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In ancient Israel, King Jeroboam started a new religion almost a thousand years before Jesus came to earth. Jeroboam was the first king of the independent northern kingdom of Israel. He faced the challenge of rallying people to his cause. “The king took counsel and made two golden calves and said to the people: ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here is your God, O Israel.’” (1 Kings 12:28) Clearly, the king wanted to use religion to direct the people’s loyalty away from Jerusalem, where they used to worship. The religion Jeroboam started lasted for centuries and resulted in ruin for millions when God eventually called that apostate nation of Israel to account. Jeroboam’s religion was a political expedient. Some State religions that continue to this day began similarly as efforts to strengthen political power.
The apostle Paul revealed another motive that people have for starting a new religion when he said: “I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:29, 30) Proud leaders often start religious movements to draw attention to themselves. Churches that falsely claim to be Christian have been fragmented by numerous schisms.
Even though other religions may be less overtly businesslike, churches that are “responding to demand” remind us of a warning given by Paul. He wrote: “There will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories.”—2 Timothy 4:3, 4.
Those who truly love God stand out, particularly now that we live in what the Bible calls “the last days.” Increasingly, people are “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, . . . lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.”—2 Timothy 3:1-4.
Love is a distinguishing feature of true worship. Jesus likened finding true worship to finding the right road and choosing to walk on it. It is the only road that leads to everlasting life. Jesus said: “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14) Only one body of true Christians walks unitedly with God on the road of true worship. Therefore, it does matter which religion you choose. If you find that road and choose to walk on it, you will have found the best way of life, for it is the way of love.—Ephesians 4:1-4.
Religion comes from pagan worshiping which is a man believing in his own ideas of who he is and who God is. True worshiping is believing in our created thoughts within God but most people can't do this during this age. They will have to wait until paradise to understand who they are in God.
The Babylonian culture were the first ones to use religion to become very powerful people and use that unity in thought to battle their neighbors to take their land, wealth and people. America has been doing that for almost a hundred years now but it's too difficult today for a country to dominate the world. It was much easier to do without the electronic age that could challenge the lies of these religious nations. The Roman Vatican ruled the world for over a thousand years, way longer than any other nation builder. They used their false religion to gain popularity in a country, then they used their armies in the various european countries to gain access to their land, wealth and made slaves out of the natives to mine the gold, silver and whatever other wealth they may have. So religion can be a very powerful thing in the minds of people but God will destroy all these religious people very soon.
"Jeroboam’s religion was a political expedient. Some State religions that continue to this day began similarly as efforts to strengthen political power. The apostle Paul revealed another motive..."
And here I thought you were going to remind us that the apostle Paul, too, revealed another religion that came to serve the power of an imperial State. That is, unfortunately, a use that unscrupulous people and exploitive systems can make of any religion - or of any other system of thought, even nonreligious ones. By itself, it says little about what truth-value may also lie in that body of faith or thought.
Face palm men have been looking to the stars since homoerectus(the stage before homosapien). People began inventing Gods that controlled certain elements to explain the unknown & eventually began trying to stay on the good side of their gods through rituals, sacrifices, prayers, ect. People in different parts of the world had their different ideas of gods, different ideas of righteousness & what they considered "holy" & I guess you could say formed their "religions" around those core ideas.
It came from the leaders who didn't want the populas to know that they are the source of all their wishes. You take away self belief "I can", you then have an ignorant group that has to follow the few and believe in something other than themselves. That is all religion is "believe in something else other then self."
Cavemen started inventing gods, when they saw phenomena that they could not otherwise explain. The first religions were actually ancestor-cults. Where people believed that their ancestors were still around in the form of spirits.
I'm not sure but I think it is because people were not all connected so they believed in different things. Like a different god for almost everything instead of just one god because they weren't all together.
What do you mean by 'other' religions? That's like asking when did people start speaking in different languages. Different groups of people always had different religions...
A large amount of religions predate Christianity, so I guess the answer to your question would be before there was Christians/Catholics.
I have to disagree. The history of how religion was formed isn't so simple, and to claim it is is sheer ignorance.
Since other people met other people. Religion was based on area, culture, and in same cases family.
Believing in oneself can also be religion. Believing in oneself over all else is idolatry.
All religions are "other" religions to everybody except their followers.
well its totally depends on the psychology of the person!!
Since the beginning of civilization as we know it...
