Spencer is originally from Wales, but has spent most of his life in Canada. He is a lifelong atheist, with atheist parents, and grandparents. God, in his home, was an alien subject.
Hearing about god(s) for the first time as a child was strange and literally unbelievable. Of course, as a child, religion does not come up a lot (or at least it didn’t in the late ’70s in Timmins, Ontario) among his peers. But when asked about his religion, Spencer would always answer “orthodox”. This would, of course, beg the question, “orthodox, what?”, whereby he could answer, “orthodox atheist”. This led to confusion by his peers, but amusement to him.
Spencer has always had an unrelenting fascination with religion and its attraction. When he was in university and studied psychology, it was a perfect opportunity to look at religion as a psychological construct. When he became a mental health worker it was another opportunity to see the role that religion played, and didn’t play, in one’s life.
Curiosity led ultimately to activism as he became frustrated with how religion is used to hold back science, hijacks morality, and is generally is an affront to reason. Online activism in skeptic and atheist circles culminated in him leading local atheist and humanist groups in Sudbury, Ontario and then organizing atheist conferences around Southern Ontario. He helped raise an amazing son, not with atheism, but with critical thinking. He is happy to have some of that role reversed, as his son often educates and challenges him on the topics that his son is passionate about.
Spencer enjoys living in the Niagara Region, teaching his students how to be excellent helping professionals, seeing his patients make progress with their mental health, cooking a mean Thai Chicken Curry with basil from his garden, and washing it down with lashings of “Sinister Minister”, an excellent craft beer, made by a local brewery in the basement of a former church.