An Examination of the Efforts of Religious Modernism Regarding the Possibility of Religious Life in the Modern World with Emphasis on the Views of Abdolkarim Soroush and Mostafa Malekian

The current disenchanted and modern world possesses elements that appear to be in conflict with the components of traditional religious life. Religious modernism, as one of the prominent approaches, acknowledges these conflicts and seeks to provide, through a rational interpretation of religion, the possibility of a desirable religious life within the modern world. Among the most influential figures of religious modernism in Iran’s intellectual, religious, and philosophical community are Abdolkarim Soroush and Mostafa Malekian. This article, employing a descriptive-analytical method and a case study of the works of these two religious modernists, aims to critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of the religious modernist approach to religious life in the modern world. The findings of the study indicate that while religious modernism does not hinder the presence of the sacred in an individual's life, this approach faces relative failure in practically establishing a religious way of life.