Dog Names Meaning Religious

While it can be challenging to find a dog that will ever be on par with the popularity of Lassie and Rin Tin Tin, Luke the Dog came very close. Luke was a beautiful gold and white Staffordshire Bull Terrier who spent six years in the silent movie limelight from 1914 through until 1920.

He became a much-loved and recurring animal character in a range of silent comedy shorts, including over a dozen between 1915 and the end of 1920. His most notable show appearances were in Fatty’s Faithful Fido and Mabel and Fatty’s Wash Day where he has both background and main scene parts.

Luke, the religious name which means luminous or white, was a bright shining light in the movie scene from a very young age. Comedian and director Roscoe Arbuckle along with actress Minta Durfee had Luke from six weeks old, and Roscoe spent several months training Luke to do stunts that even the likes of Pete the Pup or Lassie could never do.

Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke in the Bible, bears many resemblances to Luke the dog. Just like Luke from the text, Luke the dog was exceptionally well-educated in comparison to other dogs, while also being well-traveled as well. What’s more, both the dog and the Bible character are observant and careful.

Aside from Luke, Goliath is also another sacred name that became popular with a dog famous in pop culture. Goliath features in the stop-motion cartoon called Davey and Goliath which aired from 1961 through until 2004. Goliath was a fictional dog who could not speak but acted as Davey, the boy character’s conscience.  Mountain Dew also reignited the famous cartoon in 2001 with lessons of tolerance for different holiday traditions and religions.

The conscience factor in the stop-motion cartoon bears plenty of similarities to the story of David and Goliath. In the Book of Samuel, Goliath is overcome by a much smaller and weaker opponent, which is how “David versus Goliath” came to be a commonly coined phrase. It compares well to the Goliath in Davey and Goliath in which they try to show the importance of respect and authority for others and to be aware of racism, prejudice, as well as religious intolerance.

While pop culture is far less graphic now than the teachings of the Bible, the core messages are often the same – albeit a little bit more comical.