The Day of Lament

  Ημέρα θρήνος  Iméra thrínos

When: 
Last Saturday in July

What:  

     On this day we reflect on the consequences and loss inherited from a pivotal moment in 381 AD, when Emperor Theodosius met with the Council of Constantinople and formally decreed Nicene Christianity as the only legitimate religion of the unified Roman Empire. 

     This marked the beginning of a change in Greek culture where diverse beliefs and animated debates of thought began to be systematically shut down as philosophical schools declined. Church leadership believed they had a "divine" mandate from God to spread their religion to the world. As Roman armies expanded into new territories, the Church followed.

     Traditional cultures in surrounding areas that tried to hold on to ancestral beliefs were branded "heretics".  Jews who refused to convert often faced persecution. Wherever the Church thrived, it merged with the political powers. The union of cross and crown, church and state, became very controlling and often resulted in violence - from the Crusades to the Inquisition to the colonization of early South and Central America. 

    The examples below represent only a fraction of the repression both historically, as well as unfolding across the globe today. While our personal influence may be limited, we retain one powerful tool: the vote. By choosing principled leadership and sound laws, we can safeguard our freedoms and improve the quality of our own lives.

     On this day, we remember the countless diverse intellectual and creative minds and voices throughout history that were silenced as a result of this silencing of scientists, inventors, physicians, philosophers, and writers such as:

• Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 360–415 AD)
A mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, Hypatia was murdered by a Christian mob in Alexandria. Her teachings on Neoplatonism and science were seen as pagan and threatening to the rising Christian orthodoxy.
• Giordano Bruno (1548–1600)
A philosopher and cosmologist who proposed that stars were distant suns with their own planets. He was burned at the stake by the Roman Inquisition for heresy, largely due to his support of heliocentrism and pantheistic beliefs.
• Michael Servetus (1511–1553)
A physician and theologian who discovered pulmonary circulation. He was condemned by both Catholic and Protestant authorities and burned alive in Geneva for his unorthodox views on the Trinity.
• Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)
Though not executed, Galileo was famously tried by the Inquisition and placed under house arrest for supporting Copernicus' heliocentrism (the sun and stars did not rotate around the earth, instead, the earth rotated around the sun), which contradicted Church teachings at the time.
• Lucilio Vanini (1585–1619)
An Italian philosopher who questioned religious dogma and believed the universe was governed by natural laws rather than divine laws, and in biological evolution over creation. He was found guilty of atheism and blasphemy and executed in Toulouse, Italy, his tongue cut out, strangled, and his body burned. 
• Étienne Dolet (1509–1546)
 A Renaissance humanist known for his outspoken critiques of Church doctrine and his rejection of the immortality of the soul — a view considered heretical at the time. He was hanged, then burned with his books, becoming a martyr for free speech, the need for a free press, and the need to resist religious intolerance. 

 

Their contributions — and those of hundreds, perhaps thousands more lost to history — might have advanced humanity in ways we’ll never fully know. 
This day stands as a solemn reminder of what is lost when ideology and dogma replace dialogue. It is a call to defend the freedom of thought, belief, and expression - not just for you, or those you agree with, but for everyone.

 

How is it remembered and observed?
   * As was customary in ancient Greek mourning, black clothing is worn.
   * Rational Hedonist homes have continued the tradition of the hearth fire, honoring Estia (Hestia), the heart and warmth of the home, but, during this day, we extinguish that fire—symbolizing the darkness that spread from 381 CE.  The fire is kept out for the remainder of the day.

   * The Greek letter "theta", ( Θ ) in Theodosius is marked on the bottom of shoes before going outside of the house; thus, the name "Theodosius" or Θεοδόσιος  is stepped on, the game being wiping it out before the end of the day. **

    * Once the night is dark, a festive gathering of family and friends relights the home hearth, commemorating Prometheus’ gift of fire to humanity and Hestia’s flame as the heart of our home. Around this fire, there is laughter as we enjoy life's pleasures with favorite foods, engage in topics of interest, share excerpts from provocative books, plays, poetry, or share thoughts and viewpoints while playing games — continuing the traditions that once cost people their lives. 

   ** (There have been times in history when the "T" or "t" used in the Latin spelling of Theodosius was intentionally made to look like a cross on the bottom of shoes.  Rational Hedonists were wrongly accused of disrespecting or "stepping on the cross" or being enemies of the Church, especially after people forgot the name was once spelled with Greek letters).

 

Why:

     The day is a solemn acknowledgment of historical truths: that in the rise of early Christianity, countless writings, ideas, buildings, and lives were erased simply for failing to conform to the dominant belief system.

     We do not seek to attack faith, but rather, defend freedom — the freedom to think, question, and believe without coercion.

     This is not a condemnation of modern believers — we do not hold people accountable for the actions of their ancestors.  Rather, it is a remembrance of what was lost, and a call to protect open discourse from ever being silenced again.

     And while for us the story begins there, it does not end there.

     Marxist, Communist, and Socialist regimes, while promising utopia, became engines of repression. Their pledges of equality and justice for all were used to justify censorship, purges, and the silencing of dissent through deaths by the millions.

   Soviet Union under Stalin
• Estimated deaths: 20–30 million
• Causes include forced collectivization, purges, gulags, executions, and famine (notably the Holodomor in Ukraine).

     Maoist China
• Estimated deaths: 40–70 million
• Major events: the Great Leap Forward (1958–1962) and the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) led to mass starvation, executions, and persecution.

     Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge
• Estimated deaths: 1.5–2 million
• Roughly a quarter of the population died due to executions, forced labor, and starvation between 1975–1979.

     North Korea
• Estimated deaths: 710,000 to 3.5 million
• Includes deaths from famine, political purges, and concentration camps.

     Other Communist Regimes (Eastern Europe, Cuba, Ethiopia, etc.)
• Estimated deaths: Several million combined
• Includes repression, forced labor, and executions across various regimes.

     Total Estimated Deaths from Communist Regimes
• Over 100 million people killed due to policies, purges, famines, and repression under Marxist-Leninist governments.
These figures focus on civilian casualties caused by state policies. The death tolls referenced here pertain specifically to authoritarian regimes that implemented Marxist-Leninist or Maoist ideologies.

     *Sources include historyofcommunism.org, University of Hawaii System, About History and Reason.com

     We caught just a foreboding touch of this during the COVID-19 pandemic, when governments and institutions, in the name of safety, began imposing sweeping controls over schools, nursing homes, places of worship, restaurants, hospitals, and public discourse; threatening businesses, livelihoods, and even freedom for those who dared questioned or disregard their mandates Alternative medical views were dismissed, informed debate discouraged, and conformity enforced.

     Even well-intentioned systems can slide into authoritarianism when diversity of thought is treated as a threat.

     Many of those who once insisted we must “follow the science” during the COVID outbreak, now ask us to ignore science when it becomes politically and socially inconvenient. When basic biological realities are treated as taboo, reason is replaced with emotional rhetoric, objective truth is replaced with opinions and feelings, and honest inquiry is silenced by labels, censorship, and shaming.

     In recent years, Critical Theory (as opposed to objective truths) -- a Marxist framework once limited to academic-level critiques of power structures -- has leaked down from professors to future teachers and now into children's schools and social media, transforming the culture that shapes education, institutions, and public life.

    As with many historical religions and regimes, once empowered, it used that power to silence Criticism and intimidate critics — weaponizing and overusing words like “Nazi,” “fascist,” “racist,” “supremacist,” and “-phobic” so loosely they have lost meaning through overuse. Worse, it sanctioned hostility toward those who question, critique, or offer alternative perspectives—sometimes even physical aggression. 

  With a shiny rebrand called “woke” ideology (implying nonconformity equals ignorance or willful prejudice), it fueled a sense of moral superiority and entitlement while ironically elevating personal grievance, glorifying victimhood, and training people to be triggered by every manufactured crisis.  Perpetual outrage and anger are physiologically toxic and damage your inner organs as well as your mental health, and keep you in an echo chamber, surrounded by like-minded people. The goal has always been compliance.

     This climate of fragility and perpetual outrage, while proving to be financially advantageous for the medical, mental health, and pharmaceutical industries, is the antithesis of Rational Hedonism.  It offers no path to happiness, no gratitude for what one has, and no maturity to face life’s realities. 

     Ironically and hypocritically, Critical Theory demands we question everything, except ... Critical Theory.

 

     Rational Hedonists stand firmly against the mind rot of all blind ideological extremism — religious, political, or social — that refuses to tolerate dissent, suppresses dialogue, and justifies violence in the name of false righteousness and empty virtue signaling. Disruptive behaviors inconvenience everyone and do not convince or influence anyone. We reject the destruction of property, the silencing of voices through intimidation, and the assault on those who think differently and dare to speak out.

     Such intolerance endangers curiosity, scientific enquiry, and undermines the lifelong pursuit of self‑determination, self-education, and self‑discovery.

     The pattern is clear: when one worldview or ideology is enforced as absolute, diversity of thought dies.
      True progress is not born from shouting down opposition, but from stronger reasoning, better ideas, and open, honest debate. 

     The danger is not belief itself, but the refusal to accept that others may believe differently.

   

     For Rational Hedonists, The Day of Lament is not only a remembrance of the past.
     It is a warning for the present;
     And it is a safeguard for the future.