Final answer:
Anthropologist Clifford Geertz views religion as symbolic, influencing culture and personal beliefs, whereas Swidler sees it as a shared endeavor. Geertz focuses on religion's role in shaping behaviors through cultural symbols, indicating a dynamic rather than fixed meaning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The debate between Swidler and Geertz revolves around various functions and interpretations of religion within culture.
Geertz views religion as a set of cultural symbols that create powerful and lasting moods and motivations, giving them an aura of factuality.
This symbolic interpretation suggests that symbols in religion carry deep cultural meanings that shape behaviors and are not fixed but can evolve with cultural contexts.
Contrarily, Swidler looks at religion as more of a shared endeavor with its role entrenched in social practices rather than just symbolic representation.
Geertz's approach is significant in understanding that while religion influences culture, it also allows individuals to enact cultural ideas, which in return can influence personal beliefs, creating a reciprocal relationship between culture and religion.
His definition emphasizes the importance of understanding religious practices as embodiments of cultural ideas rather than just routine actions.