Top Ten Frequently-Asked Questions
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on a question below to jump to the answer:
Why do you call Jesus Christ
"Yahshua"?
Why are you called Twelve
Tribes?
What does a person have to do
if he wants to visit one of your communities?
How many are in your group?
What keeps you all together?
Why do all your men wear beards
and tie their hair back?
Why do your women dress the way
they do?
Do you have one leader who
lives off the labor of the rest of you?
Are you a cult?
Do you watch TV?
Why do you call Jesus Christ Yahshua?
Yahshua is the way we understand the name of Jesus to
be pronounced in Hebrew. When the angel in Matthew 1:21
announced to our Master's Hebrew mother the name of her
Hebrew son, it was a Hebrew name. Out of respect for the
One who sent that angel, we want to use that name.
The exact Hebrew spelling and pronunciation of our Master
Yahshua's name is not an article of our faith. In other
words, spelling or pronouncing His name this way or that
is not what makes a person a true believer. But we have
done some research on the subject, and this is what we found:
Jesus is the English version of the Greek word ihsouV
(pronounced approximately as "yay-soos"). ihsouV
is a transliteration — an attempt to represent the
sounds of one language with the alphabet of another language.
It is the traditional Greek transliteration for the Hebrew
name that is usually rendered Joshua in English.
This
Hebrew
name
has
two
different
forms,
but
both
are
transliterated
by
this
word ihsouV
in
the
Greek
(Septuagint)
version
of
the
Old
Testament.
As
to
how
these
Hebrew
words
were
originally
pronounced,
we
have
little
evidence.
Hebrew
was
written
without
vowels,
and
those
who
spoke
the
language
already
knew
how
to
sound
the
words.
Most
readers
of
Hebrew
today
rely
on
the
work
of
the
Masoretes
—
scribes
who
introduced
a
system
of
dots
and
dashes
above
and
below
Hebrew
letters
to
indicate
what
vowel
sounds
to
make.
But
the
Masoretes
lived
during
the
6th
to
10th
century
AD,
and
very
likely
had
a
different
pronunciation
than
that
used
in
earlier
centuries.
We
understand
that
they
introduced
different
vowels
into
words
containing
the
sacred
name
of
the
Creator
in
order
to
conceal
its
pronunciation,
to
guard
against
taking
His
name
in
vain.
It is clear, however, that the Creator's name is pronounced
YAH, as in the familiar expression HALLELUYAH ("praise YAH").
It is also clear that this sacred syllable is contained
in our Master's name, because John 17:11 says, "Holy Father,
protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave
me." Therefore, since the name of the Father is contained
in the Son's name, it seems that our Master's name was pronounced
either as Yahoshua or Yahshua. The shorter form, Yahshua,
seems to be closest to the usual English transliteration
Joshua.
For more information, see the article What's In A Name?
Why do all your men wear beards and tie their hair back?
Our men have beards because men were created with facial
hair. It is normal and natural for a man to have a beard.
Besides, it is not fitting for a priest to crop his
hair or to grow long, effeminate locks. In ancient Israel
both unbound hair and a shaved head were public signs of
mourning or some uncleanness. It is priestly for a man to
bind his hair at the back of the neck and keep it trimmed
as indicated in Ezekiel 44:20: "They shall not shave their
heads nor let their hair hang loose, but they shall keep
their hair trimmed." Priests are concerned about
pleasing their Creator rather than chasing after fashions
or calling attention to themselves with shags, afros, flat-tops,
mullets, duck tails, mop-tops, mohawks, pompadours, or buzz,
crew, or mushroom cuts.
Why do your women dress the way they do?
Our women wear the clothes they do because of their desire
to be modest.
For more information, read an article on Modesty
by one of the women of the community.
What does a person have to do if he wants to visit one
of your communities?
Anyone who is sincerely interested in our life can visit
our communities without making any further commitment. As
long as a person respects our ways, he is welcome to stay
in one of our homes and share in the normal life there.
We expect visitors to participate in our social life and
to ask questions about whatever they see. We don't charge
anyone to stay with us. On the contrary, we enjoy offering
hospitality to any who come through our doors.
Do you have one leader who lives off the labor of the
rest of you?
No, there is no special class of leadership in our midst,
or those who live by a different standard from the rest
of us. All those in positions of authority have daily responsibilities
and share in simple chores (housecleaning, yard care, washing
dishes, etc.). Our leaders hold themselves to the command
of our Master that rulers in the Community are to be servants
of the people, not overlords.
Luke 22:25-27 — "The kings of the Gentiles
lord it over them; and those who have authority over them
are called 'Benefactors.' But not so with you, but let
him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest,
and the leader as the servant. For who is greater, the
one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves?
Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am
among you as the one who serves."
Why are you called Twelve Tribes?
The fact that we are called the Twelve Tribes has nothing
to do with mystical tribalism, as in the beliefs of the
Mormons, the Rastafarians, or British Israelism. Rather,
we are speaking of people actually dwelling together in
unity, living a tribal life in twelve different geographical
areas on the earth, so as to be a demonstration of how God
has always wanted His people to live.
For more information, read the article Why
Twelve Tribes?
Are you a cult?
If you mean a weird, dangerous, or oppressive religious
group, no.
One dictionary definition of a cult is: "a religion or
sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist .
. ." Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary (1996).
So who is to say what is false, unorthodox, or extremist?
When a person uses the word cult he usually means some group
he fears or dislikes. While we are, from time to time, called
a cult, we are not false, unorthodox, or extremist. We do
nothing other than what the words of the Bible have always
called for as a reasonable response to God's love in sending
His Son.
When some say cult they mean a closed religious society
dominated by its leader(s) with an oppressive set of rules,
with an anti-social agenda. As for us, the doors of our
homes and hearts are open all the time. We are human beings
experiencing the full range of joys and sorrows that real
people always have. Our common life goes far beyond what
one leader or a group of leaders might contain or control.
It is the product of many sincere people working and believing
together.
For more information, read the freepaper What
is A Cult? or a story we told our children about the
Apostle Paul entitled "Misinformed!"
Do you watch TV?
No, we do not normally have TV sets in our homes, nor do we think
it is healthy for our children to watch them. We see human
relationships as the central focus of our lives; we are
learning on a daily basis to be friends and pay attention
to each other's real needs. TV would be a distraction and
would be detrimental to learning, loving, and being "normal."
How many are in your group?
Worldwide we probably number somewhere between two and three thousand
men, women and children. But we do not keep count or take
a census. We can tell, however, that we are growing, and
we welcome new members.
What keeps you all together?
We stay together because of the power of our Master Yahshua's
sacrifice. His death in our place makes it possible for
each of us to be forgiven and to forgive others. And so
the things that usually alienate people from one another
don't have to divide us. Because our Master saved us from
a life of alienation, loneliness, and sin, we love Him and
want to do His will. We express our devotion to Him by submitting
to each other. That mutual respect and affection makes unity
possible. Our desire is to follow Him, be like Him, and
give all that we have to bringing about His purpose. This
is our common goal, and love compels us to make sure our
fellow disciples have the encouragement they need to make
it.
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