Are people with names of pagan gods deprived of angels?

Question:

Hello! My name is Inga and a priest told me that my name isn’t in the Holy Book and neither it is read in the church and that I don’t have an angel, and, generally speaking, I don’t have luck. Please tell me what can I do in such a situation? Thank you!

 

The Significance of the name ‘Inga’

Each name has its own meaning. Recently I have written an article, explaining the meaning of the name Anastasia. I did not know the meaning of the name ‘Inga’ and I was curious to find it out, especially when so many people dear to our family and church have this name. I found out the next explanation:

The female name Inga is of Scandinavian origin. Its meaning is ‘protected by Ing’. Ing, according to the mythology, was the god of fertility and peace. This name is very popular in Germany. Variations:

In the Bible there isn’t a list with suggested or forbidden names to give to our children

So, you have the name of a pagan god, and that could be the reason for the priest’s statement. But, the Bible does not state that there must be a list of names in the church and that one can choose names for their child only from that list. This makes me remind myself of the problems people had in Albania during the communist regime established after war when any kind of religious manifestation was forbidden and people were not allowed to give names to their children related to the religion of Christ or any other religion. Hence, at the Registry Office, there was a short list with a few names and people had to choose the name of their child only from that list. People even gave names of localities to their children, in order not to accept one from those communist lists. In Russia, some people were very ingenious and gave their children such names as Tractoria, Octombrina.

Angels don’t protect according to one’s name given at birth

There isn’t any connection between angels that God sends to serve us and the name you were given at birth. Neither does the priest’s statement have any biblical support. I don’t know where did he get his inspiration from, so to say that, but surely not from the Bible. That is why every man must have a Bible, study it carefully and check whether the statements and lessons they are given by the priests are according to the Bible and whether they are true. We do not live in the “dark” century anymore when a very small number of people were able to read and the rest were following someone who did not know nor want to know the Holy Scriptures. You must check what the priest or the pastor tells you and convince yourself that it is according to the Bible.

Some saints from the Bible had names of pagans

Do not be astonished by my statement. Apolo is a well known minister of the Gospel, about him it is written in the New Testament, and even the apostle Paul spoke respectfully of him.

The name Apolo, in Greek and Roman mythology, referred to the god of day, of light and arts, protector of poetry and music, leader of the chorus of muses, personification of the Sun. If you read the New Testament carefully, you will see that none of the apostles claimed that Apolo did not have an angel or blessing, due to his pagan name. The name tells us rather about the religion of his parents at his birth. Moreover, there are other biblical characters that had names of pagans and who did not change their names, or at least it is not written in the Bible.

If you wish, you can change your name

If the name you were given still bothers you, you can change it. This process is widespread in Moslem countries, where those who convert to Christianity give up on their old names and take a Christian name. There can be found many cases when names have been changed in the Bible, like Barnaba. His old name was Joseph, but because he was a man who brought encouragement and consolation to many, he was named Barnaba, which in translation means “the son of consolation”.

The change of your name will not bring you luck or blessings

I feel sorry that you allowed that priest to make you feel discouraged and desperate. Do not think that you don’t have luck or you have bad luck or anything else he has told you. God loves you and gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, for you to receive forgiveness for your sins and to inherit eternal life. The source of blessing for each man is in God and He wants to bless us as He wants us good. Start reading and studying the Bible and search for a church where real Christians gather, not those who come only to do some rituals and traditions that are senseless, and which are done only to comfort their speckled conscience and make them believe they are as good as everybody else, or at least to show that. Search for a community of people who love God and who truly want to follow His precepts. Those people make Bible study their priority because they want to be pleasing to God. Look for the true meaning of being born again and experience it yourself, for if one is not born again, he can’t enter the Kingdom of God. It is a condition of basic importance. You can come visit our church in Chisinau, or if you are far away, we invite you to join our Bible study groups through Skype.

Live beautifully in order to receive a new name from God

In the book Revelation, we have such a beautiful promise from Jesus Christ for those who will overcome all sins and temptations that exist in this world.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. (Revelation 2:17)

This is the name we all should crave, for this one we will be wearing all our life, and we want it to be good, to bring honor and joy to us and to all those who will live in heavens.

Whenever you have any questions, you can ask them using the form on our website or discuss with the chat counselors every evening from 7 PM till 11 PM (UTC +02:00). And if you want to discuss personally with the author of this article, you can do it every Sunday from 7PM till 9PM. God bless you!

Translated by Jessica Moraru