How did the idea of religion or Christianity started in the first place?

Question

Any early civilization that created it? The very first concept of early religion was created 4000 to 5000 years ago.

Answer 1

Well, the idea of religion goes back further than that.  Christianity was started when Jesus Christ (you get it, Christ, Christianity?) died on the cross for the sins of the world.  that was only 2000 years ago.  

Humans started worshipping deities hoping to get the god or goddess to make it rain, so that the crops would grow, or so that they could produce children, or cure disease.

Answer 2

well, i dunno about any civilization that created it, however, i know that Hinduism was the 1st religion to exist in this world.

Answer 3

It's a combination of a lot of different Pagan religions... and just sort of evolved into it's own religion over time.

Answer 4

The idea of religion is much, much older than Christianity.  The earliest known evidence of human religion is attributed to Homo sapiens neanderthalensis around 75,000 years ago (flowers in burials).  Among the earliest Homo sapiens sapiens, evidence of Goddess worship dates over 30,000 years ago (ex:  The Goddess of Lespugue c. 30,000-20,000 B.C.E.), and the building of Stonehenge started over 5000 years ago.

The term civilization, as defined by anthropologists refers to a society which has these six components:

Religion (organized)

Economic system (organized)

Social system (organized)

Political system (organized)

Art and Architecture

Written Language

With this definition of civilization in mind,  here's a basic timeline of the creation of organized religions:

2,085 BC. Judaism

1,500 BC. Hinduism

560 BC. Buddhism

550 BC. Taoism

599 BC. Jainism

30 AD. Christianity

610 AD.- Islam

Religion is the universal tool for explaining things which we do not understand through the context the known physical world.   Although there are countless religions, each different from the other, they all serve the same purpose. Each answers questions which all humans seem to be programmed to ask: Why are we here? What happens when I die? How shall I live my life?  Religion helps us to transmit our values from one generation to another, and influences the way we interact with the natural environment. It teaches us how to see ourselves in light of the universe and gives purpose and meaning to life.

Answer 5

Warning : This is really long! :-)

That's a fascinating question. Religion as we define it has to do with worship of a deity or deities, in order to have meaning or order to our day-to-day lives. The gods and their mythologies vary from culture to culture. Zeus, Athena, Thor, Lug, Baal, Moloch, Ra, Isis, The Great Spirit, The Dream World, etc. The list goes on and on. But most of those supposedly higher-order powers act pretty darn - well, human. If you read through collections of myths, one of the first things you'll notice is that the gods constantly misbehave. They create stupid wars, stab each other in the back, take multiple spouses, request human life, and generally are about as flawed as the rest of us. Hardly fit to order the universe, these religions are obviously man-made. However, we don't all just worship because we want to believe there are gods, we worship because we know there is a God. "Religion" cannot really exist without gods, and in our hearts we all know that God is real. Worship of the one true God began when the first human being, Adam, was created. God was the maker of worship, not people. Of course, Adam had free choice. He could obey God or turn his back. But don't we usually want to obey who we love? There's a story that tells of how Abraham Lincoln bought a young slave woman to set her free. At first she didn't realize this and was angry. When she understood that she was free, really free, to go where she pleased, tears welled up in her eyes. "Well then mister," she said, "I think I'll go with you." It's the same if we really know who God is. We all have to have plenty of our ideas of what God is like corrected. Some common misconceptions are: God is absent, God is not real, God is not really powerful, God is mean. None of these are true. The reality is that God is all-powerful, all-fair, all-knowing, and all-good. Sometimes He allows suffering in our lives, but He never creates it. Suffering is the product of evil (or, sin) in the world, which was brought in when the angel Lucifer became the enemy of God, Satan, and tempted Eve to disobey God. She did, and her husband Adam followed suit, cursing the whole human race.

The first Christianity was actually a sort of Judaism. The followers of God waited on a Messiah, a man who would lead a perfect life, then die, so that we could be forgiven for our sin if we want to and consequently go to heaven when we die. In the meantime, they made periodic animal sacrifices to atone for their wrongdoings and kept to a set of laws, which were made by God and expressed to the people by prophets. The laws were  basic guidelines of decency, such as do not steal, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not cheat. There were also rules for hygiene (bury your excrement outside camp) and food (don't eat animals with cloved hoofs). Some of them don't make much sense to us today. The reason why they are so strict, and sometimes so odd, is that the ancient Israelites, God's chosen people and main followers, often lived in or traveled through countries inhabited by awful heathen societies. These peoples, like the Hittites, Philistines, Amalakites, and so on were advocates of child sacrifice, mutilation, orgies, and other charming customs. God wanted His people to be separate, pure, decent.

Fast-forward time. Around A.D. 2000, God sent the promised Messiah, his son Jesus in human form, born to a Jewish virgin named Mary in a divine miracle. Jesus lived a flawless life and did loads of great things, like healing the sick and helping the poor. He told people about God's new way, which wasn't about following the ten commandments or taking rap from the pharisees (hypocrytical Jewish leaders), but loving God and living an honest life. However, said Jewish leaders didn't appreciate what Jesus had to say, and finally they were able to get him in trouble with the law for blasphemy, as He claimed to be the son of God. Jesus was brought before the Roman official in charge of the district, Pontius Pilate, and sentenced (though innocent) to death - by crucifixion, which was a terrible method of killing devised by the Romans. Reserved for the worst criminals, it involved brutal whipping until the guts hung out of the body, then being nailed to a rough wooden cross by the hands and feet. The person died from asphyxiation, tetanus, and misery. Jesus died on the cross. As he took His last breath, he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". He was buried in a cave. A boulder was rolled before the entrance.

Three days passed. On the third day, some of Jesus's friends came to the tomb with spices and oils, to prepare his body with some class. But the stone was gone from the entrance, and the cave was empty! On the stone, which had incredibly been rolled to the side, sat two angels. "Do not be afraid", they said. "The one you are looking for is not here. He has risen." The women who had come dropped their spices and ran to the house of some of Jesus's other friends. They exclaimed together over the joyous news. Soon afterwards Jesus came to them, and they worshipped.

   One day Jesus left the earth. He instructed his disciples to teach people about him and about the news of salvation. He promised to return someday in order to banish sin forever. Then he ascended into the sky. But he gave his followers some of his holy spirit, so that they would not be totally alone.

They did as He said, traveled the world and spoke to the gentiles (non-Jews). The people who believed were the first modern Christians. The term Christian comes from a Greek term that means "Christ Follower", after Jesus Christ.

Slowly but surely Christianity spread. But it wasn't always easy for Christians. In Rome they were slaughtered, fed to wild animals for entertainment purposes. The wicked emporer Nero wrapped Christians in tar, set them on fire, and used them to light his garden. But believers refused to give in. They built secret tunnels called catacombs beneath the city, where they met regularly to worship. And Chrsitianity moved forward.

Today, people become Christians by praying to Jesus and asking him to forgive their sin and come into their hearts. They read the Bible, a collection of Christian documents, and try to obey its teachings. They attend church. Not everybody who calls themself Christian is a real Christ-follower. It's not easy to live morally in a world where evil is encouraged and expected. But it's the only way I want to live.

Answer 6

How come nobody is including Chinese beliefs.  They have the oldest records of all the civilizations that still exist and have numerous writings.  I cannot personally state any for lack of knowledge but this seem incredibly Eurocentric to me.

Answer 7

Christianity is a monotheistic religion[1] centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament.[2]

Its followers, known as Christians, believe that Jesus is the son of God and the Messiah (or Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament, the part of their scriptures they have in common with Judaism. To Christians, Jesus Christ is a teacher, the model of a virtuous life, the revealer of God, and most importantly the saviour of humanity who suffered, died, and was resurrected in order to bring about salvation from sin.[3] Christians maintain that Jesus ascended into heaven, and most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, granting everlasting life to his followers. Christians describe the New Testament account of Jesus' ministry as the Gospel, or "good news".

Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity is classified as an Abrahamic religion (see also Judeo-Christian).[4][5][6] It began as a Jewish sect[7][8] in the eastern Mediterranean. The disciples were first called Christians (Greek Χριστιανός) by or about 44 AD,[9], meaning "followers of Christ", in Antioch.[10] Ignatius of Antioch was the first Christian to use the label in self-reference. The earliest recorded use of the term Christianity (Greek Χριστιανισμός) was also by Ignatius of Antioch, around 100 AD.[11] By the 4th century, Christianity had become the dominant religion in the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, most of the remainder of Europe was christianized, with Christians also being a (sometimes large) religious minority in the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of India. [12] Following the Age of Discovery, through missionary work and colonisation, Christianity spread to the Americas and the rest of the world.

As of the early 21st century, Christianity has between 1.5 billion[13][14] and 2.1 billion adherents,[15] representing about a quarter to a third of the world's population.[16] It is the state religion of at least fifteen countries.[17]

Answer 8

Hindiusm is not the oldest religion, it is the oldest religion out of the popular religious groups today.  There were many before it.  The epic of gilgamesh and others are the oldest refrences to religion and they date back to around 2000bc.  

From what i understand Jesus was born a jew.  He didn't accept most of the jewish ways and started to spread his beliefs.  After his death others spread his beliefs throughout the middle east and the mediteranean.  Most of Rome adopted the religion and they had major influence during that time which could have helped spread it.  Jesus is supposed to have died in 26-36 AD.

As far as religion in general, as far back as people could think there most likely was religion of some sort.  2000bc is just the earliest written record that we have found.  Humans have always looked at the sky and wondered where they came from, what shapes the things around us, what is our purpose?  Religion is a way of explaining the unknown as well as a way for ancient societies to control its people.  For example the sixth king of the Amorite Dynasty of Old Babylon created the code of hammurabi ( the oldest set of laws known).  He said these laws were set down by god himself and all people must follow them or face severe consequences.