The rationality of religion according to Kant: from the critique of pure reason to religion within reason itself

This article presents an analysis of the concept of the rationality of religion in Immanuel Kant's philosophy, covering the three main stages of his critical thought: Critique of Pure Reason, Critique of Practical Reason, and Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone. In the first stage, Kant establishes the limits of theoretical cognition, which preclude metaphysical proofs of God's existence. In the second, he formulates the principle of the primacy of practical reason, by virtue of which faith becomes a necessary moral postulate. In the third, he presents moral religion as a form of communal pursuit of the good and a reinterpretation of traditional religion in the light of the autonomy of reason. The article refers to the latest Polish and foreign literature, including numerous analyses by Marcin Sieńkowski concerning the objective and subjective aspects of moral faith. The conclusion of the paper is that Kant proposes a model of rational religion that is not based on theoretical cognition, but on the practical necessity resulting from moral action.