Religious Sphere in Martin Heidegger's Thought

The religious sphere in Heidegger's thought is one of the persistent questions that consider the relation of religion, theology, philosophy in his life and his idea. His argument about ideas, religious characters and also his own points about the significance of the ideas and characters in the formation of his philosophic project, illuminates the role of religion in general and Christian theology in particular in his life and his thoughts. Although his thoughts have several sources, but Christian theology and Gnosticism have had a permanent influence on them. Heidegger's bases in existence analysis have common aspects with Augustine, Eckhart, Luther, and Kierkegaard. Heidegger has used phenomenology to analyze original life and believes that this life can be touched in a religious approach and such an experience can be found in primary Christianity. Although religious experience is not his only favorite subject he considers religion as a possible form of life, completely different from philosophy. Although Heidegger does not comment on the existence of God and does not take the same religious and metaphysical attitude about God, he gives some attributes about existence that is usually used for God. Lots of statements Heidegger has uttered about existence remind one of negative theology. His viewpoint can be considered as an attempt for forming a faith in contemporary world beyond its traditional forms.