The Amish community, which inspired the world with acts of forgiveness after a Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting, has been named the newsmaker of the year by the Religion Newswriters Association and Beliefnet

Christian Century, Jan 9, 2007

The Amish community, which inspired the world with acts of forgiveness after a Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting, has been named the newsmaker of the year by the Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) and Beliefnet. The multifaith spirituality Web site Beliefnet.com said December 14 that the Amish community topped its list of newsmakers for demonstrating "courage, forgiveness, self-sacrifice and love'" after a gunman entered an Amish schoolhouse in October and killed five girls before taking his own life.

"They really taught everyone how to live our faith and values in a vivid way," said Beliefnet editor Steven Waldman. The Amish were also rated the year's top newsmaker in a separate poll of RNA members. The association's nearly 150 religion journalists ranked the angry Muslim reaction to the publication of Muhammad cartoons in several European nations as the top religion news story of the year.