A Critique of the Relationship between Religion and Government in Kant ̈s Ideas

The relation between religion and government is one of the most important issues of the age of modernity; it played a major role in the political developments of that period. The present article presents an analytical study of the relation between religion and government according to Kant, making use of the evidence in support of this study.Kant believes that there are two types of religion: exoteric and esoteric, and concludes that the type that exists is the real religion represented in the escoteric type.In Kant¨s philosophy, rational religion and politics are interwoven is such a way that their separation can cause confusion to Kant¨s philosophy. The reason is because this type of religion is characterized by its wholeness and exclusivity. The main problem of this type of religion is that it is a product of human reasoning, not Divine revelation. Kant holds that religion is an institution which is independent of politics because this institution is concerned with historical religion which is devoid of the truth.