so what religion did people believe in before christ?

Answer 1

Very many indeed. Most famous are Judaism (though very small then as now, it’s the religion of the land where Christ was born and which He came to fulfill), Greek and Roman Pantheism (basically, the Olympian gods and whoever else, such as deified emperors or heavenly bodies, they might throw in), Zoroastrianism (a monotheistic religion from Persia), Hinduism and Buddhism, and even older religions such as the pantheism of the Egyptians, Sumerians, and pagan Europeans. Islam (an off-shoot of Judeo-Christianity) is, of course, a late-comer, arriving in the sixth century A.D. The ignorant today may suggest that Christianity is in decline, but the truth is that Christians now account for more than a third of the earth’s population and the percentage has been increasing steadily for two thousand years.

Answer 2

Shadowsonic says Christianity is older than Jesus; how could that be? Christians are those who follow the teachings of Jesus.
Before Christ, there was Judaism and many pagan religions.

Answer 3

There were as many religions before Christianity as there are now. Some have fallen by the wayside--I don't know if there are any worshippers of Zeus, Apollo, and the other Greek gods, for example--but others simply changed form.

Christianity is derived from the pagan religions that existed in the Mediterranean region 1800-2000 years ago, most notably Mithraism. Mithra (or Mitra) also came to Earth in the form of baby, was born in a stable or cave, his birth was predicted by angels and attended by shepherds and wise men, he was born to a virgin (in some stories, he was born of a rock), he was wiser than adults as a child, he performed many miracles, he had 12 followers to whom he passed on his wisdom, he was persecuted by many, he was nailed to a tree as a sacrifice for world sin, he was buried for three days before rising into heaven, and he promised to return in the future to retrieve all who believed in him. Mithra, like Jesus, has gone MIA.

Answer 4

Obviously, the above poster “lite” has never read a page of the New Testament with his description of some kind of hippy Christ. Here’s a quote from C.S. Lewis that may help you understand who Jesus really was (Lewis actually read the Bible):

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 1960)

Answer 5

if you mean where the roots of Christianity lie, they lie in Judaism. but if you are looking for what other unrelated or possibly-related religions existed before Christianity, then there are/were thousands. almost every culture in the history of the world has had a distinct and different religion.

(that among other things is why i don't believe any 1 religion is right. i believe that all of them are.)

Answer 6

There were many belief systems intact before and after the teachings of Christ. Some of them extremely enlightened.

Unfortuantely, many Christ based religions teach that all others are not of "God's" true nature. Yet, even Christ himself clearly did not subscribe to this.

Christ was an amazing being and prophet. He gave the greater message of love and compassion. Not judgement and aversion. As have so many other amazing and enlightened beings have before him and after him. They are all extremely inspirational.

I encourage you to research other belief systems before and after the Christ experience. I think you'll begin to see a very commonly positive message and broaden your spiritual horizons. Do not get caught up in the religious DOGMA of any religion that tells you to take their word for it. Truth is the experience of the seeking, in the expansion.

Religion is the concept of man. Love and compassion is the work of that "God" in every living thing, never apart from.

Answer 7

Jesus was there, in the beginning, all through the old testament. Jesus Is God, who came to earth as a man, to bring reconciliation, for the human race to God. Christ bought with him a new covenant, no longer did we need religion, he replaced it with relationship, so no man could stand between you and God, with a bunch of rules and regulations about diet or clothing or certain rituals, the old testament was preparing the way for the new. Jesus hand was in it all.

Answer 8

Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Paganism, Tribal worship, Satanic worship, the polytheist religions of Rome, Egypt, Greece, etc., etc., etc.

Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun."

Answer 9

Which people?

Early Judaism, Hindu, various Pagan pantheons, shamanism, animism...people developed religions according to their needs and ideals.

And still do.

Answer 10

Many different religions.

The old Norse and germanic religion (the worship of Odin)
The egyprtian religion.
The asian religions (Folk asian faith, the worship of Shang Di)
The Roman and Greek religions.

I could go on :)