pagan name

[ananar23]

okay here's the deal....i was named by my Muslim father and given a pagan Persian name. I was named after their goddess of water. it makes me feel creepy, and i really want to change it. i know that God isnt going to judge me on my name, but it feels dirty. so, what would any of you do? okay so perhaps i am a drama queen and a spaz, but when ppl ask hey what does ur name mean (it is unusual) i have to explain that oh, its the persian goddess of water. especially being the new girl in church this isnt helping much
in case ur curious the name is Anahita. yeah, so someone call me a spaz so i feel better or something.

 

[GreenEyedLady]

You 22 and you can make the decision to change you name if you want. God changed peoples names in the bible all the time. I think you should pray about it and ask the Lord what He would want to call you.

 

[goodgirl]

well, I went thru a phase at about 20 yrs old where I wanted to change my last name bc I truly can't stand my dad. But then I thought better of it. It's my identity, and I figured I'd just stake my own claim on the name rather than let him have the last word.

I guess changing a first name might be a less drastic move... but maybe you can put your own "stamp" on the name. I mean, who's to say in 100 years Anahita won't have the same connotation as a name like "Teresa" or "Diana" or "Jacqueline"? After all, Chloe is a nickname for the greek goddess Demeter, Diana is the goddess of the hunt, Bridget is Ireland's high goddess of poetry, and I know a lady named Chandra, which is either the Indian goddess of the moon, or a demon in their mythology. Cynthia is a nickname for Artemis... who was also a goddess.

Phoebe, Irene, Dylan, Melissa, Daphne, Victoria, Jason and Tanith (common Jewish name) are all rooted in mythology. So I wouldn't feel bad... your name is less common than some others, but no more "pagan".

 

[ananar23]

thnx kind folks...so i am a drama queen. well goodgirl you caught my attention with that. i have issues with my dad too. he left when i was 7 back to his homeland of iran. so maybe i just wanted to get rid of the persian association with him. anyway, im a spaz and i accept it..kidding, but thnx again.

 

[goodgirl]

aw man... sorry about your dad. FWIW I am kind of fascinated by Persia... I have some friends from there and it seems a cool place, though run by idiots for now.

 

[Oblio]

Many Orthodox Christians have a different name from their secular one that is given to them at Baptism and Chrismation (entry into the Church) and is used in petitions and during Sacramental rites (Communion, Unction).

Ask folks to call you Anna, the mother of Mary and the Grandmother of our Lord.

 

[1John5:3]

Do you know Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah from the book of Daniel?

http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&passage=daniel+1%3A6-7&version=NIV

Their Babylonian names are more familiar to Christians.

Don't sweat your name. Change it legally if you wish.

 

[Lyle]

yeah, if it makes you feel dirty, change it... It may even be a better witness.. I know, mine is greek, but it' my real name

 

[desi]

I'd keep the name and continue to serve the Lord. Your name alone will not sentence you to Heaven or Hell.

 

[Blooper]

Hey what's with the male gender symbol? Arnt you a woman?

 

[Radagast]

I was named after their goddess of water.

An odd name for a man, but at 42 you're an adult and can change it to whatever you want.

 

[BFine]

okay here's the deal....i was named by my Muslim father and given a pagan Persian name. I was named after their goddess of water. it makes me feel creepy, and i really want to change it. i know that God isnt going to judge me on my name, but it feels dirty. so, what would any of you do? okay so perhaps i am a drama queen and a spaz, but when ppl ask hey what does ur name mean (it is unusual) i have to explain that oh, its the persian goddess of water. especially being the new girl in church this isnt helping much
in case ur curious the name is Anahita. yeah, so someone call me a spaz so i feel better or something.

*Pardon me, but I'm confused here-- are you a woman?
If so, are you aware that you selected the male gender symbol
on your profile?

How old are you? Are you actually 42?
To me it wouldn't be of much use to change ones first name at that point
in life....but that's just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[Ark100]

God changed Abram's name, same with Jacob, and also others.
You can pray that God changes your name. If He changes it spiritually, you dont have to worry much. If it bothers you, you can always do a change of name. ITS your life, remember.

 

[CounselorForChrist]

I wouldn't worry about your name. Lets say a unchristian dad names his child zeus. Then as the child becomes an adult, he finds Christ and is saved. God now sees the new person in the adult. SO therefor the name doesn't mean anything to God because hes looking at your inside.

However as a christian I wouldn't name my child something like that because I already know better not to. In that case I would be wrong to do so. But I do know of a few christians (mainly women) who have changed their names.

 

[Goodbook]

that's interesting. My parents named me, just picked out of a name book because it was easy to pronounce, but it's meaning is 'goddess of the moon' in greek.

Now I'm a christian, I wonder if God will give me a new name in heaven (He does that in revelation 3:12) but I do have a middle name which means 'beloved'. In scripture it is written there is a glory of sun, planets and moon..myself I don't understand the 'goddess' aspect of my name, some dictionaries just say it means 'heavenly' so I can accept that.

Your name anahita, though it may refer to a goddess, also means 'pure' so I would just keep that meaning as biblical and drop the goddess association.

I think it might be different if say your parents named you 'Jezebel' or 'Judas'!

 

[BFine]

I wouldn't worry about your name. Lets say a unchristian dad names his child zeus. Then as the child becomes an adult, he finds Christ and is saved. God now sees the new person in the adult. SO therefor the name doesn't mean anything to God because hes looking at your inside.

However as a christian I wouldn't name my child something like that because I already know better not to. In that case I would be wrong to do so. But I do know of a few christians (mainly women) who have changed their names.

@Xfreakazoidx-- Thor and Zeus use to attend my church-- they got sick and
elderly and had to go into a nursing home--seriously. Both men are of Nordic decent.

 

[Avniel]

Honor thy mother and father so thy days may be long on the land. Your name has nothing to do with who you are in Christ.

 

[powerpoint]

I say rock with the name, Its a nice name. I have a few ex Hindu and Muslim friends I've brought to faith who have kept their names, I kept mine. Theres nothing saying you have to have a western or Biblical name anywhere in the law or the Bible, and some of the names in the begats bit of Genesis are a bit mental.

Honestly, go for it, it's a testament to where you have been and what you've experienced and, should you be in a position to help someone else come to faith from that background, its a strong testament to Jesus's power.

 

[Radagast]

Theres nothing saying you have to have a western or Biblical name anywhere in the law or the Bible

And in the Bible itself, Andrew and Philip had pagan (Greek) names, not good old Hebrew ones. And Dionysius in Acts 17:34 was named after a pagan god.

 

[motherprayer]

okay here's the deal....i was named by my Muslim father and given a pagan Persian name. I was named after their goddess of water. it makes me feel creepy, and i really want to change it. i know that God isnt going to judge me on my name, but it feels dirty. so, what would any of you do? okay so perhaps i am a drama queen and a spaz, but when ppl ask hey what does ur name mean (it is unusual) i have to explain that oh, its the persian goddess of water. especially being the new girl in church this isnt helping much
in case ur curious the name is Anahita. yeah, so someone call me a spaz so i feel better or something.

My name is Elisha, and I'm a girl. In 2 Kings, there was a prophet named Elisha, and he was a dude. Not only that, but if you look up my name, it is almost always attributed to a dude.
My dad said he named me after some actress, but I can't figure out who that is.
So, all in all, I feel your pain. Its okay though, because a rose is still a rose, by any other name. We are roses, aka wacky-name-isms