Judge Wisely Denies Inmate’s Name Change To ’Sinner’

What’s in a name?

Apparently there is plenty for a Nebraska inmate who was denied a request by a judge to change part of his name to “Sinner.”

Jonathan Thomas is serving time in the Nebraska State Penitentiary on three felony charges and has had three child support cases filed against him. Clearly Thomas has problems to overcome, but a county judge was quick to reject his plea to officially change his name to “Sinner Lawrence Bilskirnir.”

Thomas’ reasons for wanting the change seem murky at best.

Claiming to honor Norse mythology, Thomas said he wanted the name change because “he is a heathen and Thor is his ‘High God.'”

The judge, Steven Burns, wisely didn’t bite.

“Simply because a person is a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim, they do not change their name to Moses,” Burns wrote in his opinion.

Indeed.

Nor does anyone need to label themselves so overtly as a sinner.

God already knows, as Paul importantly pointed out in Romans 3:22-24: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

 

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *