What Are The 5 Oldest Religions In The World？

History and Evolution of Religions. What is Religion? A set of beliefs and beliefs of people, usually involving devotional and rituals presence, and a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects. Top 5 oldest religions in the world. 1. Hinduism, 7000 BCE. Origin, Indian subcontinent. Number of current followers. 900 million. Hinduism is often considered the oldest existing religion still practiced today. Hinduism does not have any particular founder or a single text, but instead combines several ancient traditions and beliefs. Archaeologists have found bull and cow motifs, which are sacred animals in Hinduism, dating back to around 7000 BCE during a time when an ancient civilization inhabited the area near the Indus River. Today, Hinduism is practiced by millions of people around the world, but primarily in India and the surrounding countries. 2. Judaism, 2000 BCE. Origin, Southern Levant, modern day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. Number of current followers. 13 million. Judaism is the oldest of the three monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, with the other two religions being Christianity and Islam. The religion was officially founded by Moses, although Jewish history can be traced back to Abraham, who is considered to be the ancestor of the Jewish people. While Judaism has many important and sacred texts, its most important religious document is the Torah, which is part of a larger text known as the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible. Modern Judaism can be separated into three movements, Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Conservative Judaism. 3. Zoroastrianism, 1500 BCE. Origin, Ancient Persia, modern day Iran. Number of current followers. 200,000. Zoroastrianism was officially founded in the 6th century BCE by the prophet and reformer Zoroaster. Through archaeological evidence, the religion's roots may date back between 1200 to 1500 BCE. Zoroastrianism was one of the most powerful religions in the world and served as the official religion of Persia from 600 BCE to 650 BCE. Zoroastrians believe in one god called Ahura Mazda and contrary to popular belief, are not fire worshippers, they believe that fire represents God's light or wisdom. While Zoroastrianism is a fairly small religion by comparison, it shares many central concepts with major religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. 4. Shinto, 700 BCE. Origin, Japan. Number of current followers, 4,000,000. Shinto did not officially begin until after Buddhism was introduced to Japan around the 6th century BCE. There is recorded history mentioning Shinto's roots from around 700 BCE, although archaeological records date back further. After Buddhism arrived, many Buddhist elements were mixed into Shinto faiths and traditions, as well as Confucian ones. The ruling aristocracy eventually combined all three religions and developed Shinto as a way to guide Japan's people, Shinto was officially designated as Japan's state religion during the Meiji period, 1868 to 1912. Today Shinto as well as Buddhism is closely tied to Japan's society and culture. 5. Buddhism, 600 BCE. Origin, Indian subcontinent, modern-day Nepal. Number of current followers, 500,000,000. Buddhism can trace its roots back to one founder, a prince who was born in modern-day Nepal over 2,500 years ago named Siddhartha Gautama. According to Buddhist history, Siddhartha Gautama cast aside his luxurious life as a prince after he witnessed the suffering outside the palace walls for the first time. After that, he sat beneath the Bodhi tree and eventually reached enlightenment, thus becoming the Buddha. Since then, followers of Buddhism practice the Buddha's peaceful teachings and seek the path of enlightenment for themselves. Thank you.