Clifford Geertz has focused more on the symbolic power of religion. He has talked about the fact that it is the symbolic power of religion that has a strong influence on the people. It is the religion, in accordance to Clifford that helps the people in understanding the place that the people have in the world. The actions that are undertaken by the people are also defined by the religion. Based on the arguments that have been given by Clifford, it can be added here that there is a great effect of religion and the religious values on the kind of politics being observed in the nations (Pals 309). When we talk about the religion, it can be added here that we are talking about the set of beliefs as well as the ethical values, which are used in the creation of the world and the ways in which the world is managed. So where does the symbolic state of religion stand in the modern political world. One of the main facts that need to be mentioned here is that politics is related with the development certain motivations in men. These motivations need to be powerful and long lasting. It has been found in the case of the definition of religion by Geertz. He has added that religion provides a set of symbols that develop long lasting, modulations in the people. There is no doubt about the fact that the politics and democracy has more to do with the development of strong states and nations. There needs to be a general order of existence in the nations and states, which leads to strong nations. Nations that are more democratic are the ones having strong order of existence. This is the order that has been mentioned in the definition of a ‘symbolic’ religion by Geertz (Pals 313). Thereby from here, it would not be wrong to add that the religion and ... ... middle of paper ... ...erved but by the way, lives were being passed. Thereby the psychologists need not to judge the lies, but there is a need that the thinking pattern needs to be interpreted by the psychologists (Pals 353). Conclusion The paper has highlighted the link between the principles given by Clifford Geertz and politics. How these values play role in the development of political values and democracy being implied in the nations. On the other hand, the second section of the paper has highlighted the lifestyles and the beliefs of the people of contemporary America. The religious practices of these people and how the thinking patterns of these people are different from the others has been mentioned in the paper. References Pals, Daniel, L. Introducing Religion: Readings from the Classic Theorists. Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2009.
Hobbes, Thomas. “Of Religion.” ed.Smith,Lacey Baldwin and Jean Reeder Smith. The Past Speaks. 2nd ed. 1 vol. Lexington: Heath, 1993.
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When beginning to look at religions and cultures and their intertwining effect on each other, you can see that a religion shapes society, and equally society shapes religion. When comparing the theories of two popular anthropologists, Durkheim and Geertz, I believe that Geertz’s theory is more realistic and reliable than Durkheim’s theory. Durkheim’s theory says that religion is a joined community effort that brings people together like a social glue, and uses the definitions of the sacred and profane to distinguish what makes things religious. On the other side, Geertz’s theory holds that religion is a cultural organization, and showed that religion and society can have an impact on each other, and religion is a set symbols of that promote an emotional response, ultimate meaning, ordering of the world, and marks a special status in one’s life. When examining both theories I saw that Geertz’s theory challenges Durkheim’s theory in the definitions of the sacred and profane, Durkheim’s view of religion as a social glue of society, and Durkheim’s neglection of the individual’s use of religion impacting society.
Plantinga, Alvin, "Religion and Science", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), forthcoming URL = .
Oxtopy, W., & Segal, A. (2007). A concise introduction to world religions. (1st ed., p. 258). New York: Oxford University press.
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
“The changing meanings of religion. Sociological theories of religion in the perspective of the last 100 years” is a research article written by Irena Borowik and the final version of the same was published in March of 2011. This article is targeted to other sociologists and academics of similar branches. Borowik states that the purpose of the article lies in discussing the conceptual framework for defining religion from a sociological perspective. In her article Borowik start by discussing when and how the first impression of religion from a sociological perspective appeared, and how such reflection on religion in the framework of sociology may be organized in a way that highlights dominant characteristics. According to Borowik the sociological
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
Oxtoby, Willard G., and Alan F. Segal. A Concise Introduction to World Religions. Oxford, Canada: Oxford University Press, 2007.
What it is a symbol? A symbol is most understandably defined by The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy as “something that represents or suggests something else… often takes the form of words, visual images, or gestures that are used to convey ideas and beliefs”. This definition is pretty self explanatory, it not only emphasizes the functional purpose of a symbol, that of being solely representative of something else, but also suggests that a symbol is not complete in itself - it makes a comparison by pointing to something else. Symbols are metaphors; they help us to better understand those things that humans can quite put into words, in doing this they serve as life guides, as they help us to express and shape world views (Christ 139).
Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print.
Barbour, Ian G. Religion in an Age of Science. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990. Print. (BL 240.2 .B368 1990)
Hopfe, L. M., & Woodward, M. R. (2007). Religions of the World (10th ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: HarperOne, 2010.