Top 7 world oldest religion

Although the written history is only about 5,000 years old, some form of religion may have existed since human origin. Although there are several religions claiming that their teachings can be traced back to the dawn of time, spiritual practices and beliefs have emerged and eventually faded out of history like empires. Several large religious movements around the are lost in history, but many ancient religions are still in full practiced today.

It is important to note that although the following religions can trace their origins exactly, in general, it is difficult to know exactly when most religions appeared and the dates vary greatly depending on the reference.

1. Hinduism

Hinduism is generally considered to be the oldest religion still in existence today. Although this may be correct, it must be noted that Hinduism does not have any specific founder or single text, but a combination of multiple ancient traditions and beliefs. The oldest scripture in Hinduism is the Vedic Veda, which is believed to be approximately 3,500 years old. However, archaeologists discovered patterns of bulls and oxen, which are sacred animals of Hinduism, dating back to around 7,000 BC. At that time, an ancient civilization lived near the Indus River. Today, Hinduism is practiced by millions of people all over the world, but mainly in India and neighboring countries.

2. Judaism

Judaism is the oldest of the three monotheistic Abraham beliefs. The other two abrahamic religions are Christianity and Islam. The religion was officially founded by Moses, although the history of the Jews can be traced back to Abraham, who is considered the ancestor of the Jews. Although Judaism has many important and sacred texts, its most important religious document is the Pentateuch, which is part of the larger Tanakh Bible or the Hebrew Bible.

Modern Judaism can be divided into three movements: Orthodox Judaism, which is the most conservative and retains almost all traditional customs and etiquette. Reformed Judaism, its followers retained Jewish identity, but adopted a more liberal and relaxed attitude towards many beliefs and customs; conservative Judaism was in the middle, and adopted a moderate attitude towards Jewish customs.

3. Zoroastrianism

Although Zoroastrianism was officially established in the 6th century BC by the prophet and reformer Zoroastrianism, according to archaeological evidence, the origin of the religion can be traced back to 1,200-1,500 BC. At a particular point in history, Zoroastrianism was one among the foremost powerful religions within the world, and it had been the official religion of Persia from 600 BC to 650 BC. Zoroastrians believe a god called Ormazd , and contrary to popular belief, they're not fire worshippers-they believe that fire itself represents the sunshine or wisdom of God.

In contrast, Zoroastrianism is a small religion, but it has many core concepts with major religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

4. Shintoism

Although many people believe that Shintoism did not officially begin until the introduction of Buddhism into Japan in the 6th century BC, there are records that the origin of Shintoism can be traced back to 700 BC, although archaeological records can be traced to more distant places. After the advent of Buddhism, many elements of Buddhism were integrated into Shintoism beliefs and traditions as well as Confucianism.

The ruling aristocracy eventually merged these three religions and developed Shintoism as a way to guide the Japanese people-Shinto was officially designated as the state religion of Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912). Today, Shintoism and Buddhism are closely related to Japanese society and culture.

5. Buddhism

Unlike most other ancient religions, the origin of Buddhism can be traced back to a founder who was born more than 2500 years ago in modern Nepal and was named Siddhartha Gautama. According to Buddhist history, Siddhartha Gautama abandoned his luxurious life as a prince after witnessing the suffering outside the palace walls for the first time. After that, he sat under the Bodhi tree (under the awakened tree), and finally received enlightenment and became a Buddha.

From then on, Buddhist followers began to practice the Buddha's teachings of peace and to seek enlightenment for themselves.

6. Jainism

this religion is another ancient religion in India. It is believed to have appeared at the same time as Buddhism in the 6th century BC and has similar beliefs with Hinduism and Buddhism. There is no single religious text for this religion. Its believers believe that the truth has been revealed by Tirsankara (the prophet) at different times, and they have achieved the highest spiritual goal.

Followers of this religion believe that there are 24 tirthankara (tirthankara), the last one is Mahavira, he is considered to be the founder of Ja that is also a contemporary of Buddha.

7. Confucianism

Although Confucianism is not regarded as a traditional organized religious practice, it is generally regarded as a religion, and believers regard it more as a social and ethical philosophy system. The name of the religion comes from its founder Confucius (the Anglicization of Confucius’ real name K’ung-fu-tzu or Master K’ung). He did not set out to establish a new religion, but was interested in restoring values and the Zhou Dynasty’s faith.

Over the years, Confucianism has had a profound impact on the spiritual and political life of the Chinese people. Its influence has expanded to other parts of East Asia, including Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.