A religion is a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing those conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.

Clifford Geertz. pp. J.

Clifford James Geertz (August 23 1926 – October 30 2006) was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology and who was considered "for three decades. " He served until his death as professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study Princeton.