Christian and pagan symbolism seen at the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was the top religion news story of the year, according to a survey of the Religion News Association’s members.
The Taliban reimposing Islamist rule in Afghanistan and the U.S. Supreme Court taking on abortion laws in Mississippi and Texas were second and third, respectively, in the 72-year-old trade group’s annual survey of religion reporters and editors.
And President Biden, the second Roman Catholic to hold the office, was voted the “Religion Newsmaker of the Year,” beating out Pope Francis, who arguably remains the world’s most prominent spiritual leader.
Other news stories in the “top 10” spanned a range of societal and faith-based issues. The list included the thousands of private-sector and government employees seeking religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates and Mr. Biden’s inauguration amid pushback from some Catholic bishops over his pro-abortion stance.
Another top story: Gallup reported in 2021 that membership in U.S. houses of worship fell below 50% for the first time in the 80 years the polling firm has tracked the subject. Only 47% of Americans said they belong to a church, mosque or synagogue in 2020, down from 50% two years earlier.
Religious attendance issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic was No. 7 in the association’s survey. Many congregations returned to in-person worship, but attendance remained below pre-2020 figures.
Canadian investigations of religious schools for Indigenous children was voted the eighth most important story of the year. The discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves for Native children at the schools prompted new investigations into the organizations that ran such institutions in the U.S. and Canada.
Rounding out the top 10 were two stories related to the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination: One was the departure of American Bible teacher Beth Moore, who broke with the SBC and its publishing house over “sexism and misogyny” in the 14 million-member denomination, its handling of sexual abuse cases and some Baptists’ support for President Donald Trump.
The other was the election of Ed Lytton, described as a “centrist” as SBC president, besting more conservative candidates.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, also a Catholic, was second in the newsmaker category, and the Taliban were third. Pope Francis was fifth, behind Mrs. Moore.
Two other contenders for top newsmaker: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first American Indian Cabinet secretary, who launched a probe of government- and church-run boarding schools for Indigenous children and took steps to protect land considered sacred by American Indians. And Pat Robertson, whose retirement as “700 Club” host capped a decades-long career of religious broadcasting and political activism.
A complete list of stories considered for “most important” honors can be found at https://www.rna.org/news/news.asp?id=590576.
DISCLOSURE: Mark A. Kellner is a member of the Religion News Association but did not cast a ballot in the 2021 survey.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.
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