Attempts to understand and interpret the ideas of I. Kant in Russian book culture began in the late 18th century and today number more than 2,000 publications. However, a proper religious studies analysis of his ideas about the denotations and connotations of the word “religion” as “true religion” and as recognized state religions in a particular country – formed after the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia – still awaits detailed study. It seems important to turn to the Anglicism “compliance”, which emerged in the context of the religious conflicts of the Reformation era to denote the need to agree with rules and laws, even when they seem utterly intolerable, and which connotes the Kantian thesis on the relationship between moral and pathological consent. The latter is considered from the perspective of achieving the ancient ideal of “Pax Deorum” (Plautus), which evokes enthusiasm and jubilation through its hope of overcoming “heartbreak” (Averintsev) caused by the feeling of the constant presence of the “ominous”. From the standpoint of modern philosophical religious studies, Kant is one of the pioneers in understanding what was first explicitly presented by Cicero, the “augur philosopher”, who separated “religio” from “superstitio” and defined the former as “veneration of what is commonly called divine”. Christianity, which soon emerged, established in society the distinction between “faith” and “unbelief” (“impiety”, “heresy”, “atheism”), the origins of which lie in antiquity, where reflection began on the paradoxical phenomenon of “Christians before Christ”. For Kant, this division explicitly acquired the character of a split between coercive and moral communities. Implicitly, in terms of non-confessional (meta-confessional) philosophical religious studies – which was established only in the 20th century – it became possible to speak of the phenomenon of “religion”, which is present today in such forms as “worship of gods”, “belief in the Trinity”, an attitude towards the “supernatural”, or “apprehension of the unknown”.

Key words: Kant, religious studies, philosophy of religion, true religion, compliance, pathological and moral consent, unknown

DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662-2026-2-135-142

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About the authors

	Natalia M. Markova – Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Assistant Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Vladimir State University n.a. Alexander and Nikolay Stoletovs; 87 Gorkogo St., Vladimir, 600000, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Evgeniy I. Arinin – DSc (Philosopy), Head of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Vladimir State University n.a. Alexander and Nikolay Stoletovs; 87 Gorkogo St., Vladimir, 600000, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Liliya E. Kuznetsova – Research Fellow, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Vladimir State University n.a. Alexander and Nikolay Stoletovs; 87 Gorkogo St., Vladimir, 600000, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.