Sites list top religion stories of 2012

For Religion Newswriters Association and Huffington Post, a top story was how faith played a role in the wake of 20 first-graders and six adults being gunned down at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. "Religious leaders sought to console a stunned public and to discern religion’s role in future debates about mental health and gun control," the RNA news release said.

Before the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings, the RNA list was topped by U.S. Catholic bishops opposing the Obamacare mandate that insurance coverage for contraception be provided for employees. More than 40 lawsuits filed against the government claiming the mandate violates religious freedom guaranteed under the Constitution and federal law made the contraception mandate the top story for 2012, according to Religion Clause, a blog that follows religious liberty developments around the world.