No boys named Jesus, a taboo?

[dumpthemonarchy]

While I don't agree at all with the violent protests of Mohammed cartoons by Muslims it made me wonder. In the English language, no boys are ever named Jesus. In Spanish it is common, in Portuguese it is done, but never in English. A different kind of taboo regarding religion.

I would hazard a guess that it is a measure of how religious and Roman Catholic a country is. Mexico is still a very religious and Catholic country so the name is common. I would further hazard that very few Italian men have been named Jesus in the past few decades as Italy has become a very secular society

There is a rock band Jesus Jones, but not one individual.

The word Jesus is just a word, but it has meaning. It is not a neutral word in English. It has the qualities of a taboo, something forbidden.

 

[FiveParadox]

The Name, "Jesus"

An interesting post, dumpthemonarchy.

I would agree with your observations; I have never seen, in my memory, anyone named Jesus in Canada. While I would not be certain whether or not there is any significance to that (perhaps it has simply a deprecated name, as have so many others).

 

[Machjo]

I thought some South Africans can be called Jesus. And I believe some Muslims might also be called Jeus ('Isa in Arabic), along with Moses (Musa) and Muhammad.

 

[JomZ]

Interesting concept,

I would venture to guess that no one ever want their son to be named for such a figure in a culture where many people clash on the subject.

It is funny that the names of Jesus' apostles are quite common in english though

edit: duh didn't reread my post

 

[TenPenny]

It's not so much a taboo, as a superstition. You don't want to worry about having your son nailed to a cross, do you?

The reason we don't see kids named Jesus is more to do with the Protestant ethics. Typically, English and French Catholics are all named Joseph (boys) and Mary (girls)....at least until the last 30 yrs or so. Spanish and Portguese people use Jesus more often. There's usually at least one pro baseball player with the name Jesus at any one time.

There used to be a hockey player we'd see in the AHL named Satan; it was hell on ice everytime he played.

 

[athabaska]

I once read an alternate comic book in which the main character had a bowell movement that came to life and he called it 'Jesus'.

 

[Jay]

I think it is probably a Protestant interpretation of "thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain". I can't say for sure. I wouldn't name my son Jesus...


And If I did meet a Protestant named Jesus, I would get really upset and burn down their embassy.

 

[FiveParadox]

Naming Conventions in English

Point taken, Jay — let's not permit that debate to leak into this thread, too; there are already several that are serving that particular purpose at the moment.

:arrow: Back to the Topic at Hand

I would argue that perhaps the name "Jesus" isn't as common in English today, simply because it isn't as common; languages evolve, and certain names are "phased out" of everyday speech and naming. By way of example, I don't remember the last time I met an eighteen-year-old Helga, Peggy-Sue, or Billy-Bob.

However, I would assert that this is not, in fact, related to religion; rather, it is simply related to lingual evolution and transition. For example, there are at least one dozen, if not more people at my high school who choose to follow the Islamic faith, and yet are named Muhammed; that doesn't imply any sort of "extra" tie to the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), however — as far as I know.

 

[Durgan]

Half of South America males are names Jesus.

Jesus Christ sometimes I think these forums are an insane asylum. The ignorance is astonishing.
Durgan.

 

[athabaska]

Re: RE: No boys named Jesus, a taboo?

I think it is probably a Protestant interpretation of "thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain". I can't say for sure. I wouldn't name my son Jesus...


And If I did meet a Protestant named Jesus, I would get really upset and burn down their embassy.

If I met a guy named Jesus I'd warn folks to stay away as he's in the habit of drinking his blood and eating his flesh... and then inviting others to the buffet. Jesus was one sick fu..er.

 

[Jay]

Re: RE: No boys named Jesus, a taboo?

I think it is probably a Protestant interpretation of "thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain". I can't say for sure. I wouldn't name my son Jesus...


And If I did meet a Protestant named Jesus, I would get really upset and burn down their embassy.

If I met a guy named Jesus I'd warn folks to stay away as he's in the habit of drinking his blood and eating his flesh... and then inviting others to the buffet. Jesus was one sick fu..er.

Ahhh, you must have been raised Catholic, if at all....

 

[athabaska]

The wierd thing about Catholic teaching is that at the very heart of the mass is the belief that the wine and bread actually turns 'in reality' into the body and blood of Christ. It is NOT symbolic but as real as if tou carved up Jesus and cut him into pieces and stuck a spigot into his heart.

The priest is not drinking wine but REAL blood and not eating bread but REAL human flesh. Not 'sort of' or 'it represents' or any other facsimile but the genuine real body and blood of Christ.

 

[the caracal kid]

given that the name "jesus" is so closely affiliated with a particular religion in the west, naming a child in that surrounding would be to place many notions upon them.

There arn't many Aldolf's these days either due to its association with one particular infamous Aldolf.

 

[Karlin]

\\

Dump, what a cool topic. Jesus not-naming means something....

and caracol, thats a good observation - Jesus and Adolphe and Hitler have attachements, who want to saddle their kid with that... and most who came to N.A. with Hitler as a family name changed it a bit.


But there is this trait in all who would protest this way
- "that you are not following our laws, so we will take offence" -
and it is INSECURITY.

Really, such a bit of tripe as this protest, or the basis of it, could only come from people who are so unsure of themselves and their "laws" that they need others to follow it.

'Fairly secure' people would just say "what they do over there isn't happening here so I don't mind"
'Very Secure' people would say "you can do that which goes against my ways right here, under my feet, and it won't change me a bit".

In fact, the whole idea of doctrine, strong laws, and firm social structure is for weakest peoples. Uneducated, poor, social strife and hard living conditions are also typical of peoples who need such solid constraints. Maturity is the opposite.

Religion keeps people from maturing socially. Its worse than drugs that way.

 

[I think not]

Jesus Christ, both names have its origins from the Greek names "Iesous Christos". Iesous which has originated from the Hebrew name Joshua. Christos means "the anointed one" in Greek or messiah in Hebrew.

If anyone is named Joshua or Chris it's origins can be traced back to "iesous" (Joshua or Jesus) and "Christos" (Chris).

So yeah, anybody with those names is in essence named Jesus.

 

[Virtual Burlesque]

Re: Naming Conventions in English

Half of South America males are names Jesus.
Jesus Christ sometimes I think these forums are an insane asylum. The ignorance is astonishing.
Durgan.

Since half the South American males have to be called, Carlos, and another half have to be called Jose, and still another half have to be called Jesus, is it any wonder that people from Latin America counties have such a long string of Christian names.

By way of example, I don't remember the last time I met an eighteen-year-old Helga, Peggy-Sue, or Billy-Bob.

Helga is ranked number 957 out of 4275 female names listed in the 1990 U.S. Census.

You may not find anyone who was christened Peggy-Sue or Billy-Bob, but if you locate any Margaret Susans, or William Roberts growing up in the southern states, you will probably hear them being called that.

 

[Colin]

RE: No boys named Jesus,

I think its more like Jesus is outdated and also takes on the meaning of savior, hence the lack of people named Jesus.

 

[Finder]

Well you have to take into account the Anglo-saxon and perhaps even the Celtic population of Canada is extremely seculer. We might go to church but for the most part it isn't very pervassive. Also when you also take into account the religous wars in europe which were fought over lofty differences and many peasents, gentry and nobles were murdered for nothing more then a quirky tradition they may carry in there following of there religion. So yeah I think because it's a historic presidence and seculism which has caused this phenomenon.

 

[missile]

The best reason not to name our sons Jesus is that whenver someone yelled out "Jesus",the lads would respond with "You Talking to me!" Just like the boy named Sue, he'd grow up straight and strong, or not at all. :lol:

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

I think this is a cool subject too because it has unanswered questions. A taboo is something charged, we are sensitive about it, but we're not exactly sure why. We just don't think about it much.

Historically, in English speaking countries, boys have NEVER been named Jesus as far as I can tell. Doing so should be made illegal by the government, so everyone would want to do it, like smoke pot.

So, I would say, for a people who are considered to forget history easily, sometimes history is on the tip of our lips.