About AIR's Authors - Page 2 of 9

Alan The Atheist

Founder, Author

Advancing my knowledge and sharing my new found smarts with others that also seek truth and knowledge.

Alan’s history

Like Davidian, I was sent to Christian schools for my formative years. I was raised in a strict Roman Catholic family in strict Roman Catholic Ireland. I knew very little about other religions except that I was told they were all doing it wrong because they were not like us. The Protestants were the worst of all because of the troubles in Northern Ireland. Having read a theology degree and after moving to UK I had very little to do with religion for a long time.

When in my 30s I married a Muslim woman and converted for the sake of her family. I read Qur’an and lived like a Muslim but never believed. I had four step children and as part of my fatherly duties I was expected to teach them Qur’an and tafisr and hadith. As far as all were concerned apart from my wife I was a practising and believing Muslim. It is however a sin for a Muslim woman to be married to a non-Muslim man and eventually the fear of hellfire was too much for her and she said it was time she donned a headscarf and kept her religion 100%. We went our separate ways.

I have lived a colourful life so far, moving between three countries, beating an addiction in my mid 20’s and without the help of Jesus. Go figure! I am father to 20 year old twin daughters that – although having been educated them as children on religion and God – are following in my footsteps of scepticism and atheism. I have gained some great life experience which can only be attained through an alternative lifestyle.

I joined a few debate groups out of curiosity where I learned a heck of a lot very quickly and found a new love. Physics! Oh and correcting people!! See my article on internet debaters and the groups here.

That brings me neatly to Answers in Reason. Myself and Kriss moderate several debate groups together. When Kriss said he was starting up this project I jumped at the opportunity to put what I have written day in and day out in the debate groups over the past few years down on (virtual) paper.

It has been an honour to stand back-to-back with Kriss for several years now swinging our knowledge swords in the scathing attack of ignorance, indoctrination and abandonment of logic and reason in the groups, but it is now a welcome relief to be left to my own thoughts here and express what I have learned through this medium!