Dear Associates, Students and Friends:

The Roman Catholic leaders in France (and also supported by France’s top Protestant theologians) are repudiating and denouncing the celebration of Halloween as "a pagan ritual and a celebration of Satan." Observing such a heathen festival as it is done in the United States is considered a deviant heresy and an abomination to common sense and proper Christian beliefs. The intellectuals in France are correct. Reuters news (as reported by the New York Times) states that the religious authorities throughout the country of France are pleading with those within the business world and other important sections of society to condemn the Halloween such festival activities and to avoid the heathen customs that are distorting the true principles concerning the teachings about "life and death." The professional clergymen in France are insisting that such Halloween practices are NOT biblical and that they are prompted from paganism. Such alien customs, they maintain, have nothing to do with the teachings of pristine Christianity. As a result of this unified condemnation, a national effort has begun in France to cleanse the country of such heathen customs. As for me, I wish the government and people of France success in their return to their proper senses on this issue. The citizens of France should heed what their Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians are saying in this regard. Such a condemnation is a breath of fresh air to those of us (such as we of ASK) who have been maintaining for decades that the pagan and heathen customs now observed by Christians (that have no validity whatever to any teaching of the Holy Scriptures) should be jettisoned from our national holiday observances. What such customs do is to distort and mangle the biblical teachings. They are from Satan.

What the theologians, people and government of France need to do as a follow-up to their condemnation of Halloween and its false teachings about the dead and the authorities ought equally to denounce the pagan observations of Easter and Christmas. These festivals are as heathen in origin as is Halloween but erroneously accepted as "Christian" celebrations by church councils within the period of Late Antiquity or within the Dark Ages. There is not the shadow of doubt that such Spring Equinox and Winter Solstice celebrations are purely heathen in origin (and even in interpretation) and they need to be expunged from all Christian calendars as having no biblical basis whatever. Where in the Holy Scriptures are we told to celebrate the Equinoxes or the Solstices as did the pagans? In fact, Jeremiah 10:1-4 states unequivocally that God’s people should "not learn the way of the heathen." Celebrating Christmas is NOT pristine Christianity.

What is even worse is the fact that the United States government with constitutional authority that it should NEVER dabble in the establishment of ANY religious custom or teaching closes down ALL but emergency offices maintained by the government itself on December each year. This is clearly a violation of the constitution. One of the cardinal principles of our government is the statement that the United States government should not establish any religion or religious "days or rituals" but they go right ahead and order that all normal government offices should close on "Christmas day." Please tell me, why?

This year of 2000 A.D. we find December 25 coming on Monday. And though I am a Christian, every Monday is a work day for me (whether it is December 25 or not). But I am compelled by my own government to heed their December 25th closures of public offices because the Roman Catholics and Protestants consider it a holy day. On the other hand, Orthodox Christians, Armenian citizens and others, have their "Christmas" on January 6. Why not close government offices on that day too?

Why does the government insist on the Roman Catholic and Protestant "Christmas" as the one they prefer? The poor Orthodox and others are left out. Also, if we are going to accept the religious holy day of "Christmas" as a government sanctioned "holy time" for all American citizens to observe, then why not the Jewish Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement when all religious Jews fast in accordance with the teachings of Moses)? But we have as many Muslims now in the USA as Jews, so why should not the United States government insist that all pubic offices close on the Birthday of Muhammad that is a customary thing in Muslim countries? Since the United States government is actively dabbling in promoting religious holy days of Roman Catholics and Protestants (contrary to the constitution), why shouldn’t the government in Washington satisfy the religious beliefs of all its citizens and by also sanctioning the birthday of Moses, that of Muhammad, and those of such American notables as Joseph Smith, Geronimo and Chief Sitting Bull?

The truth is, to be in accord with the constitution, the Congress of the United States should immediately pass laws abrogating the celebration of "Christmas" as a national holy day (or, as the government prefers to spell it: holiday, in order to "secularize" it). Listen, if they really wanted to "secularize" the season, why could they not select the day of the astronomical Winter Solstice (December 21 or 22) and strip it of all its early pagan significance? Or, they could pick a Sunday (a day already sanctioned) that occurs at least a week before New Years Day as the time to celebrate the ritual. Or, since the government likes to promote religious days, why not celebrate December 25th in one year for "Christmas," then the next year have it on January 6. On the third year they could devise it to be held at the time of the Winter Solstice on December 2l, and then the next year (to satisfy our Muslim citizens) they could have us celebrate "Christmas" at Muhammad’s birthday. This procedure would please everyone (with the exception of all our other religious believers who would demand that the birthdays of their leaders be celebrated). But there are atheists who are citizens who would NOT want any ritual.

The constitution, however, lays down very different proposals and demands! The truth is, the United States government (for us Americans) should get rid of all religious holy days that they now demand public offices should close in order to honor our Savior, Moses’ teachings, or the rituals of Islam. All government "days" for celebration (and for closing up national offices) should have NOTHING to do with any religious time such as maintained by Christians, Jews, Muslims or even native American religious days. The fact is, I am an American citizen in good standing who spent four years serving my country in the Air Force during the Korean War, and I resent having my government in Washington force me to give up my work habits by insisting that I cannot go to any government office on "Christmas day" and not receive proper counter service from that government agency. Now, I have no trouble with July 4th which is our Independence Day (I always celebrate it for secular reasons — because the day is thoroughly "secular"), but I resent the government forcing me to abide by their insistence and observance of a Roman Catholic and Protestant holy day of which I disagree because of its pagan and heathen origins. Certainly, if people in government offices want off work on that day, I believe allowances could be made as long as a skeleton crew would be on hand to service the rest of us citizens who do not observe such things. Besides, December 25th is NOT Jesus birthday. I have shown in my research book titled "The Star that Astonished the World" that he was born on September 11 in the year 3 B.C. Why not celebrate the nativity at the true time? Of course, Santa Claus would then have to come in swimsuit in the northern hemisphere because of the heat. The fact is, NO DATE is biblical.

I have another gripe and it is an important one from a Christian point of view. Most Christian organizations such as we at ASK have a hard time meeting financial obligations in the month of December. Why? Because Christians are out buying gifts and spending their money on other holiday affairs (such as their office parties, school parties, etc.) and forget all about giving important gifts to Christ for the teaching of His Gospel to the world. I sincerely hope and pray that all of you who have your hearts in the work of ASK will not let us down during the month of December, but that you will faithfully continue your generous contributions during that month.

In closing, I want to mention that in early November 1 was interviewed for three hours on the Jeff Rense Talk Show (now on over 200 radio stations in the USA). Mr. Rense was very enthusiastic about my new book on the location of the Temples. The show was a success. We had over a thousand new "hits" on our Web Site. For you who wish to listen to the three hours’ interview (or buy a tape), check the Jeff Rense Web Page or his office at 1-888-836-4670.

Last month I advertised a continuation of research on my Angel’s series. I must postpone that article until next month because I do not have time to devote to its composition at this time. I am going to a meeting of the Society for Biblical Literature (where 8000 scholars from the various Universities and Seminaries from around the world are meeting). I have a booth at the Conference in which I will be showing a display of my books, but especially the new information on the proper location of the Temples. This month I am sending with this Newsletter my new research showing that the Temple was shaped like a TOWER (or a skyscraper). With the New Year, however, I plan to complete my Angel’s research and soon thereafter to publish the complete book. Again I wish to thank you for your continued support of ASK. We certainly need your help at this time of the year. It seems like the harvest is great, but we need your full support to keep teaching the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the world. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your encouragement. May God bless you in all ways. Until next month, 

Ernest L. Martin