Matthew McGarry, Catholic Relief Services representative in Afghanistan, says "people's faith is central to every aspect of their daily life in Afghanistan, and not taking that into account can undermine every other positive thing that the Administration might want to do."

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly senior associate producer Patti Jette Hanley captures some of the sights and sounds at the Democratic Party's August 24 interfaith service in Denver on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.

Sermon excerpted and adapted from remarks by Dennis McCullough, M.D. at an interfaith service, Kendal at Hanover, April 15, 2007.

We have a story today about two young men who grew up together best friends -- one white, one black -- and then took different religious paths. One became an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, the other a Muslim.

Several studies recently have addressed the religious interest, or lack of it, of young adults. We wondered how religion is faring on college campuses. Lucky Severson visited Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island to find out.