Elissa Lerner: Of all the exciting things the Pope could be talking about this week (the vote in Sudan, the ongoing agony in Coptic Egypt, even taking a stand on the misuse of the term ‘blood libel’), here is Pope Benedict XVI’s big cause of the moment: Christian names. Yes, it looks like the Pope wants you to consider naming your baby after a biblical figure. Apparently the Apple Martins, Suri Cruises, and Brooklyn Beckhams of the world have gotten out of control. Conveniently, the Pope’s suggestion arrived on the same day as David and Victoria Beckham announced they were expecting. (And we all know, everyone copies celebrity trends.) As the assistant general secretary to the Catholic Bishop’s Conference thoughtfully put it, “”Naming children after perfumes, bicycles and countries is putting a limit on their potential. They are not merchandise or commodities.” In case you think the Pope is onto something but still want to give your child a truly unusual name, here’s a list of ten highly-unused Bible names. May your child never have to go by “Achsah S.” in roll call.
What’s in a name?
Elissa Lerner: Of all the exciting things the Pope could be talking about this week (the vote in Sudan, the ongoing agony in Coptic Egypt, even taking a stand on the misuse of the term ‘blood libel’), here is Pope Benedict XVI’s big cause of the moment: Christian names. Yes, it looks like the Pope wants you to consider naming your baby after a biblical figure. Apparently the Apple Martins, Suri Cruises, and Brooklyn Beckhams of the world have gotten out of control. Conveniently, the Pope’s suggestion arrived on the same day as David and Victoria Beckham announced they were expecting. (And we all know, everyone copies celebrity trends.) As the assistant general secretary to the Catholic Bishop’s Conference thoughtfully put it, “”Naming children after perfumes, bicycles and countries is putting a limit on their potential. They are not merchandise or commodities.” In case you think the Pope is onto something but still want to give your child a truly unusual name, here’s a list of ten highly-unused Bible names. May your child never have to go by “Achsah S.” in roll call.