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The view of religion as an accidental and transitory phenomenon in human life was expressed not only by representatives of positive science (for example, Auguste Comte), but also by idealistic philosophy (Hegel). In their opinion, religion is only a lower and transitional stage in the development of human thought. Unable to find the true cause of the phenomena occurring around him, man attributes them to the action of supernatural forces. But with this religious explanation of all incomprehensible phenomena, he is satisfied only so long as he does not come across a philosophical or scientific explanation. Therefore, at the higher stages of human mental development, the religious form of thought, as imperfect and unsatisfactory, is replaced by philosophy and science. According to this view, with the further development of human consciousness and the expansion of scientific horizons, religion should completely disappear from the field of spiritual life of man; in the history of cultural development of man ” there would inevitably come a time when he would be completely freed from any sign of religion and would proudly break all unnecessary to him more,

It seems that the course of historical life partly justifies this view of religion: in the most cultured strata of modern society, religious beliefs really seem to be losing their meaning more and more, which was partly noticed before when the external culture was satiated; Roman, for example, the society of the Empire, the most well-off, broke almost all connection with religion; of course, in this case, it was not so much the expansion of the philosophical and scientific Outlook that mattered, as the moral decline and loss of the highest, noblest ideals, replaced by low aspirations for sensual pleasures. However, we must first understand these facts before we can claim that higher culture supersedes religion. Perhaps even in our time religion, though it has lost in breadth, has gained in depth and concentration. The best minds, even if they break the connection with existing religious forms and beliefs, at the same time often find a passionate search for religious truth and persistently seek to understand religious issues. It is a well-known and indisputable fact that religious feeling is quite compatible with high scientific and philosophical development: the most prominent representatives of science and philosophy, such as Newton, Descartes, Kepler, Linnaeus, Pascal, ampere, etc., were able to combine the highest stage of scientific development and the deep rise of religious feeling. Therefore, even this kind of statement cannot be considered exaggerated, that the higher culture, which reveals vitality and goes on and on, not only easily gets along with religion, but also can not break the connection with it without damage to itself.