Christianity the first religion?

Question

okay I've been doing some research on this subject and this and the bible don't corrolate. so read this web article and give me your thought! Do you think christianity was the first religion or shamanistic/pagan religions.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3740004/

Answer 1

Religion is wisdom and religion evolves.

The earliest religions were connected to the natural world because those living subsistence lives understood their lives depended on nature. So they worshipped the sun, earth, rain, animals, etc,.... totemism.... and projected their sense of self onto nature....animism....

As humans advanced and society developed around agriculture, strongly influenced by women, female gods arose because people understood the importance of fertility. However, this became corrupted, descending into sexual worship. For example, in the Bible, one reads Moses commanded the feminine gods be smashed so obviously there were many of them.

Then as society evolved more, wiser people began to understand the importance of social relationships, human behaviour and its relationship to social and individual well-being. So, teachings about classes, reincarnation and kamma began in India, which also included animist belief in the everlasting soul or Self. Howver, this become corrupted and created inequity, social caste and exploitation in society. This religion was called Brahminism.

Then a man arose who opposed Brahm or Brahminism. Thus his name was "A-Brahm", which means "not-brahmin". This man then changed his name to Abraham, as stated in the Bible. This man believed there was one God and all people we equal under than God. His religion manifest under Moses, who clearly expressed moral laws just like the Brahmins however his teaching of human equality was more advanced. As the Bible states, the sons of Abraham are free people and not slave people. Just like the One God opposed the hierachy of the caste system, it also opposed the hierachy of the God kings in Egypt and Babylon.

However, this religion also became corrupted, which is what the Old Testament is about. The Jewish people turning away from God. This religion was also very rigid and also violent, prescribing the death penalty by stoning to sinners. This creates turmoil both in society and within the hearts and minds of people.

Returning to India, as the Indian society evolved and became more peaceful, due to climate and abundance, spiritual seekers emerged and the virtuous Brahmins discovered the doctrine of love. In India, this is called the "Brahma Vihara" or the "dwellings of the gods", which signify universal or unconditioned love, compassion, appreciation and equinimity.

Further, as Indian society evolved materially and sensually, with wealth, pleasures and abundance, certain human beings got disillusioned with these things, just like many do today. These people were wealthy, did not have to fight in war, did not have to work for food and so their minds inclined away from material and sensual pleasures and they pursued meditation, to development of inner spiritual bliss based on deep states of inward concentration.

Then there was a man named Siddharta Gotama, who became the Buddha. Gotama had everything and could practice all of the meditations, yet he still had a sense of unsatisfactoriness about life. Eventually he gain enlightenment to see that all things were "not-self", that all things were merely natural phenomena and functions and the sense of self people have is merely illusory or a creation of ignorant thinking.

Therefore, the Buddha perfected religion and established the most evolved religion because his realisation extinguished all possible suffering. When all attachment to things as "I", "me" and "mine" ceases every potential form of suffering ceases or cannot arise. The fully enlightened being is the perfected human being.

This happened in 500BC. By 500BC, religion was full evolved.

The Buddha, being the perfect and stainlessly insightful teacher, listed religious practice at three levels:

(1) morals; which Hinduism, Judaism and Islam emphasize; but is practiced and held by all religions;

(2) unconditional love or unified awareness; finding the heavenly realms of bliss; which Christianity and Buddhism emphasize;

(3) insight; selflessness; dispassion; perfect peace, which Buddhism emphasizes.

So Jesus was merely a prophet introducing the law of love or the kingdom of heaven into Israel and the West. Israel only had the Torah or the moral law. It was only practicing the 1st level of religion. So Jesus introduced the 2nd level so people's joy or bliss could be complete. Jesus came not to abolish the moral law but to complete it, to fulfil it. This is because when people are "moralists", their minds are full of hatred and violence. So whilst Jesus taught people to do good, he also taught them to forgive because love, forgiveness and mercy bring hapiness where as moral hatred or righteousness does not. This is why Paul said: "The law gives rise to sin". People who moralize goodness create sin in themselves.

Similarly, the Arabs were very unadvanced and extremely immoral. They lived harsh lives in the desert, were harsh people, doing actions like killing children. Therefore, due to their social evolution, Mohammed (PBOH) had to introduce the moral law, just like the old Jewish Torah. Mohammed (PBOH) had to moralize and humanise the Arabs. The Arabs were not evolved enought to introduce the law of love to, just like the Israelite were not evolved enought to introduce the teaching of 'not-self' to. The Arabs had to become moral and the Israelists, whilst having a moral sense, had to learn to love.

Will all respects, that the Muslims say Mohammed (PBOH) is the final prophet is incorrect. Just like Christians think Muslims are backward, Buddhists thinks Christians are backwards (with all respects), given Christians believe in a soul, which is animism.

Religion exists and has evolved to three levels:

(1) ethics; morality; non-harming;
(2) love, forgiveness, concentration; heavenly bliss;
(2) selflessness, insight, wisdom, dipassion, non-attachment, perfect here and now peace.

The Buddha's perfect Nirvana or Peace here and now is the final level. Buddha taught everything Moses, Brahma, Jesus taught plus more. Buddha is the final or most advanced prophet.

Answer 2

Your logic is rather weak. You say because all those man-made inventions have a capability to be misused and so does religion ergo we cannot remove technology so we cannot remove religion. Removal of technology and science would have us back in the middle ages where religion typically flourished so I'm sure you would indeed like to remove them. They have resulted in longer and happier lives as well as an infinite and progressively elaborate quest for knowledge.First , families are a personal choice as are drugs and sex. These do not go around preaching the end of the world and forcing their ideologies upon others as religion does. Science is not a personal choice. You may not believe, subscribe to its ideology but you inevitably must use it. You have used it any time you have gotten sick or even thought about a process in the natural world by examining evidence. Technology is an absolute must and is helping elongate human lives and the Earth's for that matter. Peace is usually good but sometimes we have to wage war on those that try to harm us. Religion is the only one that has no positive effects that cannot be replaced by another source. It only results in myths and dogmatism and this causes people to be stuck in a stupor they call reality while science marches on to reveal the ultimate truth.

Answer 3

Absolutely not!!


Where in the world would anyone get the idea that Christianity was the first religion?

Paganism was around for quite a bit longer than Christianity.


I mean come on, does that mean before the proliferation of christian ideals and beliefs did no one believe in anything?
Was the world atheist?

No, there were many other beliefs and there still are.

Answer 4

Well, Buddhism and Hinduism predate Christianity by many centuries. Judaism came before Christianity. Egyptian religion came before and may have influence Christianity as well. Some form of ancient paganism probably came before all of these. There have been archeology findings that indicate various possible more ancient beliefs but it is impossible to really reconstruct what they believed or really interprete findings when they had no written texts. Greek, Roman, and Norse and other beliefs systems also predate Christianity and are in part incorporated into some of it.

Answer 5

the very first formal religion was developed in Babylon soon after the Deluge. Nimrod was a great grandson of Noah, and Nimrod made himself the first ruler after the flood. Nimrod also was worshiped as a man god, just as later the Pharaohs and the Caesars were worshiped as living man gods.

Jesus was NOT a god, but a perfect man who was permitted to utilize the power of God to perform miracles that no magician ever could duplicate. Jesus was the Teacher, and Lord of the christian congregation, so christianity was NOT the first organized religion.

Before the flood the Bible says that a start was made on calling on the NAME of God - YHWH - and also that there were MOST of those living at that time who were NOT interested in turning to God. Rather they were interested in sex, violence, food, and liquor. Jesus said that it would be the same in the time of the END of this system of things.

Answer 6

The first religions have remained largely unchanged to date.

Look to places like Irian Jaya, or parts the Amazon Rainforest, the South Pacific islanders or aboriginals in Australia. Tribes that have been mostly uninfluenced by Middle Eastern monotheism or even the the Roman or Nordic pantheon for millennia. Their religion is inextricably woven their way of life, and their way of life has remained unchanged for thousands and thousands of years.

Shamanism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship are the oldest religious observances. The first 'religious' experience may have been an hallucinogenic mushroom.

All religion comes from fear of misfortune, failed crops, death, attack, and the unknown in general. Superstition is a powerful agent to the imagination.

Answer 7

Well, even Christians don't believe Christianity was the first religion, since it came from Judaism.

Shamanism and Paganism were first, but we really don't know a lot about the nature of these beliefs to the early humans who practiced them.

Answer 8

Anyone trying to claim Xity was is trying to sell something.

It's not even the first mono-theistic faith. The Egyptian supports of Anton were kicked out of Egypt at the same time as Moses.

Anthpologists can not for sure say what was the first religion, but it's a toss up between Ancestor worship, Goddess worship and/or Nature Worship.

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Answer 9

Even the Bible doesn't say Christianity was the first religion - I don't understand what you're asking here?

Unless you're saying that only Christianity is a religion and all the rest aren't.

Answer 10

Judaism was before Christianity. Christianity did not start until Christ.

Answer 11

The first religion founded by Jesus Christ is the Church of God which is in the bible. Christianity is not a religion but the spreading of chri8stian religion. However, the Roman Catholics claimed they are christians and have sspread their teachaings through out the world by force to the populace that anyone who will not believe them will suffer death by firing squad.. It is long story. It is not enough in this section to explain to you everything about it. You better research the truth about it and read the bible.
jtm