oldest religion

http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20011106.html

Looks like Hinduism is the oldest organized religion. Of course, there were many primitive faiths practiced before that, but the religions were not codified.

What about Asheroth?

(Or was that a deity).

One may be able to argue for "Animism" or "Nature Worship" (Shinto, etc)

NeoGuin- Shinto came along much later than Hinduism:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/Shinto_HistoryandDevelopment.asp

http://www.bartleby.com/65/as/Asherah.html-


Asheroth was a Cannanite fertility goddess.

Since not all religions possess(ed) institutions such as the church or monastries, I'd like to know at first, how usman ghani defined 'religion' here.
('Magic' e.g. has an ambiguous relationship with religion.)

Hinduism. Most definitely. Or the GCSE Syllibus would be wrong. >.<

Dravidianism would be the oldest religion would it not, considering that Hinduism has its roots in it and that the religion predates Sumerian, Egyptian, and Babylonian civilization?

Bearism....

Bi-Polar may actually be right.

I remember once listening to a progam called "New Dimensions" (it was on at 6AM, I'd catch it when I had to go into work early), and they once had an author who believed and had evidence to support that bears may have been at least an early religion.

Maybe this is where my "Animist" idea sprung from?

yes, being regarded as a deity..it's my cross to bear.. :wink:

'Quadruple secret probation.'

Woe to thee who incurs the wrath of the Holy Bear.....for I shall surely smite thy bottom and there will be much thrustng and gnashing of teeth....

[quote="Phoenix32890"]http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20011106.html

Looks like Hinduism is the oldest organized religion. Of course, there were many primitive faiths practiced before that, but the religions were not codified.[/quote]

i HOPE PEOPLE ON THIS FORUM ARE AWARE THAT The word Hinduism itself is a term given to us by a foreigner.
The relegion is much older than its current name.

When Alexander with his army came to conquer India in the fourth Century BC, he was faced with fierce opposition and was stopped on the banks of the River Indus(Sindhu in Hindi and Sanskrit) and he called the people living on th other side of the River Sindhu.... The Sindhus. which later got Distorted to Hindu. and Hence, Hinduism.

The beliefs the so called Hindus followed were based on the principles of the Four Vedas (Books of Wisdom and spirituality).... Hence the Term Vedic Relegion is more appropriate.


and the new Marine Archeological evidence from The Gulf of Kutch off Gujarat in Arabian Sea proves that the Vedic civilisation with its beleifs and practices could well be as old as 10 000 years from today.The Scholars differ on the actual date but it is believed to predate the Egyptians.

DEVARSHY- Interesting........And welcome to A2K!

I would love to hear more about the beliefs, as I know very little about them!

Yeah that is awesome, a religion that quite possibly survived from prehistoric times, its cool. Some people are supposing that the religion came from Atlantis.

Depends on what you want to know Phoenix. I am a Hindu and have some knowledge of religion, but this religion is so vast.....

I would be interested in simply an overview, from the point of view of a person who practices the religion.

I may be interested too.

Basically since I believe Hindi is one of the (relatively) few polytheistics religions left.

Some thoughts
A key Hindu perspective is that there is god alone. It is the same light that reflects in everything (perhaps something like neo's vision in matrix3). It is one source that manifests thru everything. All the gods and goddesses are just many expressions (and metaphors) of this divinity made accessible for worship depending on one's inclination. E.g.. If you are driven by creativity and learning, then Saraswati, the goddess personifying this pursuit is likely to inspire you. Your worship thru Saraswati and the inner essence she is the symbol for, becomes your vehicle for the spiritual pursuit of the ultimate truth.

Hindu scriptures point out that the ultimate truth is all pervading but like a very subtle painting and it cannot be quite grasped by names, forms and concepts. Religions and worship are mere frames to bring attention to this subtle picture, but they are not ends in themselves. So Hinduism recognizes the multiplicity of these frames and not only tolerates them but encourages their existence, as different people do need different approaches even to the same ultimate goal.

These approaches (only broadly) can be categorized as
1.Bhaktiyoga - the path of love and devotion. This becomes a natural form of worship for those who are of emotional nature. This involves praise, singing and devotion
2.Dnyanyoga - the path of knowledge and meditation. This attracts intellectuals to begin with.
3.Karmayoga - the path of action. This is for those who don't get into too much intellectualization nor feel love/devotion right away, but want to do the right thing. Here the focus is on doing something, which mostly involves service and charitable actions.

And all these paths overlap and run into each other. As we are made of heart, mind and actions. Though the proportion varies from person to person and even from time to time.

Australia has been inhabited for a minimum of 55-60,000 years. The earliest datable reference to the figure of the 'Dreamtime Serpent' is 9,000 BP.