This paper uses the thought of the philosopher and theologian, Bernard Lonergan, the anthropologist, Clifford Geertz, the writer on religions, Mircea Eliade and a successor of Lonergan, Robert Doran, to look at sacred symbols. It argues that certain primary sacred symbols in a community function in an explanatory way. The paper concludes by illustrating how key symbols function in three religions: a native American religion, Christianity and Buddhism. The author notes that besides attending to the symbols of a religion, it is also necessary to pay attention to the concrete drama of daily living if we are to be able to interpret the symbols correctly.