)

Yes, I really despise people naming their kids Athena. What kinda complex are you trying to give them?! So glad someone else hates this too. lol

And they name their BOYS Artemis?! o_O

To me, its perfectly clear that he shouldn't have been granted the name in the first place. As you mentioned above, you can't take a title. Christ was not Jesus' middle name, for His sake! (I know there are thousands who would believe otherwise.) Christ translated from its original Greek means "the Anointed One." So this guy is saying he's Jesus, the Anointed One.

I do have an uncle named Christ, though. But it's not pronounced as in "Jesus Christ", it's Chris-t.

It's a Greek thing.

Wow. Just wow.