Does religion affect politics in the US?

The answer varies widely, depending on the nation in question. For example, in Islamic republics, religion and government are literally synonymous, so one can conclude that any activities that could be called politics are really a subset of religious practice. In the US, which is not a Christian Republic in a formal sense, there is freedom of religion. Even so, many groups collectively called the "Christian Right" have a lot of influence over governmental questions. This is not unreasonable as long as government is under the over-all authority of the people who have put it in place.