Atheist Zone | Simon Paynton | Mentions https://atheistzone.com/members/simonpaynton/activity/mentions/ Activity feed mentioning Simon Paynton. Mon, 04 May 2026 06:03:53 +0000 https://buddypress.org/?v= en-US 30 hourly 2 0b1f951688ad6483bb124fe36b8e8938 King Iyk replied to the topic A Formal Mathematical Model of The Holy Trinity. in the forum Atheism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/a-formal-mathematical-model-of-the-holy-trinity/page/5/#post-59468 Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:02:27 +0000 @simonpaynton

You are right about one thing, but wrong about what it implies.

Yes: AI can verify internal logical consistency.
No: that does not mean what is being evaluated here is “mere formal validity detached from reality.”

Your critique assumes a sharp divide between logical validity and empirical reality, and then assumes this proof liv…[Read more]

]]> feb3a813d3b258635bc083cc5f8e5742 Strega replied to the topic Sunday School August 10th 2025 in the forum Sunday School https://atheistzone.com/groups/sunday-school/forum/topic/sunday-school-august-10th-2025/#post-58408 Sun, 10 Aug 2025 18:57:11 +0000 @simonpaynton

“Murder is wrong”.  You are presenting this as a choice. We choose not to murder because it’s wrong.

But that’s not what stops us from randomly killing annoying people.  We don’t think “I want to throttle you but I’d better not because it’s wrong”.

I mock myself for my revulsion of killing. I ridicule my efforts to get a fl…[Read more]

]]> 8185e5b6dd94d2bb811748045a1743fb PopeBeanie replied to the topic That’s Church yo… in the forum Small Talk https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/thats-church-yo/page/3/#post-46060 Sun, 11 Dec 2022 04:39:28 +0000

jakelafort wrote:
I simply wonder how ritualized behavior originates and becomes coded.

Just guessing at an example, a ritualized behavior might have been facilitated by an odd genetic mutation, e.g. a vocal tract optimization that enhances communication just enough to help the vocalizer sound sexy and communicate juicy love (and so on) so he can…[Read more]

]]> b4f6f1eab182a5549e44e589fc808f2d JadeBlackOlive replied to the topic Greetngs, Fellow Non-Believers! in the forum Introductions https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/greetngs-fellow-non-believers/#post-33523 Wed, 14 Oct 2020 21:05:29 +0000 @SimonPaynton

”Good luck to them, but that’s the noisiest, busiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

No, it isn’t. I don’t know where you looked, but the site I’m on is very quiet.

 

]]> 5883c66124b3a1c1bcbc855610941cb6 fullermingjr replied to the topic Hello All in the forum Introductions https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/hello-all/#post-32067 Fri, 03 Jul 2020 11:50:11 +0000 Greetings Anth Dee – @infjempath.  No, your introduction was not too long.  By the way, I happen to NOT be an Atheist but a theist of the christian verity, and I’m black, African American, or whatever were called now days.   I’m very happy that you failed at your attempt!  Of course, @simonpaynton said, “Religious people can be unspeakably crue…[Read more]

]]> 80aed709850355c40df6b4e7399bbd75 fullermingjr replied to the topic Confederate Symbols in the forum Politics https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/confederate-symbols/page/5/#post-32024 Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:25:10 +0000 @simonpaynton, Simon – thank you for your response.  The idea of upholding or violating a norm, or hindering or promoting a shared value may be a good enough answer to my question.  I’ll have to do more homework because, of course, collective values change over time, but this is a good place to start.  Yet, for just about every society that has ev…[Read more]

]]> 66c4edd7501f4f092cca39d0560581de Jody Lee replied to the topic Atheist seeking spirituality? in the forum Atheism and Spirituality https://atheistzone.com/groups/atheism-and-spirituality/forum/topic/atheist-seeking-spirituality/#post-27723 Sun, 18 Aug 2019 15:05:39 +0000 @simonpaynton

Throughout my life I’ve used many different types of crutches. I’m 35 now with a little more wisdom and still a lot left to gain. I am ready for a stronger more long term crutch. I have spent part of the morning reading over the Healing Principle. I want to print it off to be a bit more thorough in my reading and to be able to make…[Read more]

]]> 71e85f266de28c86e6c4f75274379ad4 PopeBeanie replied to the topic Prime Numbers in the forum Small Talk https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/prime-numbers/#post-26073 Sat, 27 Apr 2019 04:53:19 +0000 Doh! I see typos, at least, and some missing clarity. I’ll adjust the post after seeing the Feynman link.

@SimonPaynton Sieve of Eratosthenes is what I was trying to explain that costs too much programming-wise and in the computer resources it requires. And the more efficient sieve algorithms mentioned in that same wikipedia article make my head…[Read more]

]]> 5272c622cc1b68f8f160ff71f4a917e9 Strega replied to the topic What are all the reasons you don’t believe in Jesus? in the forum Advice https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/what-are-all-the-reasons-you-dont-believe-in-jesus/page/3/#post-25574 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 03:51:32 +0000 @simonpaynton There wasn’t any hell until Jesus turned up.

]]> 3fa6c6978bdf3cbc77db58526cd68209 Strega replied to the topic Sunday School January 20th 2019 in the forum Sunday School https://atheistzone.com/groups/sunday-school/forum/topic/sunday-school-january-20th-2019/page/2/#post-25216 Tue, 22 Jan 2019 18:05:49 +0000 @simonpaynton

”Without meaning, life is meaningless”

Was this statement worth the font it was written in?  It’s more fun to note that without Ruth, life is ruthless.

I don’t have an award for stating the obvious, but if I did, I’d be awarding it for that one

]]> 10fb17f2108584cb073ae8bb5fc4b1ca Strega replied to the topic Sunday School January 20th 2019 in the forum Sunday School https://atheistzone.com/groups/sunday-school/forum/topic/sunday-school-january-20th-2019/#post-25188 Sun, 20 Jan 2019 21:05:26 +0000 @simonpaynton Re meaning or lack thereof.

Who do you want to matter to?  Why do you want to matter? Why do you feel your life ought to have meaning? Where does the desire for meaning come from?

]]> 9e40b04f027832af8dc99834547d6639 Davis replied to the topic Let's talk about abortion in the forum Small Talk https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/lets-talk-about-abortion/page/3/#post-10319 Fri, 27 Jul 2018 23:01:36 +0000 @simonpaynton That’s precisely what they said multiple times quite directly. To read their paper and conclude otherwise, is to pull a Steven Pinker.

]]> 0de11fc15731670331d87115d524addf Strega replied to the topic Why We Need Religion in the forum Theism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/why-we-need-religion/#post-9817 Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:25:52 +0000 @simonpaynton So the stick is more potent than the carrot.  If you’re a donkey. No big surprise then.  Moral:- don’t be a donkey.

]]> 7a0f8525e7aeebb64b3d11316f4138e1 Strega replied to the topic Can there be an atheistic religion? in the forum Theism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/can-there-be-an-atheistic-religion/page/5/#post-9663 Mon, 11 Jun 2018 16:15:30 +0000 @simonpaynton You’re saying that we are fools to discard two petty metaphors that are actually irrelevant to the religion?  I’m still trying to understand where foolishness comes in and what I would lose, to my detriment, by discarding all religious speech as spouting nonsense.

You said we would be fools to ignore certain religious content.  Wha…[Read more]

]]> 395651a91e17b281267c6a6816aba2ab Strega replied to the topic Can there be an atheistic religion? in the forum Theism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/can-there-be-an-atheistic-religion/page/5/#post-9658 Mon, 11 Jun 2018 12:39:34 +0000 @simonpaynton I am still waiting to hear what it is in religion that is so special and useful that I’d be a fool to throw it away.  That some religions mirror some aspects of morality is not a surprise, because humans carry that morality within them, and it will inevitably spill out into any religion they come up with.  But you have stated tha…[Read more]

]]> 2b0cc5917b515ceec825919a7020022d Strega replied to the topic Can there be an atheistic religion? in the forum Theism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/can-there-be-an-atheistic-religion/page/4/#post-9644 Sun, 10 Jun 2018 15:03:01 +0000 So if I don’t know about a mustard seed as an analogy for something, that makes me a fool?  That I cannot be wise without a rock in some water?  I’ve already told you the Golden rule has nothing to do with religion, other than being claimed by an assortment of them.

Love god?  What the fuck has that got to do with wisdom?

Again, @simonpaynton, wh…[Read more]

]]> 8a4eb9c27a270f299b4cf05654dd9103 Strega replied to the topic Can there be an atheistic religion? in the forum Theism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/can-there-be-an-atheistic-religion/page/4/#post-9634 Sat, 09 Jun 2018 13:33:41 +0000 @simonpaynton what exactly would I be throwing away when I throw away everything religion related?  “Some stuff” doesn’t really enlighten me.

]]> a0cb73bfa8399c9483589fb4b185ce94 Strega replied to the topic Can there be an atheistic religion? in the forum Theism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/can-there-be-an-atheistic-religion/page/3/#post-9626 Fri, 08 Jun 2018 22:19:03 +0000 @simonpaynton You said  “if we abandon all religion as having zero value, we are fools”.  What in religion, should we abandon religion altogether, would we not have?  Why would we be fools?  What would we lose that is otherwise unavailable?

The Golden rule has nothing to do with religion, other than occasionally being co-opted by a religio…[Read more]

]]> dc7e98ed8592a41679059124a2b8c228 PopeBeanie replied to the topic Writers, tell about your offerings here in the forum Bookish atheists https://atheistzone.com/groups/bookish-atheists/forum/topic/writers-tell-about-your-offerings-here/#post-8481 Tue, 27 Mar 2018 20:43:09 +0000 @simonpaynton I wouldn’t call myself a blogger, yet, as most of my writing is here (and TA) atm. I do have a different identity at some other websites, but I’m not ready to disclose them publicly (because of some of my anti-Scientology rants), and other websites where I publicly store links and themed resources under my real name. I do have a…[Read more]

]]> 359855130d6ab9e2b1aa43f94bc71ac3 Strega replied to the topic Sunday School March18th 2018 in the forum Sunday School https://atheistzone.com/groups/sunday-school/forum/topic/sunday-school-march18th-2018/#post-8333 Sun, 18 Mar 2018 18:45:02 +0000 No @simonpaynton they are not fundamentals of religion, they are fundamentals of humanity. Religion reflects humanity, but only the religious try to claim origins of morality.

]]> 58d0247c9466d2acfba04289c14fe53c Strega replied to the topic Sunday School March 4th 2018 in the forum Sunday School https://atheistzone.com/groups/sunday-school/forum/topic/sunday-school-march-4th-2018/page/2/#post-8138 Wed, 07 Mar 2018 13:51:37 +0000 @simonpaynton Are you describing religion as the dark side of the moon and atheism as the lit up side?  As a mega Pink Floyd fan, the words appeal to me but I’m totally lost as to the metaphor you are trying to use.

]]> e8b8dd2bf7f2e262476dbda038124a7b Strega replied to the topic Above the law and why we cannot allow theist freedom in the forum Theism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/above-the-law-and-why-there-we-cannot-allow-relilgious-freedom/#post-4551 Sat, 02 Sep 2017 20:59:06 +0000 @simonpaynton yes, good call.  I have a pitchfork (legacy from my satanist rituals I developed too much sloth over) which I might use on odd looking lumps in my garden.

]]> c3aed0d16415104cacb7cae55cb6b4bb Strega replied to the topic Failed Conversion in the forum Atheism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/failed-conversion/page/9/#post-4309 Fri, 25 Aug 2017 15:57:08 +0000 @simonpaynton Simon, if you think I’m riding roughshod over statistical analysis, you do not understand statistical analysis.  You as an individual do not provide sufficient variety to form a statistic.  You need to combine a lot of people to reach statistical data requirements – the more people, the more likely a statistical finding is useful.  …[Read more]

]]> 0e834171588183a54ce78c687fc01c1b Strega replied to the topic Failed Conversion in the forum Atheism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/failed-conversion/page/9/#post-4298 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 03:18:20 +0000 @simonpaynton Say what you mean, Simon.  What are you insinuating?  That there’s a supernatural entity affecting your life purposefully?

]]> 8607e623cac1eeda7baa0d7c6c3111a3 Strega replied to the topic Failed Conversion in the forum Atheism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/failed-conversion/page/8/#post-4295 Wed, 23 Aug 2017 21:42:32 +0000 @simonpaynton Simon, please don’t tell me you are suspecting supernatural forces of working in your favour.  Please don’t.

]]> bbf7172c113b698df8d2aed12e996f3a PopeBeanie replied to the topic Failed Conversion in the forum Atheism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/failed-conversion/page/7/#post-4267 Tue, 22 Aug 2017 21:16:51 +0000 @SimonPaynton yeah, I can’t explain that. 🙂 I can only imagine the large variety of explanations for it that people around the world would volunteer!

]]> 73f6774cfd49b58719162e26e31032e2 Strega replied to the topic What is God? in the forum Theism https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/what-is-god/page/5/#post-3703 Thu, 20 Jul 2017 15:34:31 +0000 @Simonpaynton you have to be kidding me, right?  You’re using the Bible to support your theory?  So on this tiny blue dot, in a nano-moment of time, in a tiny corner of the tiny planet, a bunch of men collected the musings of another bunch of men, then selectively bound them and called them “The book” and this is your evidence?  I had to check tw…[Read more]

]]> a8f3e4d5617155f49b51d29dd6372569 Strega replied to the topic The Strong See Brutalizing the Weak As Their Prerogative. Only the... in the forum Politics https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/the-strong-see-brutalizing-the-weak-as-their-prerogative-only-the/page/4/#post-3680 Wed, 19 Jul 2017 22:36:53 +0000 @Simonpaynton The whole ‘thrive’ concept smacks of Ayn Rand, looking out for yourself.  The co-operation aspect is simply more Ayn Rand looking out for others only because it benefits yourself.  If it were not so, philanthropists would make up the bulk of our populations.  Instead, we have the opposite.

Humanity will most probably join the ot…[Read more]

]]> 188bb92b6ba7bb35edce3e2adf707caa caseydorman replied to the topic The Strong See Brutalizing the Weak As Their Prerogative. Only the... in the forum Politics https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/the-strong-see-brutalizing-the-weak-as-their-prerogative-only-the/page/4/#post-3666 Wed, 19 Jul 2017 18:11:30 +0000 @simonpaynton– I’m afraid I differ with all of your points.

Evolution is a process of mutational changes that increase survival being selected by environmental conditions so that they have an advantage in reproductive success. There is no pressure to improve, raw or otherwise.  When environmental circumstances change, reproductive success is…[Read more]

]]> 2aa3e4f546ed17dd92fb6ddf9ed234d4 caseydorman replied to the topic The Strong See Brutalizing the Weak As Their Prerogative. Only the... in the forum Politics https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/the-strong-see-brutalizing-the-weak-as-their-prerogative-only-the/page/3/#post-3654 Wed, 19 Jul 2017 14:28:22 +0000 @simonpaynton  Good question and the answer is yes. In my book I provide some quotes by both Gandhi and MLK, Jr. with regard to their spirituality—one rooted in Hinduism and the other in Christianity—which underlay their  belief in nonviolence. I believe that most of the leaders of nonviolent movements have had a religious basis to their work…[Read more]

]]> b61ab226c290a2b3084ec7aade19cfd4 lebneni-murtad replied to the topic Why I left Islam in the forum Introductions https://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/why-i-left-islam/#post-3459 Mon, 03 Jul 2017 21:16:01 +0000 @SimonPaynton Did evangelical christianity helped create New atheism?

Did they also contribute to the rise of Atheism itself?

]]> 072f03e6dc4f04684212461c9b10c8bc Davis replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/5/#post-2204 Wed, 05 Aug 2015 01:55:52 +0000

Strega wrote:@Simonpaynton. You are seriously setting Davis up for what you believe will be a disaster? If I had information on how to persuade someone to do something I believed would damage them, I think I’d be keeping that to myself!

It’s not the fact that nothing is going to happen to @Davis that would not have happened if he hadn’t bruta…

[Read more]

]]> f8f879546068a0b3b071cf2900cce99d Strega replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/5/#post-2180 Tue, 04 Aug 2015 19:45:28 +0000 @Simonpaynton. You are seriously setting Davis up for what you believe will be a disaster? If I had information on how to persuade someone to do something I believed would damage them, I think I’d be keeping that to myself!

It’s not the fact that nothing is going to happen to @Davis that would not have happened if he hadn’t brutalized the cards.…[Read more]

]]> 3517eec59bf4567508bed19ba5030de5 Strega replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/4/#post-2174 Tue, 04 Aug 2015 18:29:53 +0000 @Simonpaynton. Exactly how do you propose to evidence the absence of bad luck? It’s rather tricky to prove the absence of something, as you know from trying to evidence atheism as the position of reason.

If @Davis runs out of toothpaste the day after he ate garlic, is that bad luck? If he doesn’t get a promotion he was hoping for, is that bad…[Read more]

]]> 8b48133cc8720f3c09c82161c0bbde6c Strega replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/4/#post-2158 Tue, 04 Aug 2015 13:56:12 +0000 @simonpaynton as far as I recall, you think horoscopes work too. These sorts of beliefs might stem from a need to place order and predictability on what would otherwise be perceived as a chaotic and random existence. It seems to give reassurance that there’s a big master plan out there that humans can tap into.

Honestly Simon, if you took one…[Read more]

]]> 8d4f7f325937f4c6c8918000bb3194f2 Simon Mathews replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/4/#post-2141 Tue, 04 Aug 2015 11:30:09 +0000 @simonpaynton – That is a good answer as it contains no woo and is straightforward. I agree with the part that the act of shuffling the cards will result in a different configuration for each person, which could be said to be a reflection of their part in the grand cause and effect scheme of things. I can even understand that if the symbols on the…[Read more]

]]> 898903a83522345f39a5b030b23dde70 Davis replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/4/#post-2086 Mon, 03 Aug 2015 12:51:17 +0000 Sorry @simonpaynton but, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you give a Dr. Bob answer. My question is…what kind of mechanism do you think lies behind the cards revealing information. They are, after all, pre-fabricated pieces of plastic/paper with ink. Do the cards take on extra properties? Does it have to do with quantum entanglement? Is…[Read more]

]]> 2503bfc1326b0a2161799852ddb6d775 Simon Mathews replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/4/#post-2085 Mon, 03 Aug 2015 12:35:23 +0000

Simon Paynton wrote:@Davis – it’s just a strong pattern that I notice, and that people remark upon. People who disrespect Tarot cards always seem to have something terrible happen to them soon after. Why, I don’t know. The cards seem to have some kind of dark forces associated with them.

My friend had a Tarot reading from the same lady I go…

[Read more]

]]> 1699d811d28bb14ba093f727871688b2 Strega replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/2/#post-1469 Sun, 26 Jul 2015 15:07:34 +0000 @SimonPaynton I don’t think you have thought this “life after death” thing through completely. Let’s say I get hit by a car and it damages my brain, so I’m semi-vegetative. Do I get my old brain back? Let’s say I have epilepsy, or perhaps another mental disorder. Is that cured? Would I even be the same person if it was? How about a small…[Read more]

]]> f15a60794a1fae6bb923e2ae20e2f284 Winter Lily replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/page/2/#post-1305 Sat, 25 Jul 2015 15:54:39 +0000 @SimonPaynton I think life after death is what most people dream of happening because the fact that it just goes dark is hard for most people to feel comfortable about I’ll even admit that it makes me a bit uncomfortable sometimes. But the truth is and always will be:

“There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a t…[Read more]

]]> f45a9e618e882b73bc241c7467fcf60c Winter Lily replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/#post-1233 Thu, 23 Jul 2015 14:28:28 +0000 @SimonPaynton I looked at your website and I think it’s really cool, thank you for the link.

]]> 65ca12f2f553f9e997208039bab49dc0 Winter Lily replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/#post-1228 Thu, 23 Jul 2015 14:10:32 +0000 @SimonPaynton @Steveinco For me spiritual simply means to feel a deep connection to say for example nature and/or to deeply admire something like for example science. I don’t know if feeling a connection with something is an emotion, which perhaps it is. Perhaps being spiritual simply means feeling deeply emotional about something because that’s…[Read more]

]]> 84f79c590787f5ea806043220d9e2e85 Simon Mathews replied to the topic Spiritual atheist. in the forum Atheism http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/spiritual-atheist/#post-1214 Thu, 23 Jul 2015 08:48:42 +0000 @earthheart, “spiritual” is one of those terms that people use freely without defining what they mean by it. The two examples you have given seem like they are talking about experiences being emotional rather than spiritual. In which case the question would be “Can an atheist be emotional?”. To which the answer is obviously yes.

Would you be able…[Read more]

]]> 7e851e968c47a7b218df048d8f3c5128 More Real Than Any God (Mr Tag) replied to the topic Reeling from Christian friend's bigotry in the forum Advice http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/reeling-from-christian-friends-bigotry/page/5/#post-541 Sun, 12 Jul 2015 19:15:19 +0000 I wish I had more time to comment, but I’m in mid-move.

I love the thread’s (slight) meandering from my original post (thanks for acknowledging that pseudo hijacking, @MrBob!).

@SimonPaynton: Hrmmm… Simon’s vs. Sam’s take on “religion.” With respect, I defer to him, as I’d wager he’s done far more homework on and put far more careful thought…[Read more]

]]> 1eca0612a1a98f9682d3be1f91e01965 SteveInCO replied to the topic Reeling from Christian friend's bigotry in the forum Advice http://atheistzone.com/forums/topic/reeling-from-christian-friends-bigotry/page/4/#post-510 Sun, 12 Jul 2015 17:08:50 +0000 @Strega and @SimonPaynton

I took “the evolutionary base for mysticism” to be a reference to recent work highlighted by J Anderson Thompson, where for various evolutionary reasons, we are predisposed to make some cognitive errors, such as seeing agency in events when it isn’t there. (The idea being that if you are wandering around in the tall…[Read more]

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