Can political conservative domestic and foreign policy be discussed and defined outside of a religious context?
Politics isn’t my strong suit, but I see no reason why it couldn’t be. In fact I’d think it’s the norm.
The conservative (Republican) party in the US hasn’t always been nearly as religious as it is now. Ronald Reagan influenced the party with his social conservatism and his ability to tie a specific brand of Christian theology to `family values’, and a large number of the modern Compassionate Conservatives are members of Evangelical sects within the Protestat Christian movement, but historically Republicans haven’t been (on a large scale) especially religious.
There are now (especially within the Cato Institute) Republicans who are opposed to the religious leanings of the modern Republican party. Some former Republicans (myself included) jumped ship and became Libertarians when the religious overtones of the mainstream Republicans became too obnoxious to our own morality. (Of course, I’m hardly a Republican now as I differ from them on all important social issues.) I’m sure there are plenty of people who have essentially Republican ideas about fiscal policy and social issues but are so repulsed by the religious ideology espoused by the Republicans actually running for office that they either abstain from elections or vote Democrat.
I’m an atheist / agnostic conservative. I suspect I am by no means alone in this.
(a) Is this GQ or GD?
(b) Absolutely. Your title question says it: Political conservatism. There is nothing particularly Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, Pagan or SubGenius about supporting lower tax rates, deregulation, pro-employer labor laws, school choice, welfare cut-backs, strict law-and-order policing, military build-up, an aggressive containment/preemption foreign policy, etc. (the relative boneheadedness of any one of these policies is a different issue). Of the two Legendary Heroes of modern “conservative” ascendancy, Reagan was on friendly terms with the Moral Majority, but Thatcher, who was in ofice before Ron, was not particularly associated with the churches.
Mrs Thatcher was nominally a methodist but didn’t attend church and never professed a religious faith. Nor did she bring up her two kids in a religious way.
Here in Britain there is no real christian right - rather the opposite. The Church of England is perceived (at least nowadays) as a left leaning organisation, and Tony Blair is a devout Christian (as is his wife) and he attends church regularly (and will almost certainly convert to catholicism on his retirement).
There is also a strong non-conformist strand in the Labour party’s history.
So in short: In the UK at least there is no link between religion and conservatism.
Also in America it is my understanding that the black churches deliver a huge block vote for the democrats - is this the case? If so then surely it’s all a matter of interpretation.
Up until the 1980s, many fundamentalist Christians had little interest in politics, believing that their energy should be focused on achieving the next life. Conversely, the two major political parties had little interest in trying to recruit the fundamentalists.
Another non-religious conservative here. Conservatism crosses all religious boundaries.
Followers of Ayn Rand HATE religion, and I’d guess that most Libertarians aren’t particularly religious, and they all fall on the right.
The Harris Conservatives who ruled Ontario for two terms weren’t particularly religious at all.
(a) It was only a single question, so I thought… 
(b) Thanks for the response.
I think part of the problem is the term “conservative” has been in a considerable state of flux for about past thirty years; so much so that you’ve got almost two distinct branches, paleoconservatives and neoconservatives (or neo-Jacobians, as some are wont to label them).
Where these folks fall typically on the religion spectrum, I just don’t know. The most visible champion of Old Conservatism is himself a nearly fundamentalist Catholic. Meanwhile, the dreaded neoconservatives have such a realpolitik approach to just about anything that furthers American interests abroad I wonder if they could be called amoral in their near-term actions; and yet they have a seemingly manichean view of the world in the grander scheme that assumes an almost cosmic concept of Good vs. Evil (with free-market democracy being Good, and anything else Evil, obviously) that is so deeply moralistic, I find it hard at times to see how it could operate independently of a religious background.
I’m as baffled by it all as anyone. Sometimes I think old conservatives look more and more libertarian in their small govt., anti-interventionist leanings; then I remember Pat Buchanan, and I’m not so sure. Selectively libertarian, perhaps, excepting certain moral issues from the normally hands-off approach libertarians have to things like drugs & gays, etc.