Oldest Religion

What is religion? It is the belief that we have in a faith which leads us to worship gods or is a set of rituals and observations that explain the reason for the existence of the universe. It involves devotional rituals and observances that followers need to live by and prescribes a moral code that should conduct the affairs of the believer. As long as there have been human beings, there has been some sort of religion. Voltaire once reflected on this when said, "If there were no God, it would have been necessary to invent him. There are different creation stories for different religions, but it is difficult to say with certainty which is the oldest religion as there are no written records that support claims.

Technically animism should be considered as the oldest among the different types of religions but since it is a primitive religion which has been replaced by more formal religions, it is hardly practiced anymore. Animism is the belief that every natural object and the universe has a soul and this soul is to be worshiped. Animal worship is also a faith that has survived for many years now. In fact in 2006, a carved statue of a python was excavated in Botswana that has been dated to be at least 70,000 years old. Another unorganized form of religion that has been around for several centuries is Paganism which is the belief in worship of Mother Earth and reverence of forms of Earth.

Oldest Religion in the World

Most experts believe that the most ancient religion in the world that is still practiced is Hinduism. This belief stems from the fact that the oldest written records of any form of organized religion is in Sanskrit which is the oldest written language. It is difficult to define how old it is. There are records of rituals and the Vedas which are religious texts which can be traced back to 2000 B.C. While there is no definite proof that names the religion as the oldest in the world, the history is more than 50,000 years old. There are other religions that are considered to be almost as old as Hinduism. Judaism which can be traced back to Abraham is said to have begun sometime around 1400 BC which was when Moses recorded the Torah. Zoroastrianism, which is the oldest religion to have a prophetic origin credited to one person. It was founded by Zarathustra, who according to different records lived either in the 6th century BC or in the 13th century BC.

Other than Hinduism, India is also the place of origin for religions like Buddhism and Jainism which originated some time in the 5th century BC and the 8th century BC respectively. Of the five major world religions which are Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, the last two religions are the newest religions with Islam originating in the 610 CE and Christianity being founded sometime around 30 CE.

Hinduism: An Overview

Considered the most ancient religion in the world, the origin of this religion is credited to not a single founder but the Aryans as a whole who were migrants to North India. They created records of their religious observances and rituals and created the Vedas which have been one of the biggest influences on the culture of India as a country. Hinduism is the world's third largest religion with almost more than a billion followers. The most number of Hindus (as the followers are called) live in India which is also the birth place of the religion. Nepal is the only Hindu nation in the world with a population of almost 23 million followers. Other countries that have a huge Hindu population include Bangladesh and Indonesia. The religious texts that the Hindus subscribe to include the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, and the Bhagavad Gita. The epics Mahabharata and Ramayana are also of great importance to the Hindus. Practitioners of the religion believe that the religion is Sanatana Dharma or the eternal law. Karma is an important belief of the religion which puts forward the notion that the beneficial or harmful situations in the present are a result of good deed or bad deeds in the past life. Life functions as a cycle of actions and reactions. The four most important objectives of life according to Hinduism are artha (livelihood), dharma (righteousness), kama (sensuality), and moksha (liberation). These are just some of the facts about Hindu religion. Hinduism is a complex religion with different sects and several different sets of beliefs which have emerged from the long and rich history that it has.

With an organized belief system, Hinduism remains according to many experts the oldest religion in the world. While there is no definite record or proof of the same, historical records point us in this direction.