Which Are the Oldest Religions in the World?
Surprisingly, the two religions that have the most believers worldwide are also the newest. Islam was born in 610 CE and Christianity started around 30 CE. While some count Abraham as the oldest prophet in Islam, that still puts this religion closer to modern times than many others.
Experts agree that the oldest organized religion is Hinduism, which dates back to 1,500 BCE, when the Vedas, the sacred texts of Hinduism, was written. Hinduism as a religion has no known individual creator, as it was put together from a variety of traditional beliefs from different cultures and mythologies. It is now the third largest religion in the world.
Judaism is another religion that was born thousands of years ago. Abraham, said to be born about 1800 BCE, is considered to be the father of Judaism. Moses, according to Jewish scholars, was the first to put the Torah in writing around 1400 BCE. Many consider the Torah to be the point where Judaism got its start.
If we put aside organized religion, the oldest form of worship is Paganism, from which Wicca and other forms of Earth reverence were born. Mother Earth was worshipped as a Goddess as far back as Paleolithic times (about 30,000 years ago). Modern paganism is based on the Celtic religion, which had its origin about 1000 BCE in what is now modern Slovakia. Ironically, the religion that is now known as Celtic did not arrive in Britain until 200 BCE, but instead expanded across Europe first.
India has seen its share of religion beginnings. Buddhism is based on Buddha Shakyamuni who, it is taught, was born in 624 BC in an area that now belongs to Nepal but was originally part of India. Buddha attained enlightenment when he was 35 and then set out to impart his teachings, out of which Buddhism eventually emerged as an organized religion. Jainism, which is believed to have com about around the same time as Buddhism, had a great impact in Indian culture and, despite not being as popular as other belief systems, now boasts a large following in many countries around the world.
Written by Diana Bocco
