Elizabeth E.

Jefferis

Geertz, Clifford. Religion as a Cultural System.

Main:
Geertz develops a theory of religion as a cultural system based upon an explanation of his
definition of religion: Religion is: (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish
powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3) formulating
conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such
an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic. (p. 4
or p. 90) 1

Summary:
Sociological theorizing on religion has not really advanced at all since the works of "four big
men": Durkheim, Weber, Freud and Malinowski.
To advance the theoretical understanding of religion one needs to broadly encompass
different frameworks provided by these different theorists and advance them in a coherent
fashion.
Culture: "a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of
inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate,
perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life." (89)

This article is separated into detailed discussion of each of the 5 parts in Geertzs definition
of religion. (See above Main section.)

(1) a system of symbols which acts to

System of symbols: cultural patterns that are the extrinsic source of information.
Extrinsic: This source of information results out of cultural constructs, and not innate or
genetic characteristics of human beings.
This system of symbols is the "model" for empirical reality, in a dual sense. It has the aspects
of being "model of" and "model for" reality.
Model of: In the sense that it helps people apprehend what is the nature of true reality by
providing the graspable depiction of that reality
Model for: In the sense that the model also has the function of actually determining
people's actions by providing for the blueprints of how things are ought to be conducted. This
point is particularly important, for it touches on the same issue of the dialect between
structure and actions mentioned in my point #2. Geertz says: "Unlike genes, and other non-
symbolic information sources, which are only models for, not models of, culture patterns
have an intrinsic double aspect: they give meaning, that is, objective conceptual form, to
social and psychological reality both by shaping themselves to it and by shaping it to
themselves." (93)
(2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by
Religion establishes certain dispositions in people: these dispositions dont cause certain
activities or occurrences to take place directly, but increases the probability of certain
activities or occurrences taking place. 2 sorts of dispositions:
Motivations: have certain ends in conception and are defined according to that ends they
conduce.

1
Note: the e-reserve copy is missing pages. The physical copy of the text on reserve has different page numbers than
the e-reserve copy. The physical copy pages are the ones noted herein.
1
 Elizabeth E. Jefferis
Moods: go nowhere and are rendered meaningful only according to the source of that "mood"
but not ends they pursue.

(3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and

Religion must affirm that life we live in is comprehensible, that we are not living in total
chaos in which everything is incomprehensible.
Three spheres of life that this threshold of comprehensibility may be broken, and life may
come to be seen as incomprehensible:
1. In terms of analytic capacities May be seen as accounting for the events seen as odd,
strange or uncanny.
2. In terms of endurance May be seen as accounting for the problem of suffering.
3. In terms of moral insight May be seen as accounting for the problem of evil.
Key idea: religion does not try to directly deny the existence or the reality of undeniable
problems, but rather merely tries to deny the notion that there is not any way that these
problems may be accounted for.
(4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that
How do people come to accept the world view presented by religion? People come to accept
this by doing - acting out and participating in religious rituals.
1. For the participants in religious rituals, religious rituals are not merely the model of
reality but also the model for reality. (Think Balinese Cockfight.)
2. Religion depicts what they already believe, and it also sets example in what to believe
and is therefore the enactments, materializations, and the realizations of certain belief
systems.
(5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.
The power of religion largely stems from its ability to act upon and transform people's
conceptions of the everyday, commonsense world.
1. Moods and motivations induced by religion seem so powerful to believers that only they
seem to be the sensible version of what things "really are" - thus when people move out
of their religious world and back into the commonsense world, it is the latter that is
altered.
2. Different religious systems act upon the everyday world in a way that is entirely
particularistic. There is no one single functional assessment of religions that can tell
whether religion is good or bad, or whether it is functional to the society or not.