> it seems (from outside, as a European) that the loudest voices, at least on the political right, are also the most religious It's good that you recognize you

> it seems (from outside, as a European) that the loudest voices, at least on the political right, are also the most religious It's good that you recognize you're getting an outsider, biased viewpoint... because as an American, I can't square this with my experience at all. If we were talking about 25+ years ago, then yes, the Republican party had a strong connection to a Christian base of voters and religious influence on policy was significant. Today though, it's an utterly insignificant special interest group. I doubt any religious group would crack the top 100 most influential lobbying groups, unless you count Israel but that feels distinct from religion. The Democrats are essentially anti-religion, other than a vague desire to be inclusive to diverse religions. The Republicans are able to make a little political hay because of this ("War on Christmas" type stuff) and sometimes various elements of vices (drugs, prostitution, gambling, porn) or other ethical concerns (death penalty, abortion, assisted-suicide, ending life support) are influenced by religious beliefs. Look at the fact that Donald Trump just won the popular vote and a decisive victory across broad demographics. His connection to Christianity is about as strong as any politician's connection to whatever regional food dish they eat for a photo-op one night on the campaign trail before moving on to appeal to the next city by doing their local cultural thing.