Why did Obama anger Catholics?  A straightforward response to this question has been provided by E.J. Dionne—the Obama administration’s failure to acknowledge Catholic universities’ and Catholic hospitals’ unique circumstances and exempt them from requirements related to contraceptive coverage was viewed as a betrayal.

In this post, however, I want to present this question as a puzzle.  In hindsight, as with most historical events, it may seem obvious that the issue would blow up the way it did.  After all, it IS what actually happened.  But I want to problematize that view by exploring why Obama MIGHT have thought that Catholics in general and, at the very least, liberal Catholics would have let this particular issue slide.
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Often I find myself with the desire to read all available books on a given topic but with the time to only read one. Under such circumstances I hope to get a recommendation from a friend or colleague about where to start and I try to do the same for my sociology colleagues when they find themselves with a passing interest in religion. For those with an interest in the relationship between Hispanic demographic changes and American Catholicism, I’ll be recommending Timothy Matovina’s new book Latino Catholicism: Transformation in America’s Largest Church.
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I received this picture in an e-mail from my sister-in-law.  I’m not sure who deserves credit for creating it, but I loved it!  I have had exactly that feeling after nailing “my lines.”  Now, I just need to find a corresponding D’Oh picture for when I don’t do so well!