Which Religion is the Oldest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Religion predates writing. We will never know the answer. Especially when things like this are found that are estimated to be 35,000+ years old.

https://www.world-archaeology.com/world/europe/germany/worlds-oldest-venus/

Completely agree.
Based on available physical evidence, humans first evolved in Africa. Therefore, I theorize the first “beliefs” in a higher power (or powers) most likely began in Africa. Anything from “worshipping” the sun to animals.

[Anonymous]

Define "religion."

[Anonymous]

Mother Earth worship? Lots of cultures have legends about sky gods, earth gods, sea gods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adam and Eve technically had no religion but if you believe that is the start of men no one was in India for thousands of years later.

I think Africa is more logical choice. That is birthplace of civilization.

If you believe the story of Adam and Eve to be literally true, then they absolutely had religion. They talked to God. The difference is that he talked back. I don't happen to believe that, but clearly if someone is a Christian Young Earth Creationist, then you believe that Adam and Eve's religious beliefs were the first, and that there was an unbroken chain between them and modern Christianity.

I think that the question OP asked is what tradition has had the longest continuity of religious beliefs. Not beliefs that stay the same but that connected to each other. We know the Hindus had that longer than other religions with strong written traditions. But there are other groups, animists in Africa, indigenous Australians, who believe that their oral traditions go back further than that. It's not settled that Hinduism is the oldest, or that it isn't.

If OP was actually asking which religious beliefs were the first, then I apologize for misunderstanding. Beliefs like those of the Ancient Egyptians happened a long time ago, but they died out.

This PP is dead-on. Adam and Eve had a personal relationship with God, and there are other instances recorded in the Old Testament of the pre-incarnate Christ interacting with humans such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses and Joshua. Genesis 3 has all of Christianity within it: man created in God's image, the Fall, substitutional death (the animal skins God provided to cover a naked Adam and Eve) as a requisite for salvation, and the promise of a savior (the One who would crush the serpent's head). Christianity is the oldest religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adam and Eve technically had no religion but if you believe that is the start of men no one was in India for thousands of years later.

I think Africa is more logical choice. That is birthplace of civilization.

If you believe the story of Adam and Eve to be literally true, then they absolutely had religion. They talked to God. The difference is that he talked back. I don't happen to believe that, but clearly if someone is a Christian Young Earth Creationist, then you believe that Adam and Eve's religious beliefs were the first, and that there was an unbroken chain between them and modern Christianity.

I think that the question OP asked is what tradition has had the longest continuity of religious beliefs. Not beliefs that stay the same but that connected to each other. We know the Hindus had that longer than other religions with strong written traditions. But there are other groups, animists in Africa, indigenous Australians, who believe that their oral traditions go back further than that. It's not settled that Hinduism is the oldest, or that it isn't.

If OP was actually asking which religious beliefs were the first, then I apologize for misunderstanding. Beliefs like those of the Ancient Egyptians happened a long time ago, but they died out.

This PP is dead-on. Adam and Eve had a personal relationship with God, and there are other instances recorded in the Old Testament of the pre-incarnate Christ interacting with humans such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses and Joshua. Genesis 3 has all of Christianity within it: man created in God's image, the Fall, substitutional death (the animal skins God provided to cover a naked Adam and Eve) as a requisite for salvation, and the promise of a savior (the One who would crush the serpent's head). Christianity is the oldest religion.

I hope this was sarcasm

[Anonymous]

Hinduism or Zoroastrianism are the oldest organized religions with a continuity stretching back millennia. I have no doubt the original Africans had some sort of faith though.

[Anonymous]

animism