Ancient Major World Religions
If we make the assumption that the physical universe was created, and we operate on the premise that whoever created it would want us to know our purpose for being created is, we can assume that they would have wanted to tell us in the beginning.
Asking the question, “Which religions are old enough to be at the beginning of human history?” might be a good criterion for study, and afford us a good start. Why? Because if God created us with a purpose and at least part of that purpose was to interact with us, He would have contacted us early in our appearance, probably right after creating us. There might also be a reference to purpose during the design of creation.
These major world religions lay claim to being ancient, that is, near the beginning of humanity…
Above are links to the major world religions. They aren’t hand picked, just sites that appear to have some trustworthy information about each religion. There is a lot of information out there on all of the religions. Click on any of these links, and see a page dedicated to exploring that religion. Or Google them and find pages that interest you for research.
Let’s Explore!
Now let’s structure the criteria we have chosen to study from the discussion above.
Each of the world’s major religions may be a candidate that best warrants our exploration effort…
- We begin with the premise that God at least created us for interaction. We then want to ask the following since they seem to be relevant to a God creating us with purpose…
- Did religion exist near the beginning of human history, and written artifacts reflect that?
- Which religion(s) demonstrate God reaching out to us?
- Was the copying process accurate and reliable, and writings are true to originals?
- Does God guide the participants in the religion?
- Do the writings reference a time the written word didn’t exist?
(What question(s) would you ask here? Maybe we have addressed them elsewhere on this site, or maybe you have a question we haven't addressed. No question is wrong here and makes for great discussion!) Go to the botton of the web page for a form to add to the discussion.
Some additional criteria to include:
- Written artifacts can be verified as ancient through scientific examination.
- Artifacts speak of God’s purpose in creating the physical universe and people.
Click the links in the bullet points above to explore the criteria questions in more detail.
If we find nothing to meet these criteria, we will need a different set of criteria, but we don’t know that until we subject them to objective research. If we do find something, it will be a good starting point for studying God’s purpose for our existence.
Which Religions have written artifacts?
While we’re looking, keep in mind that studying a religion that appeared a long time after our origins doesn’t meet the criteria we like for investigation. Why would God, who created us for interaction, wait to share His purpose for our creation until history has progressed and many generations have missed out, before sharing His purpose? If God had a purpose for creating us, it would be the same purpose for all of us. We postulate that God, having a purpose to create us, would want all of His creation to know why.
In other words, the likelihood of the religion leading to God is more and more questionable the further from our creation it is introduced. A religion coming that far from our beginnings is likely a self-interested group looking for validation and legitimacy instead of the truth about God. Or it exists for reasons other than to interact with God.
Explore the Major World Religions in Detail
Please note: We have not practiced any of these religions except Christianity. We have knowledge of these religions from literature on them. If you feel you have information we haven’t included on these pages, please, feel free to send your information below. We welcome your feedback and input!
Powered by WordPress