IN ancient world Science was just beginning to emerge. This is why religions have gained such influence. After all, they simply and clearly explained everything that exists on Earth, even if they attributed it to supernatural forces. As a result, there were many belief systems in ancient times. Most of them disappeared, being buried by sands and time. Many gods of the past have been forgotten.
But many ancient religions were founded long before most modern basic beliefs (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism) appeared. And although what our distant ancestors believed in is remembered less and less, there are enthusiasts who revive former practices. We will talk about the most unusual religions of the past, forgotten today. Many of them existed for many centuries and even millennia.
Finnish paganism. This polytheistic religion does not have its own clear definition. This form of paganism was widespread in the territory of modern Finland until Christianity came here. The religion evolved from shamanism and includes several features. For example, here special attention is paid to the veneration of ancestors, as in related religions. The Finns believed that the word has a very strong meaning and strength. In their opinion, the soul was present not only in living objects, but also in inanimate ones. Finnish pagans closely communicated with the natural world; they believed that the whole world was created from the egg of a diving duck. And their main god was Ukko, the thunder god, who rides across the sky in a chariot and throws lightning. His holiday was celebrated on April 4, and it was one of the most important dates in the calendar. Ukko had several common features with the Scandinavian god Thor. This is both a magic hammer and a thunderstorm that appears if Ukko sleeps with his wife Akka. For such a courageous god, his sacred animal looks rather strange - it is a ladybug, known as the Ukko cow.
Canaanite religion. This now forgotten country was the prototype of Phenicia and lay between the Euphrates and Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. For thousands of years, the only evidence of the existence of an ancient people were excerpts from the Torah and the Bible. The Canaanites appear there as constant rivals of the Israelites. But from 1927 to 1937, several Canaanite tablets were discovered on the northern coast of Syria. From them it became known about the ancient religion. It was a polytheistic religion, in which such characters stood out as the supreme god El, his son Baal, the god of thunder and rain. One of the most popular legends was the story of the struggle between Baal and Mot, the god of death. He defeated Baal, resulting in an unprecedented drought. Then all the other gods, led by El, united to free Baal. The war was ended by the virgin Anat, the warrior goddess. She entered the underworld, killed Mot and freed Bhaal. In general, in the Canaanite religion, the deities constantly fought with each other and copulated. They interfered in people's affairs simply for the sake of their whim, without thinking about the suffering caused to a person. Under the influence of neighboring peoples and the conquests of the Israelites, the Canaanite religion gradually eroded and disappeared.
Atonism. This religion was introduced by the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, also known as Amenhotep IV. Atonism was a monotheistic religion that was officially declared official. The pharaoh organized a real cultural and religious revolution in the country, however, after his death, the old beliefs were returned. Akhenaten claimed that only he could speak with the god Aten. This restrictive nature of religion meant that most ordinary Egyptians retained their previous beliefs. This helped Atonism quickly fade away after the death of its main preacher. Tablets about the existence of such an unusual ancient religion were found only at the beginning of the 20th century. They said that Akhenaten was sinking more and more into atonism, especially after the death of his beloved wife, Nefertiti. The pharaoh was the father of Tutankhamun, who in childhood, under pressure from the priests, was even named Tutankhaten in honor of the god Aten. During Akhenaten's reign, several religious hymns were created, one of which is similar to the famous Psalm 104.
Minoan religion. This religion originated from the civilization of the same name, which existed on the island of Crete. There is a strong contact with nature here, evidence of this is at least the masks with bull horns found during excavations. There is a lot of evidence that there were even competitions like the modern rodeo. The inhabitants of Crete chased the bull and tried to ride it. As with many other religions, there remains no single primary source about this belief. Most of the information we received were rock paintings and various archaeological finds from the island. The main Minoan deity was a woman - the goddess of nature. This makes the belief one of the few matriarchal. There were also male deities in the Minoan religion, but they were less significant or were not gods at all. Not only bulls, but also snakes and a double-sided ax played an important part in the rituals. Recent excavations have revealed evidence of even human sacrifice in the culture. It is quite possible that this is how the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur appeared.
Mithraism. This religion had Persian roots and appeared in Europe thanks to the conquests of Alexander the Great. The cult of Mithra was very popular among Roman soldiers. It especially spread in the border provinces. Mithraism turned into an ancient Roman secret belief, a kind of sect. As the Romans knew him, Mithra was the Persian god of the sun, heavenly light and justice. The soldiers believed that he brought them good luck. Little information remains about Mithraism. There is practically no trace of a single holy book, and did it ever exist? Almost everything we know about Mithraism has been found in the ruins of ancient temples. They were located underground, and followers of the religion preferred to build new ones when the old temples wore out. The detail that distinguishes the Roman worship of Mithra from the Persian is the killing of the bull, which has brought its own confusion to the archaeological world. There was no such myth in ancient Iranian mythology. One of the most important dates in the believers' calendar was December 25, the birthday of Mithras. Because of this, as well as some other details, it is believed that Christianity is the heir of Mithraism, having adopted its features. But it is very difficult to prove this.
Manichaeism. This religion was founded in the third century AD by a Persian named Mani. Initially, the beliefs were viewed as a heretical Christian sect. But over time, Manichaeism earned the status of an independent religion. The founder claimed that it combined the features of all the leading religions of that time - Christianity, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism. In fact, many apocryphal Christian writings would have been lost if not for the Manichaeans. The main attention was paid to the difference between evil and good, and knowledge was seen as the path to salvation. The most ardent adherents were known as the "chosen" or "distinctive", reminiscent of Buddhist monks, only they were wandering. Among the followers there were many great missionaries who spread the teachings of Mani throughout the world. Religion lost its popularity already in the Middle Ages. The reason for this was constant persecution by the Chinese government, the ancient Roman government and catholic church. The biggest myth about Manichaeism lies in the existence of a story about the battle of the world of Light and Darkness, two separate kingdoms. It was said that Adam and Eve were created as evil beings, but Jesus and Mani were the personification of good. These holy people were called upon to help humanity manifest its true spirituality. And although many of Mani’s works were considered irretrievably lost, parts of them were recently found, which made it possible to learn more about the ancient religion.
Tengrism. This religion is one of the most ancient in the world. It is said to have appeared around the Bronze Age, back between 3600 and 1200 BC. They came up with such a belief system in the Altai Mountains in Central Asia. It is a monotheistic religion with a strong focus on ancestor worship. Tengrism did not have a single holy book, as in other religions. Most of the early beliefs have already fallen out of our knowledge system. It is believed that many Huns of the North Caucasus may also have worshiped the god Tengri, to whom they sacrificed horses. As is the case with many pagan religions, Tengrism has much in common with Christian traditions. For example, the most important holiday, Epiphany, was celebrated on December 23. The bulk of this tradition dates back to the 5th century AD. and involves bringing a “Christmas” tree into the home and decorating it. And although Tengrism did not gain popularity during the era of Mongol rule, it is still practiced today. Some politicians in Kyrgyzstan are even calling for this belief to be made the state religion.
Ashurism. This religion became the national cult of the Assyrian people. Ashurism was almost identical to the older Babylonian religion, with only one difference. It was not Marduk who was worshiped here as the supreme deity. The Assyrians chose Ashur for this role. This polytheistic religion had thousands of deities, but the most important were only 20, including Ishtar and Marduk. Due to the similarities with the Babylonian religion, there were many shared stories with Judaism and Christianity, for example, myths about the global flood or Tower of Babel. This is where the apocryphal story about the demon woman Lilith, who became Adam’s first wife, came from. The most revered date in Ashurism was the New Year festival, Akitu. It lasted for 11 whole days, during which special honors were given to the supreme deity. And such a religion appeared about 1800 years before the birth of Christ and it existed until the fifth century. Assyria fell and so did its religion. True, it is quite likely that Ashurism was secretly practiced for some time.
Vedism. The ancient Indo-Aryans professed Vedism. This religion was popular for almost two thousand years, from 1500 BC. to 500 AD It can be considered that it was Vedism that became the basis for the emergence of the modern Hindu faith. After all, both there and there use the same sacred texts, the four Vedas. True, there are also some differences. Vedism provided for polytheism in nature, these beings were divided into two categories: nature gods, devas, and asuras. Gods moral concepts. For followers of Vedism, oral hymns were very important, and priests played an important role in rituals. They told believers how they could improve their lives by pleasing the gods. Vedism practiced animal sacrifices, but this was still a rare practice. Where more often the gods were given milk and grain. The supreme god in Vedism was Indra. One of the most famous myths is the story of his struggle with the children of the demoness Diti. After Indra killed almost all of her children, she summoned magic to make her unborn son more powerful than the supreme god himself. When Indra found out about this, he threw lightning into the demoness’s womb, destroying it. future child turned into 40 little demons.
Olmec religion. This people lived in Central America, and their religion existed since 1400 BC. to 400 AD The reason for the disappearance of the Olmecs remains unknown. The most popular version is volcanic activity or other changes environment. There is not even direct evidence of the existence of the Olmecs. Archaeologists simply compare the found artifacts with those that were present in the religion of the Aztecs and Mayans, looking for similarities. It is believed that the Olmec beliefs were closely related to shamanism, and the most popular god there was the god of rain and fertility. He was personified by a jaguar. True, there is an opinion that the Olmecs did not have a main deity at all; his role was played by eight separate and no less important gods. It is believed that religion was accompanied by various sacrifices, including bloody ones. The gods were depicted with jade figurines, as well as masks during ritual dances. Olmec priests used hallucinogenic drugs to help them communicate with spirits. Today, archaeologists have learned only about ten deities of this people. Due to its early origins, this religion is considered the mother of later Mesoamerican religions, which is determined by a number of common elements.
Modern and primitive religions are humanity’s belief that some higher powers control not only people, but also various processes in the Universe. This is especially true for ancient cults, since at that time the development of science was weak. Man could not explain this or that phenomenon in any other way other than divine intervention. Often this approach to understanding the world led to tragic consequences (the Inquisition, the burning of scientists at the stake, and so on).
There was also a period of coercion. If a person did not accept a belief, then he was tortured and tormented until he changed his point of view. Today, the choice of religion is free, people have the right to independently choose their worldview.
Emergence primitive religions dates back to a long period, approximately 40-30 thousand years ago. But which belief came first? Scientists have different points of view on this matter. Some believe that this happened when people began to perceive each other’s souls, others - with the advent of witchcraft, and others took the worship of animals or objects as a basis. But the very origin of religion itself represents a large complex of beliefs. It is difficult to give priority to any of them, since there is no necessary data. The information that archaeologists, researchers and historians receive is not enough.
It is impossible not to take into account the distribution of the first beliefs throughout the planet, which leads to the conclusion that attempts to search for an ancient religion are illegitimate. Each tribe existing then had its own object of worship.
We can only say with certainty that the first and subsequent basis of every religion is belief in the supernatural. However, it is expressed differently everywhere. Christians, for example, worship their God, who has no flesh but is omnipresent. It's supernatural. African tribes, in turn, plan their Gods from wood. If they don’t like something, they can cut or pierce their patron with a needle. This is also supernatural. Therefore, every modern religion has its own ancient “ancestor”.
When did the first religion appear?
Initially, primitive religions and myths were closely intertwined. In modern times it is impossible to find an interpretation for some events. The fact is that primitive people tried to tell their descendants with the help of mythology, embellishing and/or expressing themselves too figuratively.
However, the question of when beliefs arise is still relevant today. Archaeologists claim that the first religions appeared after homo sapiens. Excavations whose burials date back to 80 thousand years ago definitely indicate that ancient man I didn’t think about other worlds at all. People were simply buried and that was all. There is no evidence that this process was accompanied by rituals.
Weapons, food and some household items are found in later graves (burials made 30-10 thousand years ago). This means that people began to think of death as a long sleep. When a person wakes up, and this must happen, it is necessary that the essentials be near him. People buried or burned took on an invisible, ghostly form. They became peculiar guardians of the clan.
There was also a period without religions, but very little is known about it to modern scientists.
Reasons for the emergence of the first and subsequent religions
Primitive religions and their features are very similar to modern beliefs. Various religious cults have acted in their own and state interests for thousands of years, providing psychological impact to the flock.
There are 4 main reasons for the emergence of ancient beliefs, and they are no different from modern ones:
- Intelligence. A person needs an explanation for any event that happens in his life. And if he cannot obtain it thanks to his knowledge, then he will certainly receive a justification for what he observes through supernatural intervention.
- Psychology. Earthly life is finite, and there is no way to resist death, at least for this moment. Therefore, a person must be freed from the fear of dying. Thanks to religion, this can be done quite successfully.
- Morality. There is no society that would exist without rules and prohibitions. It is difficult to punish everyone who violates them. It is much easier to scare and prevent these actions. If a person is afraid of doing something bad, because supernatural forces will punish him, then the number of violators will significantly decrease.
- Policy. To maintain the stability of any state, ideological support is required. And only one or another belief can provide it.
Thus, the emergence of religions can be taken for granted, since there are more than enough reasons for this.
Totemism
The types of religions of primitive man and their description should begin with totemism. Ancient people lived in groups. Most often these were families or their association. Alone, a person would not be able to provide himself with everything he needs. This is how the cult of animal worship appeared. Societies hunted animals to obtain food without which they could not survive. And the emergence of totemism is quite logical. This is how humanity paid tribute to its livelihood.
So, totemism is the belief that one family has a blood relationship with a particular animal or natural phenomenon. People saw them as patrons who helped, punished if necessary, resolved conflicts, and so on.
There are two features of totemism. Firstly, each member of the tribe had a desire to look like their animal. For example, some Africans knocked out their lower teeth to look like a zebra or antelope. Secondly, the totem animal could not be eaten unless the ritual was followed.
The modern descendant of totemism is Hinduism. Here some animals, most often the cow, are sacred.
Fetishism
It is impossible to consider primitive religions without taking into account fetishism. It represented the belief that some things have supernatural properties. Various objects were worshiped, passed from parents to children, always kept at hand, and so on.
Fetishism is often compared to magic. However, if it is present, it is in a more complex form. Magic helped to have an additional impact on some phenomenon, but did not in any way influence its occurrence.
Another feature of fetishism is that the objects were not worshiped. They were revered and treated with respect.
Magic and religion
Primitive religions could not do without the participation of magic. It is a set of rites and rituals, after which, it was believed, it became possible to control certain events and influence them in every possible way. Many hunters performed various ritual dances, which made the process of finding and killing the animal more successful.
Despite the seeming impossibility of magic, it was magic that formed the basis of most modern religions as common element. For example, there is a belief that a rite or ritual (the sacrament of baptism, funeral service, and so on) has supernatural power. But it is also considered in a separate form, different from all beliefs. People tell fortunes with cards, call upon spirits, or do anything to see deceased ancestors.
Animism
Primitive religions could not do without the participation of the human soul. Ancient people thought about such concepts as death, sleep, experience, and so on. As a result of such thoughts, the belief arose that everyone has a soul. Later it was supplemented by the fact that only bodies die. The soul passes into another shell or exists independently in a separate other world. This is how animism appears, which is a belief in spirits, and it does not matter whether they belong to a person, an animal or a plant.
The peculiarity of this religion was that the soul could live indefinitely. After the body died, it broke out and calmly continued its existence, only in a different form.
Animism is also the ancestor of most modern religions. Ideas about immortal souls, gods and demons - all this is its basis. But animism also exists separately, in spiritualism, belief in ghosts, essences, and so on.
Shamanism
It is impossible to consider primitive religions without highlighting the clergy. This is most acutely visible in shamanism. As an independent religion, it appears much later than those discussed above, and represents the belief that an intermediary (shaman) can communicate with spirits. Sometimes these spirits were evil, but most often they were kind, giving advice. Shamans often became leaders of tribes or communities, because people understood that they were associated with supernatural forces. Therefore, if something happens, they will be able to protect them better than some king or khan, who is only capable of natural movements (weapons, troops, and so on).
Elements of shamanism are present in virtually all modern religions. Believers have a special attitude towards priests, mullahs or other clergy, believing that they are under the direct influence of higher powers.
Unpopular primitive religious beliefs
The types of primitive religions need to be supplemented with some beliefs that are not as popular as totemism or, for example, magic. These include the agricultural cult. Primitive people who led Agriculture, worshiped the gods of various cultures, as well as the earth itself. There were, for example, patrons of corn, beans, and so on.
The agricultural cult is well represented in modern Christianity. Here the Mother of God is represented as the patroness of bread, George - of agriculture, the prophet Elijah - of rain and thunder, and so on.
Thus, it will not be possible to briefly consider the primitive forms of religion. Every ancient belief exists to this day, even if it has actually lost its face. Rituals and sacraments, rituals and amulets - all these are parts of the faith of primitive man. And it is impossible in modern times to find a religion that does not have a strong direct connection with the most ancient cults.
No one can give an exact answer to the question of when the very first religion appeared on our planet. However, it is known for certain that even ancient people developed burial rituals, which is direct evidence of the presence of some kind of faith. Since ancient times, man, trying to explain his appearance in this world, as well as the very emergence of the world, came up with various beliefs. Also, religion has always provided an answer to the eternal question about the meaning of human life.
Faith largely shapes the life of both an individual and a society in which a particular faith dominates. It forms the basis of customs, traditions, moral standards and even the political structure of the state.
Some religions still exist today, differing from each other in their prevalence around the world and the number of “adepts,” while others have long been forgotten and died along with the last believers. Gods have been born and died throughout human history. In this article we will talk about which religion is the most ancient, and also compile a selection of the ten oldest religions in the world. It will contain beliefs from all corners of the globe.
According to some evidence, it can be assumed that the first beliefs appeared as early as 70,000 years ago. However, if you believe only reliable and confirmed data, the first religion appeared around 3500 BC. In those days, the Sumerian people were building the first civilization on the planet.
The Sumerians left behind many reminders in the form of clay tablets and the remains of some buildings. The Sumerians had a large pantheon of deities, each of which controlled some elemental or natural phenomenon. The Sumerians often attributed favorable and unfavorable weather conditions to the good or bad mood of one or another god.
All Sumerian gods were associated with any astronomical bodies. Religion for the Sumerians was the main part of their life and social structure. The Sumerians believed that their kings carried out the divine will. The Sumerians built temples and ziggurats in which they believed the gods lived.
2 – Religion of ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptians were an extremely religious people. This is confirmed by the abundance of huge pyramids, which indicate how firmly the Egyptians believed in the afterlife. It is known that after the death of the pharaoh, his servants went with him to the tomb to serve him in the afterlife.
In total, the Egyptians had approximately 450 gods. Of these, only 30 were recognized as the main ones in the pantheon. This happened because pharaohs who had divine status often wanted to expand their domains, and in order to annex a new tribe, it was enough for the pharaoh to accept the local god as his own. With the addition of more and more new tribes, the list of recognized gods of ancient Egypt expanded to a certain number.
The abundance of gods inevitably created confusion in the public understanding of religion, but the belief in an afterlife and some other provisions remained unchanged. The pharaohs of Egypt have ruled since 3100 BC. to 323 AD
3 – Greek and Roman religion
In total, the ancient Greeks came up with several thousand gods, but of this huge number, only 12 deities constitute a recognized and widely known pantheon. During the prosperity of Rome, when Greece came under its control, Greek gods were adapted to the Roman world. Rome borrowed from the Greeks most their religions and mythologies. Thus, even such a concept as the Greco-Roman religion appeared.
The gods of Greece, according to beliefs, lived on Mount Olympus, and were not models of morality, and in general their character was most often bad. People had to appease them in every possible way in order to convince the gods to help humanity and not harm it.
4 - Druidry
One of the most peaceful religions in the world. The belief is based entirely on nature and its reverence. Its origins were in witchcraft and shamanic practices common in prehistoric times. For some time he confessed throughout Europe, but then concentrated in the Celtic tribes.
The main idea of this belief is that you should never harm anyone, even yourself. The Druids did not oppose other religions, believing that the gods were able to figure everything out themselves, and they considered people to be an extremely small part of the world.
5 - Asatru
A religion largely based on ancient Scandinavian paganism. Supports many Viking traditions. The main values of this faith were courage, wisdom, energy, freedom, honor, joy and strength. It begins around 1000 BC.
Followers of Asatru believed that the gods lived in Asgard, their kingdom, and the Earth on which people lived was called Midgard. In general, the universe was divided into nine such worlds. Much of the religion was based on nature and the changing seasons.
6 - Hinduism
It cannot be called a single religion, but rather a unification of all beliefs that appeared in India. The first manifestations of Hinduism can be traced back to 3000 BC. The basis of religion is the belief in reincarnation and the idea of liberation from it. According to Hinduism, a person is doomed to eternal reincarnation, and the better he behaved in this life, the better his next life will be. If a person completely purifies his soul, he can be freed from reincarnation and find true peace.
7 - Buddhism
Buddha means “enlightened”, that is, freed from worldly suffering. In many ways, this belief is similar to Hinduism, since it also expounds the idea of reincarnation and sets the goal of freeing oneself from them. Due to the fact that there is little attention to deities in this religion, it is more aimed at self-discipline, sometimes Buddhism is considered as a philosophical concept rather than as a religion. Buddhism originated around the 5th-6th century BC.
8 - Jainism
The main idea of this religion is similar to Hinduism and Buddhism. The goal is also liberation, enlightenment, renunciation of worldly vanity, and the achievement of higher knowledge and understanding. It originates around the 9th century BC.
9 – Judaism
The oldest monotheistic religion. The basis of faith is the sacred scripture “Torah”, which includes the five books of Moses. As in Christianity and Islam, of the many commandments and postulates, 10 are recognized as the most important. This religion says that one day the Jewish people will return to Israel - their former abode.
10 – Zoroastrianism
Originates in 1700-1500 BC. and is based on the teachings of Zarathustra, a prophet from Persia. The essence of religion is the eternal struggle between evil and good, as well as human choice between these categories. Zoroastrianism says that after death a person goes either to a place of torment or to heaven, and this depends on what choices he made during his life.
In most countries of the modern world there is no state religion at all: all religions (except for prohibited destructive cults) are equal before the law, the state does not interfere in their affairs. Such states are secular, or secular. Belongs to their number and Russian Federation. From this point of view, calling Russia “Orthodox” and Italy “Catholic” is possible only from the point of view of historically established religious traditions.
But there are also countries in which the status of a particular religion is enshrined in law.
The very first Christian state
Often the very first state in which Christianity acquired the status of a state religion is called Byzantium, but this is incorrect. The Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine the Great, which opened the way for the establishment of Byzantium as a Christian state, dates back to 313. But 12 years before this event - in 301 - Christianity was officially recognized in Greater Armenia.
This event was facilitated by the position of King Trdat III. According to legend, this king was initially strongly opposed to the Christian faith. His close associate St. He imprisoned George the Illuminator for refusing to sacrifice to the goddess Anahit. Subsequently, the king became seriously ill. In a dream, an angel appeared to his sister and said that only Gregory could heal Trdat, and the king must become a Christian. And so it happened, and after this incident Trdat III began the fight against paganism throughout the country.
In modern Armenia, the special legal status of the Armenian Apostolic as a national religion is preserved.
Christian states of the modern world
Christianity exists in the form of Catholicism and various directions of Protestantism.
Catholicism has the status of the state religion in Argentina, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, as well as in several dwarf European states: Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein and, of course, in the Vatican, the residence of the Pope.
The status of Orthodoxy as the “dominant religion” is indicated in the Greek constitution.
Lutheranism has official status in Denmark and Iceland.
In a number of cases, one or another Christian church is state not for the entire country as a whole, but for a certain part of it. Catholicism has the status of an official religion in some cantons of Switzerland, and Anglicanism in England, but not in other parts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Some countries are formally secular states, but in fact Christian denominations have a special status in them. The Bulgarian constitution defines Orthodoxy as the country's "traditional" one, and the Georgian constitution emphasizes the "exclusive role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the history of Georgia."
In Norway and Sweden, despite the separation of church and state, the king remains the head of the church, and in Norway Lutheran clergy are treated as civil servants. In Finland, not a single church is state-owned, but there are special laws regulating the activities of the Lutheran Church. The situation is similar with Orthodox Church in this country.
In Germany, church and state are separate, but the financial authorities of the federal states levy taxes for the benefit of religious communities. Roman Catholic and Old Catholic communities and evangelical land churches enjoy this right. The tax is levied on the basis of membership in any religious community, which is required at the passport office.
Sources:
- Legal status of traditional religions
Christianity is the biggest world religion both in geographical distribution and in number of adherents. There is at least one Christian community in every country in the world.
Instructions
Christianity is an Abrahamic religion that is based on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. Believers have no doubt that Jesus is the Savior of Mankind and the Son of God and is sacred in the historicity of Christ. The religion arose in Palestine in the 1st century among the Arabic-speaking population. In the first decade, Christianity spread to neighboring provinces and ethnic groups. It was first adopted as a state religion in Armenia in 301. And in 313, Rome gave Christianity the status of state religion. In 988, Christianization was introduced into Old Russian state and continues for the next 9 centuries.
There are about 2.35 billion adherents of the Christian religion around the world, which is one third of the world's population. In Europe, the number of Christians reaches 550 million, North America - 231 million, Latin America - 543 million, Africa - 475 million, Asia - 350 million, Australia and Oceania - 24 million.
Video on the topic
According to experts, there are tens of thousands of religious movements and denominations in the world. Many old forms of worship are fading into oblivion, giving way to new ones. Today, historians are asking the question: what was the first religion on earth?
Instructions
All existing religious teachings are grouped into several main directions, of which the most famous are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. A study of the history of the emergence of religions allows us to draw a conclusion about the religious worship that appeared on earth from the very beginning.
The directions listed above can be divided into 2 groups: “Abrahamic” and “Eastern”. The latter includes Hinduism, Buddhism and a number of related movements that originated in Southeast Asia. While Buddhism appeared in the 6th century BC, thereby becoming the same age as Confucianism, Hinduism has a noticeably longer history. The earliest date of its origin is believed to be 1500 BC. However, Hinduism is not a single system religious teachings, as it unites various schools and cults.
The “Abrahamic” group of religions consists of three related movements: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The first two forms of worship have a common doctrinal source - the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible. Islam, which appeared in the 7th century AD, took as its basis the Koran, which is largely based on the experience of the entire Bible, including the New Testament. Unlike the “eastern” group of religions, which have many fundamental differences in the understanding and even the very existence of God, the “Abrahamic” forms of worship are distinguished by the main feature - monotheism, belief in one and only Creator. This detail is emphasized by the name of God in the “Abrahamic” religions: for Muslims he is “Allah,” which indicates the related “Elohim” of the Jews, in the Old Testament of whom God is also called “Jehovah” (Yahweh), which is confirmed by Christians. The commonality of these fundamental doctrines makes it possible to trace the historical path of the emergence of the “Abrahamic” religions.
Judaism is the earliest of these forms of religious worship. The Torah, the first five biblical books of the Old Testament (also called the Pentateuch), began to be written around 1513 BC. Nevertheless, this work describes in detail the period of formation of mankind and the history of the emergence of religion long before the beginning of the Bible. Based on an analysis of the initial chapters of the Old Testament, researchers came to the conclusion that there were previous manuscript sources on the basis of which the writing of the Bible began.
The Bible makes it much easier to research the historical background because it contains a detailed chronological line. Thus, according to biblical chronology, Abraham, who is revered by representatives of all “Abrahamic” religions, practiced serving God at the turn of the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. The famous worldwide flood, which the servants of God were able to survive, is dated in the Holy Scriptures to approximately 2370 BC. According to the description of the Bible, hundreds of centuries before the flood, people also professed a single faith in God. In particular, the Bible quotes the words of the first woman, Eve, who mentioned Jehovah (Yahweh) as the God who gave life to the first people on earth.
The religious and cultural influence that the Bible had on Eastern and Western civilizations, as well as the presence in its composition of a strict chronological line with the system of religious worship practiced by the ancient world, distinguish the Bible from the general mass of other religious documents. Today, the Bible is considered an authoritative religious source by more than half of the world's inhabitants. Unlike many cults, the Bible is fundamental, which allowed the religious form presented in it for a long time keep unified system worship of God. In turn, this helps trace the history of belief in the God of the Bible over thousands of years. These circumstances allow us to come to the conclusion that the first religion on earth was the one described in the Bible.
Religion from others social phenomena are distinguished by belief in the supernatural, the presence of a set of spiritual and moral rules of behavior, cult rituals that unite a group of people-followers in various types religious formations - church, sect, movement, denomination, community, etc. IN modern world there are more than 5,000 religions.
Traditionally, questions of faith cause the most controversy and debate. How many copies have been broken in figuring out which religion is the most correct, which one deeply reflects the essence of man and the world, which one is better than all the others.
And it is extremely rare that such debates take place peacefully. Most often, having exhausted all arguments, participants grab clubs (in ancient times), swords (closer to us) or bombs and missiles (today).
As a result, it may seem that such disputes have been going on forever, and that religion has surrounded man forever. But this is far from true. And even the most ancient religions of the world appeared in the quite foreseeable past, which only confirms this. So, let's figure out what our distant ancestors actually believed in and how exactly they did it.
Forerunners of religion
It is sometimes believed that any belief in supernatural forces is already a religion. But scientists clearly list its main characteristics, separating it from mythology and primitive beliefs. Each of these forms of worldview was based on the previous one, logically flowing from it. Therefore, in order to understand ancient religions, you need to describe their forerunners in a nutshell.
Ancient Beliefs
With ancient beliefs everything is relatively simple. The man did not distinguish much difference between himself, the tree, the stone, the stream and the wolf. Just think, one is lying on the ground and not running anywhere, and the other is regularly howling in the nearest forest, anyway, each of them is alive in their own way.
This is how they appeared:
- Animism- faith in living nature, in the literal sense of the word.
- Totemism- the belief that a wolf, owl or deer can be a close relative, if not by blood, then certainly by spirit.
- Fetishism- but not in the modern sense, but as a belief in the possibility of the thought process of inanimate objects.
- Shamanism and magic- the belief that some people can interact not only with their fellow tribesmen, but also with the spirits of everything that surrounds them.
In a sense, these beliefs are the most ancient religions. But in them, a person did not separate himself from the world around him, he lived next to it, and everyone felt easy and comfortable.
Mythology
But then mythology appeared - a slightly more complicated previous version. In it, animals easily turned into people, people became plants, rocks came to life, or, on the contrary, people turned to stone. But entities have already appeared that are superior to this strange cycle - gods (for now - in the plural). Although the line between them and people was also quite fragile. The gods were happy to mischief or help people, they took revenge on them to the best of their ability or begged for various gingerbread, but, in general, it was a single closed system. Anyone also knows examples:
- Greek myths are a multi-part love-tragicomic film about the relationship between a dozen Olympian gods, a myriad of smaller gods and goddesses, many incomprehensible creatures like satyrs, nymphs and other centaurs-minotaurs and people.
- Ancient Roman mythology is the same serial film, adapted to Roman conditions.
- Egyptian myths - passions around the solar cycle, its birth, death, the next birth - and further in a circle with the participation of hybrid gods.
- Indian mythology is an absolutely incomprehensible to a stranger mixture of beliefs of several hundred tribes and nationalities that inhabited today's India.
- Slavic mythology- the basis of many fairy tales familiar to us from childhood. As a rule, it is not recommended to read them to children in their original form to avoid stress.
You can continue in this spirit for a very long time, because every nation had its own mythology, and sometimes even several.
Religions
It was through this long and difficult path that we finally came to religions. So what is even the most ancient religion world different from the most recent mythology? The duality of the world. Previously, everything was simple and clear for a person: here I am, here are the gods, here is nature, everyone lives together and does not interfere with each other.
But people do not look for simple ways, and in order to completely complicate and confuse everything, they created religions. In them, God (or gods - not fundamentally) are allocated beyond the boundaries of this world, placed above it, having the ability to set and create circumstances for those living in it.
A person also receives a dual nature: on the one hand, he lives in this world, on the other hand, he will then leave it and move on to a better one (or a worse one, depending on how he behaves). Both the oldest religion and the youngest have such principles.
Examples of ancient religions
To make it a little easier to navigate, here are a few examples of the most ancient religions:
- Judaism. The first of a series of Abrahamic religions, which also includes Christianity (a very widespread religion), Islam (also popular) and many of their branches.
- Taoism. Searching for and following the “path” that every object, phenomenon and person has.
- Hinduism. Based on the mythology of this people, only even more complex and confusing. The basis for many other religions: Shintoism, Krishnaism, Buddhism, Shaivism, Shaktism and many other interesting words.
- Zoroastrianism. Worship of fire in all possible forms.
From these religions, several hundred, or even thousands of new ones developed like mushrooms after rain. And they continue to appear every day. As you can see, the most widespread religions today are not only not the most ancient, but also secondary, in relation to others.
And this makes it absolutely pointless to search for an answer to the question of which religion is the most ancient, the most correct or the best. All of them have the right not to exist as long as they bring people benefit, joy and an incentive for self-improvement, and not vice versa.
The newest religions
But even today, more and more new religions are appearing, and not only as offshoots from existing ones, but also completely unique:
- Pastafarianism. Adherents believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster and even defended the right to have their passport photos taken in a colander, their sacred item of clothing.
- Kopimism. Sacred symbols for them are the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, and the ritual of copying and distributing information is a religious rite. This is how they gracefully circumvented the ban on torrent trackers.
- Googleism. This youngest religion recognizes the Holy Google as an eternal, immortal and omniscient being.
So, even such strange beliefs are not at first glance (and at second glance either) also recognized as religions. It's funny, isn't it?
