What is the oldest religion?

[outhouse]

It would seem Adam was a Hebrew.

Its one thing to be ignorant of history and science, it is another to be ignorant of your own theology.

Mankind's religious family tree can trace it roots back to: ancient Babylon.

False again.

The oldest is probably Aborigine and the Rainbow serpent. Gobekli Tepe is old but we know nothing of their mythology.

Much older then your mythology.

 

[Covellite]

Since most of us came from Phaeton (planet between Mars and Jupiter), destroyed ages ago (our ex-planet Earth) I guess we should not try to find the answer to that question by looking for artifacts

 

[Jedster]

I actually do not know and was asked this the other day. Is there any definite answer? And when I say religion I don't mean as in one guy thinking ''Yeah there's a man in the sky that controls everything" etc. I mean a religion, that may or may not now be dead, that a moderately large group took part and believed in. My history is terrible so I reaaly have no clue :^)

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna teaches the raj-vidya(supreme yoga) to the Sun-god, who in turn passes in on to Manu(primordial man??) who in turn passes it on to the first Indian king.

"The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku."(Bhagavad-gita 4.1)

So, maybe this yoga is the the most ancient..certainly the most ancient claim.

 

[1AOA1]

I actually do not know and was asked this the other day. Is there any definite answer? And when I say religion I don't mean as in one guy thinking ''Yeah there's a man in the sky that controls everything" etc. I mean a religion, that may or may not now be dead, that a moderately large group took part and believed in. My history is terrible so I reaaly have no clue :^)

Theistic practice- the life of the spirit.

Not necessarily. There are also different types of Xians, /Christians/, and Xian belief.

But Christianity was said, not blue Christianity or red Christianity. So the practice and fruits being referenced are the ones shared among all which allow each practice to be classified under Christianity.

So, some Xians might agree with your statement, some might not.

Do you mean some types of Christians? You used "types of" earlier in the post. It is customary for the fruits of different types of the same practice to begin diverging at the point where the practice begins to branch into a different way.

 

[Neo Deist]

Animism is the oldest religion. No arguments.

This.

Mankind has honored and/or worshipped animals/plants since the dawn of time. Ancient shamans wearing headdresses come to mind...

 

[ArtieE]

This.

Mankind has honored and/or worshipped animals/plants since the dawn of time. Ancient shamans wearing headdresses come to mind...

Oldest practiced today is Hinduism. Oldest we know much about is old Egyptian from around 4000 BC. Ptah spoke the world into existence and Osiris even granted the worthy eternal life. Seems familiar? [emoji3]

 

[Neo Deist]

Oldest practiced today is Hinduism. Oldest we know much about is old Egyptian from around 4000 BC. Ptah spoke the world into existence and Osiris even granted the worthy eternal life. Seems familiar? [emoji3]

Not true. Remote tribes still worship animals just like their ancestors did. Animism is the oldest religion in the world, as it was the original religion from the dawn of early man.

 

[outhouse]

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna teaches the raj-vidya(supreme yoga) to the Sun-god, who in turn passes in on to Manu(primordial man??) who in turn passes it on to the first Indian king.

"The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku."(Bhagavad-gita 4.1)

So, maybe this yoga is the the most ancient..certainly the most ancient claim.

Nope. Aborigine is older with their rainbow serpent

 

[outhouse]

Not true. Remote tribes still worship animals just like their ancestors did. Animism is the oldest religion in the world, as it was the original religion from the dawn of early man.

Yes we think that. And early evidence does show that it is old.

But we are in the dark. We have many older artifacts "venus statues" and I believe some paint on things in Neanderthal burials.


So we do have a mixed bad and in that mixed bag was animism

 

[Jedster]

Nope. Aborigine is older with their rainbow serpent

Maybe older stories, but did the Rainbow serpent teach primordial man the raj-vidya(supreme yoga)?

 

[Kirran]

I'd like to suggest that animism is a metaphysical viewpoint or an approach to reality rather than a religion. In the same way that monotheism, atheism and nondualism aren't religions.

 

[paarsurrey]

What is the oldest religion?

What merit would accrue to it, if it is a dead religion? Please
Regards

 

[Kirran]

Why need it accrue merit?

 

[outhouse]

Maybe older stories, but did the Rainbow serpent teach primordial man the raj-vidya(supreme yoga)?

Yoga Vasistha is not that old.

 

[paarsurrey]

Why need it accrue merit?

Do you think merit is not needed for a religion? Please
Regards

 

[Kirran]

Do you think merit is not needed for a religion? Please
Regards

I'm not sure what merit would even mean in this context. It's bound to be utterly subjective, so merit might be seen as having accrued to a religion by some and not others.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'd like to suggest that animism is a metaphysical viewpoint or an approach to reality rather than a religion. In the same way that monotheism, atheism and nondualism aren't religions.

Indigenous spiritualities didn't have names for their religions, because there was no division made between the religious/spiritual and all other facets of life. Coming up with names for religions is a very recent thing and stems from religions with a transcendent focus.

 

[Parsimony]

Do you think merit is not needed for a religion? Please
Regards

Those who practiced it must have thought it had some merit, but that is beside the point of the thread.

 

[Kirran]

Indigenous spiritualities didn't have names for their religions, because there was no division made between the religious/spiritual and all other facets of life. Coming up with names for religions is a very recent thing and stems from religions with a transcendent focus.

The final point is very interesting. I wonder if it mightn't be more about exclusivism than transcendentalism.

 

[Tiapan]

They all pail into oblivion compared to the Australian Aboriginal beliefs that have led to to a continuous civilization of over 40,000 years exceeding the combined total of all other known religions combined, perhaps we should spend more time discovering the Rainbow Serpent.

Cheers