The history of religions is replacing the search for an essential religion. For a long time the bias involved in identifying religion with some particular revelation made comparative religion a new form of apologetics. With the rise of the ideal of social evolution there began the effort to discover, by the comparative method, the law of religious evolution and the nature of religion. For many reasons the comparative method proved unsatisfactory. This paper seeks to appreciate the unique significance of each individual religion with the consequence that scientific history of religions takes primary place.
