Answering "Are you a Christian?" is like answering "Have you stopped beating your wife?". There is no good one-word answer if you're on the right side of the equation. The problem is that the word "Christian" includes both "wheat" and "tares," in Yahshua's parlance: anybody who purports to follow "Christ" is a "Christian," and that, unfortunately, includes not only true believers but also pagan leaning Catholics, liberal Protestants who deny the deity of Yahshua, and tradition-hogtied evangelicals. It's like saying, "Are you a man?"--not terribly precise terminology. Of course, the vast majority of humanity doesn't comprehend the semantic nuances we struggle with. They wouldn't know the differences between a Mary-worshipping Roman Catholic, a Baptist, and a Mormon. All they want to know is, "You're not a Buddhist, are you?"

So I'd phrase my response something like this: "Yes, I'm a follower of Yahweh." If pressed, go on to say, "I worship Yahshua, you know---Jesus." It doesn't help the communication process if you use words (like Yahudi) that only five people on earth understand. Once you've established a baseline of common knowledge, of course, the correct terminology should be employed. But it's worse than pointless to expect the whole world to read your mind, to automatically know and except the "insider" terminology of YadaYahweh. In other words, to answer "Are you a Christian" with a "No" because you have doubts about the credibility of the translation for "anointed" as "Christ," or because there are people within "Christianity" with whom you don't share a common faith, or because you define Christianity as a religion which is therefore to be avoided, is to send an inaccurate message to most people: they'll assume you're either an atheist or a follower of some other religion. Not the message you wanted to convey.

On your last point, I'd resist the urge to make the truth presented in YadaYahweh function like some new denomination or sect. It's nothing of the sort. Rather, it's merely what "Christianity" (there's that word again) was and is supposed to be. It's a return to our roots, a plea to shed the excess baggage of two millennia of corrupted religious thought and comprehend what Yahweh really wanted us to know. It requires a thirst for knowledge and the courage to challenge what you've been taught (things not particularly in sync with the military mind). But it's not a revolution, a tearing down of christian thought to the point of anarchy and starting over from scratch. Rather, it's more like cancer surgery---a careful attempt to remove the harmful influences in a sick body so it can recover and thrive. Courage is hard. Surgery is painful. Don't expect our point of view to ever be very popular.

What about that word "messianic"? Under my Facebook profile I put Messianic under which religion I belong to. The reason I put Messianic in my profile is so get my Christian brothers and sisters to ask questions and to check it out for themselves. I think Messianic closer defines the group's common belief, using the correct Names, celebrating the Feasts, keeping the Sabbath, etc. Though this can be dangerous as some Messianic believers are more concerned about keeping the letter of the Law, thereby going straight back to square one, trying to earn one's salvation through works. However I think my reason is simply there to get people asking questions, if the opportunity presents itself then I'll direct them to YY, TOM, etc.

I'm not terribly happy with the Messianic belief, because after seeing some websites, articles and online Sabbath meetings I find a lot of different sects within it, just like Christianity. I've seen some Jewish congregations, who call themselves Messianics, but only allow Jewish people, by blood, into their meetings. Others have different theories, such as The Two House Movement, Messianic Judaism, some still keep the Oral Law, some even reject Paul's writings, and a few others with miner things I don't agree with.

I find defining myself as either a Christian or a Messianic a difficult thing to do.

i don't believe in the power of men i do not belive in church building or what churches represent i do not believe in the paying of proffesional clerics i do not believe in using the word lord i think if you buy into one once of it you must buy into all of it ... i am not a christian!

Heh-heh! We seem to be a people without an identity!

I consider myself a recovering Laodicean trying desperately to become a Philadelphian Yahudy. I say recovering because when I pray I still slip and say “Lord” and “Jesus” sometimes instead of Yahuweh and Yahushua. Old habits are hard to break but I have the Set-Apart Spirit to guide me. I attended a mega Church for a decade but I have learned more in the last six months by reading YY, FH, TOM and Come Out of Her My People then I learned by attending hundreds of sermons and Sunday school. This was my first year for observing the Fall Miqra or any Miqra for that matter. I didn’t celebrate Christmas this year either. I haven’t really liked Christmas since I was a kid. Now I know why, it is the birthday of Tammuz not Yahushua.

I have learned more in the last six months by reading YY, FH, TOM and Come Out of Her My People then I learned by attending hundreds of sermons and Sunday school.

I am a Christian. The Letter to the Hebrews is a free book for you to read. I thank Jesus Christ for all of you.