New Interpretations of Kant’s Philosophy of Religion; Analysis and Its Impact on Theology

The answer to the question of whether religion and theology play a constructive and important role in Kant’s philosophical system or it is merely a secondary problem, has long been the focus of attention of scholars. Although they have not treated the same approach in interpreting Kant’s theological and religious claims, but generally, by focusing on the content of the critique of pure reason and its natural result, which is the negation of the possibility of a theoretical knowledge of God, they estimate the impact of Kant on religion and theology, negatively. Nevertheless, in the last three decades, in the English-speaking countries,     a new interpretative wave has emerged that seeks to challenge this common perspective. Proponents of this new wave (affirmative interpretations), unlike traditional interpretations, have no a single perspective or even a single method for studying Kant’s works, yet they all agree that, the systematic and comprehensive examination of Kant’s works, whether philosophical or non-philosophical, is necessary to obtain his true view of religion and theology. The common result of affirmative interpretations is the claim that Kant’s approach to religion and theology was positive and corrective. theologically affirmative interpretations of Kant, typically hold that Kant’s philosophy provides a rationale for God-talk and religious faith. But the case cannot be made without looking beyond the first Critique, and sometimes to Kant’s writings both before and after 1781. These affirmative readers- Especially the leaders of this new wave, Stephen R Palmquist and Chris Firestone – usually make a point of capturing a sense of the whole of Kant’s philosophical enterprise something that is lost when too strong an emphasis is placed on the first Critique. Based on these studies Kant is sympathetic to many of Christian teachings.