[marshmallow]

And in America we have .....Dontravious........Jafaris.........Shaquana..........

[marshmallow]

Ping!

[cripplecreek]

I be John not Johnathan, just John.

[GeronL]

If I ever have a daughter (long shot that I’d have a kid) I wanted to call her Spirit. Do you think that’d be okay?

[ArrogantBustard]

Moon Unit and Dweezil?

So ... the brainless ones at the Telegraph think the Pope is "railing"??? They exhibit extreme folly.

[ClearCase_guy]

My sister-in-law is a Catholic. She recently found out that her son has a friend named Ezra. Her reaction to this news was negative -- "Ezra? What kind of name is that?? I hate these weird names everyone is coming up with these days!"

I decided not to mention that it is *ahem* slightly Biblical.

[Mitch86]

Pope of rome in ‘telling people what to do’ shocker

[EagleUSA]

I would think he would be more concerned about names like...

Abdul, Qadir, Rafi, Amam, Amin, Masud, Mimar, and Saafir.

I know that I am......

[TSgt]

Objectively speaking, in all seriousness, the Pope is making himself look really foolish these days.

Condom use for gays now non-Christian names?

Really Pope?

[KarlInOhio]

Every baptised child acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name,

Well then, no second rate names for me. I'll just name them all Jesus.

[TSgt]

This is akin to your father putting on those ugly tube socks with shorts and being completely clueless about his awkward, nerdy, appearance.

[matt1234]

I agree w/ the Pope. Of course, the parents should decide, but a biblical name is a better choice for Christians. It helps ground children in their faith.

[Above My Pay Grade]

While I personally prefer biblical names and all my children were given them, there is absolutely no scriptural requirement for them, and creating such a requirement unscriptural and un-Christian.

The idea that a child has a “protectting saint” is polytheistic and anti-Christian.

I do think that parents who give their children stupid, gimmicky names show a lack of love and respect for those children, though.

[wideawake]

We also have Madison, Ashley, Willow, Jaden, Bradley, etc.

While "Anquan Washington" may sound like a ridiculous name, I don't see how "Bradley Rizzuto" is much better.

[fishtank]

“Rat Singer”

How’s that for a name?

[Logic n' Reason]

All the pope need do is visit the US A-A "community"....giving their kids names from the old "homeland" when it's been .... what .... at least five generations since their "ancestors" were brought to the US???

"Proud of my heritage", my A$$!

[giotto]

Banksters are stealing trillions from taxpayers around the world. Terrorists kill hundreds of innocent people every week, 50% of black babies never see sunlight or breathe air, the entire world slides toward economic collapse---and he worries about what people name their babies?

He should be thankful the babies have been given a chance to live long enough to HAVE names.

[I still care]

I’m with the pope on this, in a way.

In the bible, names are extremely important. God Himself changed Abram’s name to something different when He entered into a covenant relationship with him. Peter’s name also became “the rock”.

As I get older, I see people often do get some definition from their name. They look for some important meaning and internalize it. My kids often mention to me the meaning of their names, as a tie with their ancestry and the original Greek.

I can’t help but feel someone named “Tiffany” or “Chanel” is more likely to feel like “decor” rather than someone named after a biblical character or an ancestor. A child has their name their whole life, and it does define them, in certain ways.

[ichabod1]

Ooohhh, anybody that doesn’t have a Christian name is going to hell,
anybody without a Christian name is going to hell.
Anybody that doesn’t have a Christian name is going to hell,
And that’s just the way it is, bump-bump.

[jjr153]

This story was told by both my mother and grandmother. When my mother was born in 1925 (R.I.P.) my grandmother wanted to name her Lyda. At her Baptism the priest asked grandma for the name and was told she could not name her that since there was no St. Lyda, without skipping a beat my grandmother said call her Elizabeth. So she was named Elizabeth. Grandma and everyone else called her Lyda. I never got to ask but I think grandma was prepared for the name rejection and had Elizabeth in reserve.

[verdugo]

Good for the pope!

I speak Spanish, and personally, I no longer never ask anyone their name, specially women, for it seems almost as if every names in South America is now a “made up name”, and they expect you to understand and spell their name upon hearing it. Forget about it, no way, no one can do it.

Usnavi, Ionemi, Ninusca, llisaisca, and who knows what..... what a nightmare of ignorance.