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Kresta in the Afternoon – July 12, 2022 – Hour 2

Terry Mattingly discusses how the media has covered the Church and the Dobbs decision, and J. Budziszewski has tips on how – and how not – to be happy.


Too Many “Pro-Catechism” Catholics?

When the media covers Catholic politicians, it’s common to hear the terms “liberal” or “conservative” Catholic. But since Catholicism exists outside the realm of the US Political system, those definitions aren’t particularly helpful. Terry Mattingly has another way of looking at it – “pro-Catechism” Catholic. He joins us to weigh in on this and how the media has covered the Catholic angle of the Dobbs decision.

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Associated Press: Today’s Supreme Court contains too many pro-Catechism Catholics

Terry Mattingly is the editor of Get Religion and writes the nationally-syndicated On Religion column for the Universal Syndicate. He is a senior fellow at the Overby Center at the University of Mississippi, focusing on religion, news and the First Amendment. Visit getreligion.org and tmatt.net and follow him on Twitter @tweetmattingly

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How NOT to find out about happiness 

Every year, the United Nations publishes a “World Happiness Report” to rank each country based on its citizens’ happiness. European countries, particularly in Scandinavia, have dominated the list in recent years. But other surveys show that the West overall is facing a happiness crisis, and less than a quarter of American adults say they are “very happy.” Why is true happiness so hard to define, much less obtain? J. Budziszewski is our guest.

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How Not to Find Out about Happiness

Dr. J. Budziszewski is the author of several books, most recently How and How Not to be Happy. He is a professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin, where he also teaches courses in the law school and the religious studies department.  He specializes in political philosophy, ethical philosophy, legal philosophy, and the interaction of religion with philosophy. His other books include What We Can’t Not Know and Written on the Heart: A Case for the Natural Law.

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