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Help[Opinions] What if this happened in real life?
I was reading the scriptures (I am a Christian) and I stumbled upon this scene: the prophet just had a child, and then God told him to name the newborn child with a highly negative name that reflects the historical background at that time. Not a mild name like Dolores or Cecilia, but something on par with (or even worse than) naming your child Corona right now (and let’s assume the worst case scenario, covid would still be around after a decade). What would you do if you know someone is planning to do similar things, claiming God told them so?
If you want to come up with your solution, or are afraid of long texts, please don’t read it anymore. The paragraphs below contain my entire (super lengthy) thought process.
For me, I am struggling between the child’s benefit and “God’s calling”, as (in hindsight you can say) they are good people who have a mission and a passion, kinda like the activists today, albeit a lot less supported. As someone who also wants to make an impact on the society and right our wrongs, I feel highly empathetic (although I think it is quite robotic as I usually remind myself how I was passionate about something and force myself to transplant(?) it to them and say “they are just like me”) towards them. They are willing to sacrifice great amounts that I could never dream of, and I don’t want to be the “bad guy” (again, in hindsight) in the story. Also, I believe that God would only choose people who can stand this challenge so it would be alright.
On the other hand, I am the few people who actually knows exactly what is happening so I have to stop this madness. There is no excuse for such inappropriate and irresponsible behaviour. On top of that, as a good citizen it is my duty to make sure this illegal act do not happen (there are cases which parents named their children “Nutella” and “Akuma” (“demon” in Japanese) and got sued and scolded by the judge). No personal agenda, however noble or “holy”, should be placed above the future of this newborn child. Another (less major) problem is such names are almost certain to not age well. Also, it is almost impossible to confirm if the claim is true, so maybe he is using my soft spot on purpose to manipulate me to support his wrong decision.
The action I would do would be starting to devise a plan to mitigate the potential trauma that name would bring to the child, for example, coming with slightly more acceptable nicknames and diminutives (if allowed), search for advice on the internet like crazy, and pray (because I am a Christian of course I am going to pray) - something like “Dear God I can foresee this name may bring a lot of trouble to this child, for example, bullying, weird questions, judgement from people around, inconveniences in form filling and legal procedures because character number exceeds the maximum, the name being censored on social media and the kid’s/the friends’ accounts often get banned for apparently no reason, etc. Please make sure the child won’t be unhappy or get hurt or lose certain rights because of the name, and one day the kid can understand his father’s reasons behind this seemingly absurd decision. But of course you have the final say, if you want to be a jerk and this is exactly what you intended, then never mind. Amen.”
I would decide to do so because I would be one of the few neutral-ish people who knows clear enough. But even my actions can be considered hypocritical because the prophets are already notorious enough for their children to get bullied solely because of it, and the weird name doesn’t change that much. But it catches my mind because I am interested by naming, and maybe I wouldn’t care to do the same if the child got a somewhat more “usual” name.
If you want to come up with your solution, or are afraid of long texts, please don’t read it anymore. The paragraphs below contain my entire (super lengthy) thought process.
For me, I am struggling between the child’s benefit and “God’s calling”, as (in hindsight you can say) they are good people who have a mission and a passion, kinda like the activists today, albeit a lot less supported. As someone who also wants to make an impact on the society and right our wrongs, I feel highly empathetic (although I think it is quite robotic as I usually remind myself how I was passionate about something and force myself to transplant(?) it to them and say “they are just like me”) towards them. They are willing to sacrifice great amounts that I could never dream of, and I don’t want to be the “bad guy” (again, in hindsight) in the story. Also, I believe that God would only choose people who can stand this challenge so it would be alright.
On the other hand, I am the few people who actually knows exactly what is happening so I have to stop this madness. There is no excuse for such inappropriate and irresponsible behaviour. On top of that, as a good citizen it is my duty to make sure this illegal act do not happen (there are cases which parents named their children “Nutella” and “Akuma” (“demon” in Japanese) and got sued and scolded by the judge). No personal agenda, however noble or “holy”, should be placed above the future of this newborn child. Another (less major) problem is such names are almost certain to not age well. Also, it is almost impossible to confirm if the claim is true, so maybe he is using my soft spot on purpose to manipulate me to support his wrong decision.
The action I would do would be starting to devise a plan to mitigate the potential trauma that name would bring to the child, for example, coming with slightly more acceptable nicknames and diminutives (if allowed), search for advice on the internet like crazy, and pray (because I am a Christian of course I am going to pray) - something like “Dear God I can foresee this name may bring a lot of trouble to this child, for example, bullying, weird questions, judgement from people around, inconveniences in form filling and legal procedures because character number exceeds the maximum, the name being censored on social media and the kid’s/the friends’ accounts often get banned for apparently no reason, etc. Please make sure the child won’t be unhappy or get hurt or lose certain rights because of the name, and one day the kid can understand his father’s reasons behind this seemingly absurd decision. But of course you have the final say, if you want to be a jerk and this is exactly what you intended, then never mind. Amen.”
I would decide to do so because I would be one of the few neutral-ish people who knows clear enough. But even my actions can be considered hypocritical because the prophets are already notorious enough for their children to get bullied solely because of it, and the weird name doesn’t change that much. But it catches my mind because I am interested by naming, and maybe I wouldn’t care to do the same if the child got a somewhat more “usual” name.
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If God tells me to do something, I'm gonna do it. Jonah was sentenced to a fish's stomach for not obeying and I don't wanna suffer the same punishment. I live for God and even in the worst-case scenario, I would still obey my King. I would name my baby anything the Lord tells me to name them because if He wants me to name my baby something He wants, it has to be for a reason.
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God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son."
Abe said, "Man, you must be putting me on!"
God said, "NO!"
Abe said, "What?!"
God said, "You can do what you wanna, but, the next time you see me coming, you better run!"
Abe said "Where do you want this killing done??"
God said, out on Highway 61.
I have neglected to do things I felt like Spirit was directly telling me to do, out of a lack of courage. Specifically, I didn't put everything down and go to Kyoto once. He never told me to kill my baby or anything. I probably would not...? I don't think I would do that.
In terms of a baby's name - it's a choice you sit with for a while - and if I felt like Spirit was telling me to do something, that would manifest as a fixation on and probably love of the terrible name, right? I would... maybe... do it. Or do it as a middle name. Or idk not.
Abe said, "Man, you must be putting me on!"
God said, "NO!"
Abe said, "What?!"
God said, "You can do what you wanna, but, the next time you see me coming, you better run!"
Abe said "Where do you want this killing done??"
God said, out on Highway 61.
I have neglected to do things I felt like Spirit was directly telling me to do, out of a lack of courage. Specifically, I didn't put everything down and go to Kyoto once. He never told me to kill my baby or anything. I probably would not...? I don't think I would do that.
In terms of a baby's name - it's a choice you sit with for a while - and if I felt like Spirit was telling me to do something, that would manifest as a fixation on and probably love of the terrible name, right? I would... maybe... do it. Or do it as a middle name. Or idk not.
This message was edited 1/15/2022, 3:34 PM
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I don't have religion and live in a largely secular society, I don't feel I can comment on this. On one hand, this is an insight into religious mindset for me, but also... I find everything...a bit... erm...strange? I'm sorry. But it's all so alien to me. Why would you name your child something because you thought your god told you to and then feel you had to 'make a plan to mitigate trauma'? I'm confused. That said, I'm not religious but I try to respect religious people, maybe I'm just uneducated and don't get it.
For what it's worth, I think the name Lo-ruhamah is neat as hell and have it on my list of names for characters in case it ever fits anything I write. The meaning of 'not pitied' is just kinda neat tbh, or 'not loved'...or 'doesn't need to be loved'?, you could spin it to be empowering, and the puritan vibes (as a European)... great for a spooky colonial something.
The rest though, I can't speak on it, it's strange for me, as someone not part of a religion I have no opinion really, but I don't think people should be naming their children names they think may harm them or cause them mental distress.
For what it's worth, I think the name Lo-ruhamah is neat as hell and have it on my list of names for characters in case it ever fits anything I write. The meaning of 'not pitied' is just kinda neat tbh, or 'not loved'...or 'doesn't need to be loved'?, you could spin it to be empowering, and the puritan vibes (as a European)... great for a spooky colonial something.
The rest though, I can't speak on it, it's strange for me, as someone not part of a religion I have no opinion really, but I don't think people should be naming their children names they think may harm them or cause them mental distress.
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"you could spin it to be empowering"
...yeah, I think I could probably learn to like being named Alienation, but also I feel like I'd *probably* not have a great relationship with my parents if I was named that.
...yeah, I think I could probably learn to like being named Alienation, but also I feel like I'd *probably* not have a great relationship with my parents if I was named that.
This message was edited 1/15/2022, 3:59 PM
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Are we talking about Lo-ruhamah?
Yeah, I think that was unfair to her.
If someone told me they named their child Not-Pitied or Abomination because God told them to, but they called them Abby, Bo, Pit, etc instead...um, they'd seem callous and also insincere, and it would give me the worst possible impression of their "mission".
Or if they named their child No-Mercy or Not-Loved and later changed it to Mercy or Loveday 'in the name of God', that'd seem gimmicky and ridiculous.
While we're talking about Bible stories, if someone told me they'd been willing to kill their son as a human sacrifice because God told them (but God told them not to, at the last minute, so look, see how merciful their God is!), I would call the police.
I'm not against Puritanical seeming names as a group, though.
Yeah, I think that was unfair to her.
If someone told me they named their child Not-Pitied or Abomination because God told them to, but they called them Abby, Bo, Pit, etc instead...um, they'd seem callous and also insincere, and it would give me the worst possible impression of their "mission".
Or if they named their child No-Mercy or Not-Loved and later changed it to Mercy or Loveday 'in the name of God', that'd seem gimmicky and ridiculous.
While we're talking about Bible stories, if someone told me they'd been willing to kill their son as a human sacrifice because God told them (but God told them not to, at the last minute, so look, see how merciful their God is!), I would call the police.
I'm not against Puritanical seeming names as a group, though.
This message was edited 1/15/2022, 2:24 PM
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Mind your own business, and leave them to it. Why should someone with a hot line to Heaven listen to anyone here on Earth? They will bring up their child, whatever they name it, in accordance with their beliefs, and either the kid will accept this all their life or they'll decide to embrace atheism and believe in astrology. C'est la vie.
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Oof, man. Personally I have real bad connotations with that, because it does happen in real life. My husband's name was originally Reverence Tohim. It came to his mother in a dream, claims Gabriel came to her and told her to.
It was the first of many, many times his parents would choose their ideals over their children, none of whom still keep their company. His sister has changed her name entirely, and his middle is no longer Tohim. The large issue I see with this is that if you go naming a kid because a deity told you so, what will you do if they grow to not believe that deity exists? Your child is an individual. You might think you're right and more knowledgeable. But they will live with your decision, and their experiences with that will shape them. Your reaction to their experiences will not be forgotten.
I agree with Fiametta. Like I said, it was the first of many, many times they would overlook his individuality and well-being for what they thought was what god wanted for him. Slippery slope. I'd be concerned if someone said that to me.
It was the first of many, many times his parents would choose their ideals over their children, none of whom still keep their company. His sister has changed her name entirely, and his middle is no longer Tohim. The large issue I see with this is that if you go naming a kid because a deity told you so, what will you do if they grow to not believe that deity exists? Your child is an individual. You might think you're right and more knowledgeable. But they will live with your decision, and their experiences with that will shape them. Your reaction to their experiences will not be forgotten.
I agree with Fiametta. Like I said, it was the first of many, many times they would overlook his individuality and well-being for what they thought was what god wanted for him. Slippery slope. I'd be concerned if someone said that to me.
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Can I be honest with you about something? This feels less about a naming hypothetical that it is about you going through spiritual conflict, in my opinion. In the scenario feels like you're trying to decide how you would go about challenging God's judgment then challenging a parents naming choices. I agree with RoxStar, who's to say that you know God's will better than the parents do? I'm of a similar background as you so if you need to talk just DM me anytime.
This message was edited 1/15/2022, 8:32 AM
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Someone who truly believes God has told them to do something aren't going to take anyone else's advice, or react well to hearing it, and the fact that the advice is sound (at least in the giver's mind) is irrelevant. It's pretty arrogant to go around saying you're one of the few people who knows the truth.
If you're such a Christian, why do you think God didn't already know that the name would cause trouble here on earth? I think you'd be confusing God with the prospective parents and yeah, for a Christian, I'm thinking that is hypocritical as well as arrogant.
If you're such a Christian, why do you think God didn't already know that the name would cause trouble here on earth? I think you'd be confusing God with the prospective parents and yeah, for a Christian, I'm thinking that is hypocritical as well as arrogant.
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Agree 100%
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I would say "ah, what an interesting name and motivation!" and excuse myself. Then I would make a post on here complaining.
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Plenty of names have unpleasant meanings. The Biblical name Mary can mean "bitter" in some translations, for example. There's also Mallory (unfortunate) and Cameron (crooked nose). Cool names with bad meanings.
Some people don't really think about a name's meaning when looking for the right name. You could name your child Felix (lucky) or Victoria (victory) and they could be down on their luck their whole life. So you probably shouldn't let a name's meaning worry you.
Some people don't really think about a name's meaning when looking for the right name. You could name your child Felix (lucky) or Victoria (victory) and they could be down on their luck their whole life. So you probably shouldn't let a name's meaning worry you.
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Honestly, if someone wanted to name their child something terrible because God had supposedly told them so, I’d be worried about their mental health. One thing is a prophet in a Bible story another a real person in the 21st century.
This message was edited 1/15/2022, 6:39 AM
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