Religion: A Unique and Realistic Faith Created by Symbols - Essay Sample

Clifford Geertz defines religion as the system of symbols that was created to establish a persuasive, powerful, and long-lasting mood among people. The atmosphere is based on a general order of the existence of supernatural beings, to whom people of a given religion give allegiance (Geertz 90). As a result of the moods, in addition to clothing and conceptions, it has the effect of creating a faith that is unique and realistic in nature. That is because of the pattern of the activities that the people undertake as part of their religious practice. Religion is based on theory and practice, which defines the activities that people engage. Wallace commits a description of the culture through revitalization movements. There is the description of a revitalization movement, whereby individuals engage in deliberate, conscious, and organized activities to bring about a culture that is acceptable among the members of society. The ideas by Clifford and Wallace are related, whereby they both justify the fair activities that people engage in as part of societal events. They provide a guideline for the activities which people engage in as part of their day to day life. That is based on an actual pattern of events that they develop over time.

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When people are exposed to a more satisfying culture, there is the probability of a change in ideology. That is because the new information to which they are exposed to has the effect of creating a more fulfilling life. Therefore, they embrace the new ideas and concepts, which results in a maze way reformulation of change in ideology. When people are exposed to new information that has an effect of creating a favorable change, then they will change from the previous ideology for the sake of their convenience. Ideology is defined as a set of beliefs and values; which people base their activities on. In this case, religion is defined as an ideology because of the ideas and opinions that it has. Religion is a system of ideas and beliefs that guide the conduct of people in a society. Religion, just like ideology, is established based on principles; which guide the people that practice it. Therefore, religion is defined as an ideology because of the systematic values and beliefs on which it is based.

The term maze way is used by Wallace to describe a situation that is unclear and poses an inconvenience to the people that embrace it. In this case, the old culture people used to embrace is defined as the maze way because of its ineffectiveness. The culture is characterized by stressful and distorted, highlighted by Wallace as a mazeway because of confusion (Connor 277). As a result of the dissatisfaction from the previous activities, as described as being a mazeway, people embrace new ideas and have a revitalizing effect. However, a maze way and ideology are different, as an ideology is more organized.

A revitalization movement is the definition of an attempt that is organized by people so that they create a more satisfying culture. The people engage in activities that are meant to practice a culture that better serves their interests. The ghost dance religion of the 19th century was characterized by the aim to limit white expansion, enhance honest living and cross-cultural cooperation (Connor 261). That was aimed at improving the lives of the people that practiced the religion at that time. On the other hand, Nazism was based on expansionism and totalitarianism, whereby there was anti-Semitism, anticommunism, and scientific racism. That was consistent with some people but was not meant for the good of all people. That was because it led to the violation of human rights and discrimination of some minorities. Therefore, the ghost dance religion can be described as a form of a revitalization movement as it led to people embracing a new culture. However, Nazism is not a revitalization movement because of its unfortunate welfare implications. Based on my analysis, religion is meant for the convenience of the most significant number of people, and not benefiting a small group. Therefore, Nazism cannot be classified as a religion. Consequently, it is possible to distinguish political from religious ideologies. Religious ideologies are based on spirituality as a basis, whereas political ideologies are, in most cases, materialistic or targeted for the better welfare of just a small group of people.

Works Cited

Connor, John W. "From ghost dance to death camps: Nazi Germany as a crisis cult." Ethos 17.3 (1989): 259-288. https://www.jstor.org/stable/640434?seq=1

Geertz, Clifford, and Michael Banton. "Religion as a cultural system." (1966). https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/55531137/Geertz_Religon_as_a_Cultural_System_.pdf?