The new year may be upon us but that also means it is time for some reminiscing. The following are the top ten most viewed (ie, clicked through) news items from Atheist News Buzz and @anatheistnews on Twitter for the year 2009:

(1) Parents in faith-healing death sentenced to probation; 30 days jail (261 views)

Convicted on second-degree reckless homicide charges in the faith-healing death of their daughter, the parents of Madeline Neumann today were sentenced today to probation. Each parent will also serve 30 days in jail over the next six years….

(2) Lawsuit against science center over creationist film (232 views)

A lawsuit charges that the California Science Center violated both the First Amendment and a contract to rent its Imax Theater when it canceled a screening of Darwin’s Dilemma, the Los Angeles Times (December 29, 2009) reports.read more…

(3) Abortion Doctor Shot to Death in Church (218 views)

George Tiller, a Wichita doctor who was one of the few doctors in the nation to perform late-term abortions, was shot to death on Sunday as he attended church, city officials in Wichita said…

(4) Darwin’s Darkest Hour (206 views)

Darwin’s Darkest Hour — a new drama about Darwin’s decision to publish his work on evolution — will air on October 6, 2009, on public broadcasting stations around the country.read more…

(5) Teen died agonizing death from ruptured appendix while parents, relatives and church elders did nothing but pray for 3 days (196 views)

Zachery Swezey lay in his parents’ bed, his breathing labored. When he fell ill March 15, the 17-year-old Carlton boy’s parents, Greg and JaLea Swezey, thought he had food poisoning. But over the next three days, they realized it was something else, perhaps the flu. He’d had a fever, and was vomiting with severe diarrhea…

(6) Matter: The Astonishing Hypothesis – Christian Post (196 views)

Matter: The Astonishing HypothesisChristian PostIn my experience, the average atheist, agnostic, naturalist, or humanist thinks about God, and the epistemology of religious belief, in the way captured in…

(7) Antievolution bills die in Texas (192 views)

Two antievolution bills — House Bill 2800 and House Bill 4224 — died when the Texas legislature adjourned on June 1, 2009.read more…

(8) Child sexual abusers commonly turn to religion to rationalize their behavior (191 views)

Three decades ago, a convicted kidnapper named Phillip Garrido stunned a Leavenworth Prison psychologist by turning down an offer most prisoners would leap to take — help with a transfer to a mental health facility. Instead, Garrido opted to spend at least three more years doing hard time so he could complete his religious studies…

(9) Pope: Scientific analysis done on St. Paul’s bones (189 views)

The first-ever scientific tests on what are believed to be the remains of the Apostle Paul “seem to conclude” that they do indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint, Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday…

(10) 12-year-old child ‘bride’ dies during painful child-birth, baby dies too (189 views)

A 12-year-old Yemeni girl, who was forced into marriage, died during a painful childbirth that also killed her baby, a children’s rights group said Monday…