Relationship between State and Religion in Hegel's Philosophical System

Religion and State from the beginning of world's history were two important issues which have occupied human mind. For a long time, there has been a dispute about the relationship between them. In this quarrel, we can find three main views: isotropy, divergence, and ascendancy of one of them to the other.In this paper, we have a brief look on Hegel’s political and religious thoughts and his turning in his viewpoints. Then we examine and criticize his opinions about politics and religion. Further, we should notice that although he regards religion only as an instrument in the hands of the state, we are not allowed to regard him as an atheist philosopher or as an adherent of separation between state and religion.At the end of the paper, we find that although the theory of “organic state” which Hegel suggests for solving the “paradox of liberty and submission” is a growth head way in comparison with “mechanical view” of Lock and Hobbes about the social contract and with Benthamian utilitarianism, but firstly, there is no restriction against becoming his constitutional monarchy to a kind of dictatorship and secondly, as he finally regards religion as a servant for the state, the relationships between state and religion remains unsolved in his philosophical system.