What is the oldest / first religion ?

Question

Wouldn't the first one be the only correct one (if you believe at all) ?

Answer 1

The very word, Sanatana (eternal) means that which has no beginning or end and therefore, Sanatana Dharma is by definition is eternal religion. It is based on the Vedas, which literally means knowledge. Veda also called as Sruti(that which is heard) is coming down since time immemorial through the chain of disciplic succession from guru to disciple. Vedas or Sruti were handed down through aural reception and the same thing was written down around 5000 years back.

With the teachings of God to Abraham and Moses, Judaism began around 4,500 years back. Buddhism began with the birth of Lord Buddha around 2500 years ago. Jainism around the With the birth of Jesus Christ around 2000 years,Christianity began. With the birth of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) around 1300 years back the Holy Al' Quran came in to existence.

Sanatana Dharma or the eternal religion based on the Vedas, eternal but in written format-5000 years back
Judaism as is seen today - 4500 years back
Buddhism with the advent of Lord Buddha - 2500 years
Jainism around the same period as that of Buddhism
Christianity with the birth of Lord Jesus Christ-2000 years
Islam with the birth of ProphetMohammed (pbuh) -1300 years

God is one only, irrespective of the religion being Christianity, Islam, Hinduism etc... God sends His different sons or representatives or prophets and gives through them much information about God consciousness, at different times in various places. According to the limitations of some particular places and knowledge of the persons present the knowledge about the God various degrees.

People become more and more materialistic with the progress of external glamor forgetting the spiritual knowledge. Therefore, the later religions contain the knowledge of God with fewer information. The lesser knowledge about the God, the adherents of that faith tend to be more narrow minded. The more the knowledge about God, the practitioners have a complete understanding in a broader perspective.

The Vedas being eternal was written down around 5000 years back can be compared to an encyclopedia has a broader understanding of God. Whereas, around 2000 years back Christianity came into existence with Jesus Christ has fewer information about God came be compared to a pocket dictionary.

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita-As-It-Is, by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of ISKCON(International Society for Krishna Consciousness).
Yet man professes to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to particular time and circumstance and thus claims to be a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or any other sect. Such designations are non-sanatana-dharma. A Hindu may change his faith to become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith to become a Hindu, or a Christian may change his faith and so on. But in all circumstances the change of religious faith does not effect the eternal occupation of rendering service to others. The Hindu, Muslim or Christian in all circumstances is servant of someone. Thus, to profess a particular type of sect is not to profess one’s sanatana-dharma. The rendering of service is sanatana-dharma.

Factually we are related to the Supreme Lord in service. The Supreme Lord is the supreme enjoyer, and we living entities are His servitors. We are created for His enjoyment, and if we participate in that eternal enjoyment with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we become happy. We cannot become happy otherwise. It is not possible to be happy independently, just as no one part of the body can be happy without cooperating with the stomach. It is not possible for the living entity to be happy without rendering transcendental loving service unto the Supreme Lord.

Swami Prabhupada further clarifies that Sanatana Dharma is not so-called Hinduism.

Sometimes Indians both inside and outside of India think that we are preaching the Hindu religion, but actually we are not. One will not find the word Hindu in the Bhagavad-gita. Indeed, there is no such word as Hindu in the entire Vedic literature. This word has been introduced by the Muslims from provinces next to India, such as Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and Persia. There is a river called Sindhu bordering the north western provinces of India, and since the Muslims there could not pronounce Sindhu properly, they instead called the river Hindu, and the inhabitants of this tract of land they called Hindus. In India, according to the Vedic language, the Europeans are called mlecchas or yavanas. Similarly, Hindu is a name given by the Muslims.

Answer 2

The oldest ones are necessarily the aboriginal religions of the areas in which man first appeared. Current aboriginal religions might likely seem similar to the first ones.

Oldest doesn't always mean best or right. The oldest views of the cosmos have been replaced by better ones. The oldest forms of government may not work today. Age does not imply servicability of an idea. Things can be tested and found lacking.

Still, some things that are old are not necessarily better than their new counterparts.

Wicca isn't old, but it's based on some old ideas. That's my faith, but I don't believe it to be the only correct one. I think that there are many spiritual paths simply because there are many sorts of people, and that one path can't fit everyone.

Answer 3

The first man was Adam. He obeyed God. Abraham was a descendant of Adam and he obeyed God and God promised to him a great nation. This promise or covenant was renewed by God with Abraham's son Issac and his grandson Jacob. This was Judaism. Judaism's prophets all foretold of the coming messiah (over 300 exact detailed prophecies). Jesus Christ is the Messiah who fulfilled ALL of the Jewish prophecies (one of the prophecies was that the messiah would be rejected by his people, thus not all Jews believe that he was the messiah). If you follow and believe Jesus was the messiah and is Lord then you are a "Christian".

Answer 4

I don't think we will ever really know the answer to what was the first religion.

We can guess, and pull of fragments from the earth that suggest some ideas of what it was from their pictures. But at the end of the day we don't really know if this 'evidence' is even pertaining to religion.

Answer 5

Hinduism is the 1st faith which got here to the international and its is the main historical faith standard to mankind. Then got here different religions like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism that are all sects of Hinduism. Christianity got here after Jewism and then got here Islam that's the main cutting-edge faith of all religions standard.

Answer 6

The oldest religion is animism. It dates back at least 70,000 years.

Answer 7

Judaism is the first religion, and then Jesus Christ came and thats when Christianity started

Answer 8

Every knee shall bend before the great Cave Bear!

Answer 9

The first religion that is still in use today is Hindusim, it has no recorded beginning

Answer 10

I am not sure if I am correct but, I think it was the Vedas religion.