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THE QUESTION
Faith in 2010
As voted by the Religion Newswriters Association's members, among the year's most consequential religion newsmakers were Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Pope Benedict XVI, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, and the U.S. bishops.
How would you have ranked them? Has their influence been harmful or constructive? What issue or person do you expect to have the biggest impact in the year to come?
(H/T: Cathy Lynn Grossman at Faith and Reason)
Posted by
On Faith on December 27, 2010 12:49 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Thank you Julia Roberts for keeping us Hindus in the loop
We wholeheartedly welcome Julia (and we are thankful to RNA also for at least keeping us in their system), but Hinduism, being the oldest and third largest religion with about one billion adherents, is much more than that and it went through lot of noteworthy issues during 2010.
Posted by Rajan Zed, on December 31, 2010 4:54 PM
Religious newsmakers disappointing
Religious leaders who made the news did not do all that much to lead or inspire people to get closer to God. At the end of the day, it felt like religious newsmakers were religious noise makers, more interested in protecting themselves than leading people to God.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on December 30, 2010 3:19 AM
Unsung heroes (good news is good business)
The latest top ten list issued by the Religion Newswriters Association omitted at least three groundbreaking developments in the realm of civil rights.
Posted by Rajdeep Singh, on December 28, 2010 2:32 PM
Dig deeper to find the real news
I encourage everyone reading this to dig deeper behind these religion stories, and wonder what questions we aren't asking these public figures who've become so important and influential in our lives.
Posted by Jason Pitzl-Waters, on December 28, 2010 1:29 PM
Big news is bad news
If outer space aliens saw the Religion Newswriters Association's list of top religious newsmakers, they could only conclude that Earth has a pretty miserable spiritual landscape.
Posted by Barry Lynn, on December 28, 2010 12:24 PM
Inspiration: flipping the religion news stories of 2010
Perhaps in 2011 we can be the leaders in finding true religious inspiration behind the negative headlines. Despite all the hype, people do make justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God and each other. Now that's a religion story.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on December 28, 2010 11:50 AM
Koran-burning pastor, Terry Jones gets my vote
Pastor Terry Jones, the Florida-based minister who planned a public Koran burning gets my vote for the most influential American religious figure of 2010. Why? Because he showed us the limits of our fear and rage, or at least the limits of their expression.
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on December 28, 2010 11:09 AM
Church needs media engagement in 2011
We need more of the spirit of Cardinal John O'Connor- unafraid of the media, eager to use mass communications to present the Church's positions, and willing to engage in the battles that will inevitably result.
Posted by Fr. Frank Pavone, on December 28, 2010 10:18 AM
Evangelicals will look for candidate to advance their agenda
The role of the church in politics will continue to be debated in 2011 as evangelical Christians, especially, look for a Republican candidate who can best advance their agenda.
Posted by Cal Thomas, on December 27, 2010 7:32 PM
No good choices
I predict in the coming year, as in past years, I will have reason to quote the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg: "With or without religion, good people will do good things and bad people will do bad things. But for good people to do bad things--that takes religion."
Posted by Herb Silverman, on December 27, 2010 5:04 PM
"Dog bites man" stories selected as top religious news of the year
If Imam Rauf, who plans to deliver many talks around the nation next year, can help bring some honesty to bear on this discussion, he would become a bigger story than the controversy over the mosque.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on December 27, 2010 2:41 PM
Real life faith heroes from 2010
Why is it that we look to the "high and mighty" as the "newsmakers," as the ones who have had the most impact on the world? Isn't the lesson of this season one of the weak overcoming the strong?
Posted by Max Carter, on December 27, 2010 1:29 PM
