[Opinions] Re: Christian, and it's obvious religious ties
in reply to a message by Dianatiger
I've known far more non-Christian Christians than Christian Christians (say that five times fast), as well as many non religious Christinas and Christophers, too. I even knew of a sibset of Christian and Kirsten, and the parents were atheists! For that reason I don't see it as a very religious name - I get stronger religious vibes from Biblical names.
My own middle name is a Christ- name and my parents did not care about religion at all. They just liked the sound. It was a popular choice in the 70s and 80s.
I definitely went through a phase of being perturbed that my middle name was so tied to one religion, but eventually I was able to appreciate the sound of it rather than the meaning. I started meeting lots of other people with names that don't have anything to do with their religion, and realized that most people really just care about the sounds of names more than anything.
It's actually quite refreshing to be able to separate the name from the meaning and association. It opened up new ways of seeing things for me.
My own middle name is a Christ- name and my parents did not care about religion at all. They just liked the sound. It was a popular choice in the 70s and 80s.
I definitely went through a phase of being perturbed that my middle name was so tied to one religion, but eventually I was able to appreciate the sound of it rather than the meaning. I started meeting lots of other people with names that don't have anything to do with their religion, and realized that most people really just care about the sounds of names more than anything.
It's actually quite refreshing to be able to separate the name from the meaning and association. It opened up new ways of seeing things for me.
Replies
I totally agree with the sentiment of appreciating sound and aesthetic over that of original etymological implications at times. Meanings and familiarity of the meanings can be fun, but at the end of the day most people are not familiar with those connotations and moreso of the pop culture connections in broader Society. As we've talked about before often and many times a name can still be perceived as pretty or desirable divorced from its origin.
I remember really latching onto the etymology of "Christ" so I could tell myself it didn't really mean "Christian"; it meant "anointed". Like, something scared, just general sacredness. That appeased me.
That is a lovely way to think of it I think, as you are indeed sacred Chloë 💐😄