Kansas City Star quotes LaBouff in report on American atheists

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

May 2, 2017 UMaine in the News

The Kansas City Star interviewed Jordan LaBouff, an assistant professor of psychology and honors at the University of Maine, for the article, “26 percent of Americans are atheist? Researchers say the godless are undercounted.” Atheists remain largely out of view and broadly disliked, according to the article. “Fundamental atheists,” according to one social psychologist, refers to people who aggressively make the argument that belief in God is for suckers, the article states. “Those people are more rare than other atheists … but they represent the only time someone knows they’re hearing from an atheist,” said LaBouff, who has studied religion and prejudice. He said even growing contact with more ordinary atheists — people who often buy the ethical truths of religious Scripture even if they can’t accept supernatural elements as fact — might not dramatically reduce prejudice. “People implicitly trust members of other religions more than they trust an atheist,” LaBouff said. “We sort of assume that people who don’t believe in a big scary God that might punish you for bad behavior are going to be less moral.” The Bangor Daily News also published the Kansas City Star report.