When: 
Last Saturday in July

What:  
On this day we remember what began in 381 AD as a result of the Council of Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius. It was a time when open-mindedness and the exchange of ideas began to be crushed by intolerance. On this day we reflect on those dark times where loss of reason, debate, and open-mindedness were crushed by . We remember those whose scientific theories, inventions, medical advancements, ideas, art and writings were lost to us. 

 

who had different beliefs and ideologies who were killed as heretics to

 

How is it remembered and observed?
   * As was customary in ancient Greek mourning, black clothing is worn.
   * Rational Hedonist homes continued the tradition of the hearth fire honoring Estia (Hestia), the heart and warmth of the home. During this day, we extinguish the fire—using candles or sand—symbolizing the darkness that spread from 381 CE wherever the church held control. Rational thinking, debate, philosophizing and scientific learning were suppressed. The fire is kept out for the remainder of the day. But in the dark of night, a festive gathering of family and friends relight the home fire. It’s a memory of how the revival of Greek writings brought light back to the world.  Around the fire, we take turns reading excerpts from writing, theater, poetry, or sharing thoughts and viewpoints for discussion — a tradition of learning together. 

   * 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. 

(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).

History:
The Greek tradition left a powerful legacy: rational thought based on reasoning and evidence. They created public spaces for exploring, debating, and advancing questions about a good life, scientific theories, and the laws of our material world. This stood in contrast to superstitious beliefs that attributed everything to gods’ interventions or inaction.

Initially, the Romans embraced Greek intellectual and religious tolerance. But when they declared themselves an all-Christian Empire, it triggered a chain reaction of decline. Over 1500 years of accumulated knowledge, culture, art, science, and philosophy suffered immeasurable destruction.

How do you stomp out discussion in an entire empire spanning countries of a population consisting of rational thinkers, intellectualism and dissenting opinions?
* First, destroy and burn the writings, religious icons, libraries, buildings and temples of all you disagree with and rewrite a new history you can teach your “sheep” to accept as truth.
* Dumb down your people and spread illiteracy so not only can they read other writings and control their ideas and stop free speech, but not even read the Bible and keep it in a language they won't understand.
* Make believing the unbelievable and everything that does not logically make sense an issue of “faith”.
* Make accepting teachings on blind faith the proof of a “real” Christian and questioning punishable.
* Finally, bind them to you by creating a newly introduced fear of eternal hell fire and suffering if they consider wandering off.

To suppress discussion in an entire empire with rational thinkers and dissenting opinions:

1. Erase History: Destroy writings, religious icons, libraries, and temples that disagree with your views. Rewrite a new history to indoctrinate the masses.
2. Promote Illiteracy: Keep people uneducated so they can’t read other ideas or express themselves freely. Even the Bible is kept in an unfamiliar language.
3. Faith Over Reason: Label the unbelievable as a matter of “faith,” discouraging critical thinking.
4. Punish Questioning: Accepting teachings blindly becomes the mark of a “real” Christian. Questioning is punishable.
5. Fear Tactics: Instill fear of eternal hellfire to prevent deviation.

 

The idea that Jesus’ teachings logically led to the Church’s rise after his death is a myth. Even 300 years after Jesus, Christians in Greece and Rome lacked unity. They were considered a cult among many religions. Unlike the Greeks, early Christians debated fiercely about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity aimed to unify Rome. The Council of Nicaea, convened by him, didn’t resolve much but set the stage for future persecution of non-Christians. In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the sole religion of Rome.

 

During the past 300 years which its own followers were subject to persecution by Rome, now, only 80 years later, this newly legal Church, which had taught peace and love, and “Do unto others” while repressed, finally had the opportunity to practice what it preached.
Instead, it turned with a vengeance to destroy every other belief and religion.

* The philosophical schools of Plato, Aristotle, Epicureans and Stoics were forced to close and disperse.
* The Jews were considered “heretics” even though their religion existed before Christianity and Christianity could not have existed without it (wouldn't that make Christianity a heresy of Judaism?).
* Jewish Christians were cut off from church orthodoxy as it chose to sever ties with its Jewish roots and similarities, creating a rift that ironically started down the slope to anti-Semitic teaching.
* Paganism (mostly meaning the Greek and Roman gods) and heretics (any belief different from the Church), was outlawed.
* Gnostics, Ebionites, Arians, Homoeans, Sabellianism – all valid and different Christian viewpoints, no longer had voice and were wiped out.
So successful were they that most Christians are unaware of the existence of these other opinions (or instead taught that they are - surprise! - “heresies”), which would once have altered “fundamental” Christianity.

There was no longer tolerance for free thought and debate; now, only church leadership was able to interpret and understand. Of the many circulated writings, they chose which to include to make up" the Bible”. These books were now considered infallible and inerrant. The common people were thought too lowly to understand the true meaning of Scriptures and God's intent.

 

After 300 years of persecution by Rome, the newly legal Church—previously suppressed—now had the chance to practice what it preached. But instead, it aggressively eradicated other beliefs and religions:

• Philosophical schools like Plato’s, Aristotle’s, Epicureans’, Rational Hedonists’, and Stoics’ were shut down.
• Jews, despite their older religion, were labeled heretics.
• Jewish Christians were cut off from church orthodoxy, leading to anti-Semitic sentiments.
• Paganism (Greek and Roman gods) and heretical beliefs were outlawed.
• Gnostic, Ebionite, Arian, Homoean, and Sabellian viewpoints vanished.

This suppression erased alternative Christian perspectives that could have shaped “fundamental” Christianity. Free thought and debate were no longer tolerated. Only church leaders could interpret the Bible, which they now considered infallible. Common people were deemed too lowly to grasp its true meaning.

How do you stomp out discussion in an entire empire spanning countries of a population consisting of rational thinkers, intellectualism and dissenting opinions?
* First, destroy and burn the writings, religious icons, libraries, buildings and temples of all you disagree with and rewrite a new history you can teach your “sheep” to accept as truth.
* Dumb down your people and spread illiteracy so not only can they read other writings and control their ideas and stop free speech, but not even read the Bible and keep it in a language they won't understand.
* Make believing the unbelievable and everything that does not logically make sense an issue of “faith”.
* Make accepting teachings on blind faith the proof of a “real” Christian and questioning punishable.
* Finally, bind them to you by creating a newly introduced fear of eternal hell fire and suffering if they consider wandering off.

Some of the early teachings and actions of the Christian church enforced with military force might have been considered criminal and an anathema if the Greeks still had controlled the lands of Alexander and Roman politics had not sold only their soul but sold out everyone.

As the tendrils of the Church spread into newly discovered or conquered territory, indigenous people had their cultures and riches plundered and destroyed, wherever the Church grew strong, wealthy, controlling, and intolerant, mixing church and state similar to Roman times, partly responsible for the Crusades and the Inquisition. All to advance the world in the name of the “Holy” Church and for the glory of its loving God and Son.

As a direct result of Theodosius' decree in 381 CE, the combined knowledge and gathered wisdom of over a thousand years of collected history, poetry, plays, science and philosophy not only at the Library at Alexandria, Egypt, but in every large city where there was Greeks cultural influence.

 

To suppress discussion in an entire empire with rational thinkers and dissenting opinions:

1. Erase History: Destroy writings, religious icons, libraries, and temples that disagree with your views. Rewrite a new history to indoctrinate the masses.
2. Promote Illiteracy: Keep people uneducated so they can’t read other ideas or express themselves freely. Even the Bible is kept in an unfamiliar language.
3. Faith Over Reason: Label the unbelievable as a matter of “faith,” discouraging critical thinking.
4. Punish Questioning: Accepting teachings blindly becomes the mark of a “real” Christian. Questioning is punishable.
5. Fear Tactics: Instill fear of eternal hellfire to prevent deviation.

Early Christian actions enforced with military might be considered criminal today. The Church’s spread led to cultural plunder, mixing church and state, and events like the Crusades and the Inquisition. Theodosius’ decree in 381 CE erased centuries of knowledge, from the Library of Alexandria to every city influenced by Greek culture. 

Beautiful artwork and statues were broken and defaced, temples and shrines torn down, such as Apollo's Temple at Delphi.
Original thinkers, philosophers, mathematicians, medical scientists, astronomers, were silenced, imprisoned or killed, including women, such as Hypatia in Alexandria.
He closed the sanctuaries by decree in 392 AD.
In 393, the Pythian, Atkian, and Olympic games were outlawed as Hellenic “idolatry”.
The last remnants of the Eleusinian Mysteries which had continued from around 1500 BCE and had united people throughout Greece for generations, were wiped out in 396 CE, when Christians destroyed and desecrated these old sacred sites and killed the priests.

Unlike what many try to teach, America was not founded as a Christian nation. It was an experiment to carried over the best ideals echoing the Greek democratic system and freedom for all to practice their own religions, Christianity being only one of those. Rational Hedonist and Epicurean writings rediscovered during the Enlightenment influenced Thomas Jefferson that "happiness" was a human right everyone was entitled to pursue.  Although it was edited later, Thomas Jefferson's original draft read:

 

During this period:

• Artwork and statues were destroyed, temples torn down, including Apollo’s Temple at Delphi.
• Original thinkers, philosophers, mathematicians, medical scientists, and astronomers were silenced, imprisoned, or killed. Notably, women like Hypatia in Alexandria suffered.
• Sanctuaries were closed by decree in 392 AD.
• In 393, the Pythian, Atkian, and Olympic games were outlawed as Hellenic “idolatry.”
• The last remnants of the Eleusinian Mysteries, which had united Greeks for generations, were wiped out in 396 CE. Christians destroyed these sacred sites and killed priests.

Contrary to popular belief, America was not founded as a Christian nation. It was an experiment based on Greek democratic ideals and freedom of religion. Rational Hedonist and Epicurean writings rediscovered during the Enlightenment influenced Thomas Jefferson. He believed that “happiness” was a human right for everyone to pursue. Although later edited, Thomas Jefferson’s original draft reflected this perspective.

"We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; ... “

These words appealed to people throughout the world and America became a melting pot of cultures much like ancient Greece. People from all countries came together, bringing their different cultures and religions, uniting by a common language (English) and Constitution, and for the most part, living together amicably while respecting each other's cultural and religious diversity. Our brave police and military soldiers fight daily to protect our rights of freedom of expression, to peacefully assemble and protest. A look at our government buildings in Washington D.C. will show off the influence of Greek architecture.



The Day of Lament is a recognition of the purposeful destruction for all the great beautiful temples of worship, the vast libraries and works of art, the treasures and cultures of lost great minds, voices, scientists, medical scientists, philosophers and those suggesting different religious opinions that were lost as martyrs or silenced, works others could have built on for centuries. Who knows how much further advanced we would have been culturally, what inventions may have been introduced, what religious-based wars that would have never happened? Our world would have been a different place.

The truly sad part is we can never really appreciate the loss and the implications it has had in our world, because they simply ceased to exist.

 

Hidden behind anonymous profiles, immature people often respond thoughtlessly. The inability to discuss hot topics—like political correctness, religion, gender issues, and morality—in an orderly way stems from brainwashed teachings by religious institutions since childhood.

The legacy of Theodosius persists today in close-mindedness and inflexibility. Questioning or listening to the other side can cause anxiety or guilt. These issues will continue until we learn to handle disagreements maturely.

The Day of Lament recognizes the deliberate destruction of temples, libraries, art, and the loss of brilliant minds, scientists, and philosophers. Our world would be different had these voices not been silenced.

Please join us in remembering this day.
Thank you.