What is the oldest religion?

Question

how many were before Christianity?

Answer 1

I think the oldest religion that is still practiced today is Zoroastrianism. Of course, there were pagan religions that predate that, but they no longer have adherents.

Answer 2

The oldest surviving religions are animism and Hinduism. The oldest complex religion was probably the mythology of Mesopotamia (the Enuma Elish, for example). there were probably thousands before Christianity given all the primitive, tribal religions.

Edit: Interested in the thumbs down - as far as I know this is factual information. The Rig Veda is the oldest surving extant religious text, outdating th torah by up to 3,500 years or more. Mesopoptamian religion existed before Abraham - Abraham was from Ur in Mesopotamia, so it obviously existed before Judaism. And animism seems to be 100,000 years old given the archaeological evidence. Are these facts just inconvenient? Does it matter that I am Christian? Should it?

Answer 3

Hinduism is generally considered to be the oldest religion still being practiced today. Several other religions are almost as old as Hinduism. Judaism traces its roots back to the patriarch Abraham, who lived around 1,800 B.C.E. While the Jewish people are descended from Abraham, it was Moses who first recorded the Torah, the Jewish holy text, in 1,400 B.C.E. Most sources consider the date of the Torah as the beginning of Judaism. Oddly enough, the two religions that dominate the world today are relative newcomers to the spiritual scene. Christianity began with the teachings of Jesus Christ around 30 C.E., and Islam started in 610 C.E. with the prophet Muhammad's revelation.

Answer 4

Let's break it down:

When did the search for the meaning of life begin?

When was natural phenomenon interpreted as having a supernatural origin?

When were spiritual beliefs organized into repeated rituals and codified behavior?

OK

What is the oldest religion?
Fire.

Answer 5

Hinduism is considered by many to be the oldest organized religion that is still practiced.

Its impossible to count how many were before Christianity. We don't have the records, and religions are very abstract and sometimes vague - even in modern Christianity people debate if it should be considered more than one distinct religion.

Answer 6

Of the religions continuously practiced probably Hinduism. Hinduism predates Christianity by at least a thousand years.

Answer 7

Judaism God wrote the Torah almost 2000 generations before He created the world

Answer 8

The Sumerians (5000-4000 BC) who worshiped many gods. But the main god was Anu, which means Heaven.

I'll add that Animism definitely contributed to all religions in that they all believe in spirits or souls. Zoroastrianism is credited with being the first monotheistic religion while the Sumerians were polytheistic.

Answer 9

The oldest religion that could be considered anything near to what we think of in terms of modern religion would probably be whatever sumerians believe in.

Otherwise shamanism.

Answer 10

Pretty One,
Christ's CHURCH began about 33AD in Acts 2 with the sermon at Pentecost. The Israelites had services long before that time and Moses took them out of Egypt 'way back long ago. Prior to their religion was the Law of the Fathers (Patriarchs) which dates back to Adam. Have a great weekend.
Thanks,
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Answer 11

Well, the nature religions are generally speaking oldest... I bet sun worship is oldest.