Members of the Religion Newswriters Association did what Time magazine declined to do in its Person of the Year selection. Bin Laden is top ’01
religion newsmaker
By Mary Adamski
madamski@starbulletin.comThe reporters, editors and producers who cover religion in the American secular media chose Osama bin Laden as the top religion newsmaker of 2001.
The survey within the 240-member association concluded that bin Laden impelled world leaders and ordinary citizens to seek information and understanding of Islam and address the implications of Islamic extremism.
He narrowly edged out President Bush, who was nominated for the ways his own religious beliefs intertwine with his politics, such as in the faith-based initiative bill, and in his leadership in the wake of Sept. 11.
Picking the negative force over the positive set the theme for the poll conducted in early December in which members -- including me -- also selected the top 10 religion news stories.
For anyone who thinks religion operates in a serene backwash removed from the rushing currents of life, the list will be an eye opener.
The currents were felt in Hawaii, too.
1. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon led unusually large numbers of Americans to prayer vigils and worship services. It led some to ask, "Where is God in all this?" and others, to reassess their priorities.
2. American Muslims, initially fearing a backlash, found in many places that the reaction was, instead, an outreach effort from non-Muslims offering help and seeking dialogue, with clergy urging congregations to avoid stereotyping.
3. President Bush declared that America's war is not with Islam, but with those who blaspheme it.
It became clearer to Americans that there are differences within the religion, just as in Christianity, as most Islamic countries backed American anti-terror efforts but still some Middle Eastern and Asian Muslims supported bin Laden's claim that the United States is at war with their faith.
4. The debate on the ethics and morality of research on stem cells taken from human embryos has been a key story with faith implications. It took a new turn with Bush's order to limit federal research investment to existing stem cell lines.
5. The prospect of peace between Israelis and Palestinians remains unlikely with numerous breaking news stories about assassinations, suicide bombings in Israel and bulldozing of homes in Gaza and the West Bank.
6. The President's Faith Based Initiative to back church-based programs with federal dollars, criticized by liberals as well as some religious conservatives, was passed by the House in a modified version but is still before the Senate.
7. Books and courses on Islam and the teaching of the Quran find new popularity as Americans seek to understand the global religious context.
8. Pope John Paul II made historic visits to Greece, Syria and Malta, becoming the first pope to visit a Muslim mosque, the Great Mosque in Damascus. His visit to the Ukraine raised the ire of Russian Orthodox leaders who said he is trying to steal their believers.
9. The phenomenon of religion-based books as hot commodities was demonstrated by sales of Bruce Wilkinson's "Prayer of Jabez," based on an obscure biblical reference, and many spinoffs thereof. The End Times theory, fueled by the Book of Revelations and favored by some fundamentalists, found its way to bestseller fiction lists, and the movie screen, in the Left Behind series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LeHaye.
10. Christian missionaries, accused of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, won their freedom after three months of captivity by the Taliban.
Religion stories that did not make the top 10 included the celebration of "full communion" between the 5.2 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the 2.5 million-member U.S. Episcopal Church, allowing them to share clergy and pool resources. And there was the election of the first African American, Bishop Wilton Gregory, as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the election of Greek Orthodox attorney Elenie Huszagh to head the National Council of Churches.
Those were about the only positive stories to make the long list. Everything else underscored the theme that negative makes news. There was Jerry Falwell's claim that God allowed the Sept. 11 terrorism in retribution for the effects in American life of feminists, abortionists and civil libertarians. There were the sexual misadventures of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, and Vatican acknowledgment that nuns in Africa had been sexually abused by priests.
They were all indicators that a reader should start at Page 1 when seeking news about religion in the world today.
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