In the era of State Shinto, the religious position of the Shinto religion was made indistinct (the Government united the Shinto religion with the Emperor and obligated the people to respect the god under the theory that 'the Shinto religion was not a religion' (Jinjahishukyoron (theory that the Shinto religion was not a religion), and the Shinto religion was treated as an absolute thing.
国家神道の時代には神道は宗教的地位が曖昧にされ（政府は「神道は宗教ではない」(神社非宗教論)として天皇と一体化し国民に敬神の義務を強いた）絶対のものとして扱われた。