Blog 1: "Definition of Religion"

To paraphrase Geertz's definition:

Religion is a collection/group of things (Geertz uses the word "symbols" which I think could refer to physical symbols as well as rituals, traditions, etc.) that affect people's moods and behaviors. Religion exists to give people a sense of how the world works and creates a belief that their view of the world is correct or factual. Each religious group has a set of beliefs and assumes that its beliefs are more factual than the beliefs of other groups.

Geertz's definition holds a connotation that the beliefs in which religion is rooted are false. It looks at religion only as an institution and leaves no room for the possibility that any religion's beliefs might be true. I disagree with this interpretation. I don't think it is fair to make religion strictly about an institution created by men. Geertz's definition doesn't allow any possibility that the beliefs a religious group holds might actually be factual and it implies the religion is solely about the motivation to better understand the world. Not all people who have religion have actual faith in a deity, but some do and it doesn't seem fair to leave this faith out when describing religion.