The 7 Oldest Religions In The World

Himanshi singh       May 19, 2020

#Hinduism (15th – 5th Century BCE)

         Hinduism is generally believed to be the world's oldest religion and was founded more than 4,000 years ago. It's difficult to trace its origin because it has no founder and is a compilation of several belief systems. Unlike Christianity or Judaism, Hinduism is not an organized religion. 

#Zoroastrianism (10th – 5th Century BCE)

       Zoroastrianism is an ancient Persian religion (modern-day Iran) that may have developed as long as 4,000 years ago. Like Judaism, this religion promotes the belief in one God. Zoroastrianism flourished under the Persian Empire and was the state religion of three separate Persian dynasties.   

#Judaism (9th – 5th Century BCE)

       The father of Judaism is believed to be Abraham. A man that the Tora (the Jewish scripture and Christian Old Testament) claims was born in Ur, a city in ancient Mesopotamia. The Torah teaches that God called Abraham to leave Ur and migrate to the land of Cannon, where eventually, the decedents of Abraham became the nation of Israel. 

#Jainism (8th – 2nd Century BCE)

       Jainism emerged out of the Ganges region in what is modern-day India and heavily influenced Buddhism and Confucianism. Jainism teaches that the Tirthankara is an individual who has obtained perfect mastery over anger, pride, deceit, and desire. However, there can only ever be 24 Tirthankara  

#Confucianism (6th – 5th Century BCE)

       Beginning in the 6th century, Confucianism quickly spread throughout Asia and continues to impact millions of people's lives some 2,600 years later. However, unlike Buddhism, Confucius was not the founder of Confucianism. 

#Buddhism (6th – 5th Century BCE)

     Buddhism began in 500 B.C., and as such, it predates Taoism by a mere 100 years. However, unlike Taoism, this religion has a founder. His name was Siddhartha Guatama, a young rich prince from Lumbini, which is part of modern-day Nepal . 

#Taoism (6th – 4th Century BCE)

     Taoism started in China about 2,400 years ago and was officially recognized as a religion during the Tang dynasty. However, there is no official founder of Taoism; rather, it evolved naturally out of Chinese folk religion.   

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