Year of violence

Islamic State attacks voted story of 2014 by religion journalists

Syrian refugees arrive at the Turkey-Syria border near Suruc, Turkey, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014.
Syrian refugees arrive at the Turkey-Syria border near Suruc, Turkey, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014.

Attacks by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria were voted as the No. 1 religion story of the year by members of the Religion Newswriters Association and in a repeat of last year, Pope Francis was named the top Religion Newsmaker of the Year.

The Religion Newswriters Association is a worldwide organization "dedicated to helping journalists write about religion with balance, accuracy and insight." Founded in 1949, it includes members from various branches of media. Past and current religion writers for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette have been and are members.

The actions by ISIS that topped the list were condemned by religious groups as the extremists drove the Iraqi army out of Mosul and trapped Yazidi Christians atop a mountain, demanding they convert or be killed. Beheadings of American journalist James Foley and other hostages by members of ISIS also drew condemnation by the United Nations, Christians and Muslim groups.

Coming in at No. 2 was the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to allow closely held companies to claim religious objections to health-care mandates. In the 5-4 vote in June, the court ruled that family-run businesses, including craft store chain Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., can claim religious objections to the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act.

The Associated Press reported that Justice Samuel Alito, in writing for the court, said safeguarding the religious rights of corporations "protects the religious liberty of the humans who own and control those companies."

The court also ruled in favor of Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp., a woodworking business owned by a Mennonite family in Pennsylvania, that also claimed religious objections to the law.

The No. 3 spot was a tie: The escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the kidnapping and murder of civilians, the ongoing war, and struggles over access to the Temple Mount, a site sacred to Jews and Muslims; and the efforts by Pope Francis to reform the Vatican, reach out to the needy and to those of other faiths.

Francis, the top religion newsmaker of the year, was in the headlines throughout the year, speaking out against abortion, torture, war and a "throw-away culture." He met with heads of state, including President Barack Obama, and prayed for peace with President Shimon Peres of Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Francis also visited Israel and the Palestinian territory, canonized three popes, publicly admonished the Mafia and continued reshaping the Vatican. The pontiff also met with survivors of clergy sex abuse and began assembling a commission to advise the Vatican on ways to protect children.

Mainline Protestants and same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay clergy came in at No. 4. The high-profile trial of the Rev. Frank Schaefer, a United Methodist minister, made headlines when he was defrocked for performing his gay son's wedding. Schaefer was later reinstated. In June the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to allow pastors to perform same-sex marriages in states where those marriages are legal, removing a ban of such practices in place since 1991. The largest province of the Moravian Church voted to approve the ordination of homosexuals.

The Ebola outbreak in Africa and the many faith-based health-care workers trying to save those stricken with the disease was No. 5 on the list. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, medical missionaries for Samaritan's Purse and SIM (Serving In Mission) respectively, both contracted the disease, were flown to the United States and survived. Other aid workers continued the work despite the danger.

The remaining top stories:

• President Obama's executive action on immigration was seen as good news by many Mainline Protestant leaders, as well as Hispanic evangelists.

• Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi won the Nobel Peace Prize. Yousafzai, a 17-year-old Pakistani Muslim, was shot by the Taliban for speaking out for the right of girls to be educated, while Satyarthi, a Hindu, was honored for fighting for the rights of children in India.

• Faith-based groups stepped in to lead peaceful protests in Ferguson, Mo., following the grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer in the death of an unarmed black teenager.

• Women made news in the world of religion. The Church of England voted to allow women to serve as bishops, breaking centuries of tradition. Women also won the right to be ordained in 2015 in the Seventh-day Adventist church, and women were selected to lead prominent mainline churches in Chicago, Washington and New York.

The final story in the top 10 was also a tie, between the election of Narendra Modi, a Hindu, as prime minister of India and fears by religious minorities that they will face discrimination, and "The Year of the Bible" in theaters, with faith-based films such as Noah; Exodus: Gods and Kings; God's Not Dead; and Son of God making money at the box office.

The Religion Newswriters Association has conducted its Top 10 Religion News Stories of the Year since the early 1970s.

Religion on 12/27/2014

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