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Religion News Association released its annual lists of top U.S. and international religion stories last week, which it puts together after surveying its members.
Here’s a look at RNA’s top 10 U.S. religion stories for 2024 — plus, how I covered some of the events.
10. The Trump-Vance and Harris-Walz campaigns put a spotlight on candidates’ unique religious backgrounds.
- What Tim Walz has said about his faith
- What a Kamala Harris presidency could mean for religious freedom
- What religion is Trump?
- What JD Vance has said about his faith
9. The United Methodist Church overturned its ban on openly LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage at its general conference in May.
8. On Election Day, voters in seven states reinforced or expanded access to abortion.
7. Islamophobia surged across the U.S. amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
6. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children.
5. The phenomenon of Christian nationalism gained attention as the presidential election heated up.
4. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms in the state.
3. The war between Israel and Hamas disrupted Jewish and Muslim voters’ relationship with the Democratic Party, complicating Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to victory.
2. Jews raised concerns about facing higher levels of discrimination and harassment.
1. Former President Donald Trump won a second term in the White House with the help of many white Christians.
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Term of the week: New Jersey Buddhist Vihara
The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara in Franklin Township, New Jersey, doesn’t exactly blend in. The monastery and meditation center is home to a 30-foot-tall Buddha statue, which draws in a wide range of worshippers and curious travelers.
“Anybody who comes to that temple, feels so calm and collected once they see that big Buddha. There’s no magic to it. But you have to be there to feel it,” Tulsi Majarjan, a director of the Friends of Nepal-NJ organization, told The Associated Press.
Majarjan and others who frequent the Vihara say it’s well-suited for an area of New Jersey known for its religious diversity. But they also acknowledge that the meditation that takes place there is pretty unique.
“You hear traffic; you hear cars rushing by; you hear airplanes flying above. … You hear the construction work going on,” said Daniel Choi, a Princeton professor who regularly meditates in front of the large Buddha, to the AP. “Even though there are signs that say, ‘Please observe noble silence,’ you have people laughing, chatting, as they’re coming out to give their offerings.”
What I’m reading...
Before she was facing a health crisis in Europe, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was speaking with National Catholic Reporter about receiving communion. Pelosi said she’s asked the Vatican to review the Catholic archbishop of San Francisco’s decision to ban her from the ritual over her stance on abortion.
Attention, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” fans: Did you know that the beloved program was nearly scrapped? The Conversation recently reported on CBS executives’ initial reactions to the short film, noting that they “thought it was too slow, too serious and too different from the upbeat spectacles they imagined audiences wanted. A cartoon about a depressed kid seeking psychiatric advice? No laugh track? Humble, lo-fi animation? And was that a Bible verse?”
Odds and ends
Regular State of Faith readers will remember that I help with Deseret News sports coverage in addition to writing about religion and the Supreme Court. My latest sports story will be a fun read for BYU fans: How BYU dominated the sports world in 2024.