other Christians, who use the cross as their symbol, the Makuyas take the seven-armed Jewish menorah as their religious emblem, and they display it on their badges or pendants. They prefer to use the menorah as their religious symbol rather than the cross, because to them, the cross is a symbol of "suffering" but the menorah is a symbol of "hope." The Makuyas have developed, or incorporated, a number of religious observances, customs and rituals. They also engage in convocations, marriage ceremonies, and pilgrimages. Today, the Makuya movement has about a hundred branches all over the world, including Japan, Israel, the United States, Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay, China, Taiwan, South Korea, India and Indonesia. Following, in part, the biblical tradition (2 Samuel 24), the movement does not conduct a census; hence, the exact number of its members remains unknown. It is known, however, that about 300,000 copies of its major magazine, The Light of Life, are being subscribed to and issued every month. For those Makuyas who live in Japan, more concretely, Teshima outlined a small number of tenets which he called "Our Beliefs" and they are intended to define the core beliefs of the Makuya: We lament over the spiritual deterioration of Japan and wish for the awakening of . We wish for the revival of religion in the hearts of the Japanese and pray for the restoration of the Original Gospel. We stand on the basis of the Non-Church spirit; therefore, we neither belong to nor create any churches or denominations. We solely learn from the Old and New Testaments. We wish for the purification of Christianity, however we also cherish other religions of Japan and respect the personalities of their masters. Rising above the differences of political beliefs, we intend to sanctify Japanese society. We proclaim social justice and humanity with divine love, goodwill, and peace. Christ said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Makuya and Israel Makuya is a group of fervent lovers of Israel and the Jewish people. It sends young members to a number of kibbutzim in Israel, and makes pilgrimages to Jerusalem. "Over [900] Makuya students have been sent to Israeli kibbutzim to work together with the people of the Bible, and to study Hebrew and the biblical background. Some of them continue their