Define Religion according to Geertz
According to Geertz (97) religion is a cultural system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.
He uses the word symbol to refer to a majority of things that are related to culture. For example, he uses symbols to show conventional signs of some cultural believes like when one waves a white flag or a white handkerchief, it is believed to be a sign of peace or surrender. These cultural acts are social events like any other.
In his arguments, he views culture as a model that establishes pervasiveness and powerfulness in men by inducing motivation and moods in them. Through motivation, men experience a certain tendency to perform certain acts in certain situations. For instance, when we say men are religious, it is not about their acts or feelings, but the obligations that push them to behave in certain ways. With moods, men can easily fall into a general rubric be it being too prayerful or too worshipful (Greetz, 105).
Geertz (106) adds that we cannot tolerate a threat imposed on our powers of conception, as this will mean that our abilities to create and use symbols have failed. Men generally depend on symbols and their system as our general order of existence. For example, man can adjust to his imagination since our greatest asset is conception, but he cannot handle chaotic situations like suffering. These conceptions are therefore wrapped in facts and believes that religious beliefs are not from everyday experience but from a prior acceptance of authority which transforms that experience.