What was the first western religion?

Answer 1

By Ceolwynn: There is not much written text surviving that give great detail about the earliest religions in North America, but, Most people who have researched them

conclude that most were a devotional shamanism, or animism religions...

there were limited explorers interested in the early american religions but those that were did make and keep some records.

the religion practiced in eastern us was focused on a god called "Ha-wen-ne-yu" and was considered the most developed religious system in the area at the time. and the people were also described as the most highly organized civilization of the north american area now known as USA.

so just like today, there is no "one religion" that can be called a singular "oldest religion" of this part of the world. but some info is available about the earliest ones, and they are usually divided into three groups located in the eastern part of the usa, the central north ( animistic ) , and the western south ( shamanistic ). these existed at the same time for possibly a couple thousand years at least.

some writers on the topic list the eastern religion as monotheistic, but that may be of biased origin since many of the few text remaining list many sub deities.

The religion does not seem to have a central name to it that many scholars can agree to, but it had a main deity Hawenneyu, an evil deity "Ha-ne-go-ate-geh", or "the Evil-minded", and both good and evil deities had minions or inferior obedient spiritual beings. there was an accepted soul, and afterlife with punishments and rewards based on earthly deeds. similar to modern Christianity in those regards.

the people did not develop any detailed descriptions of the deities as they felt that the deities existed beyond their understanding and it was ok to not know such things.

the people of central north america religious beliefs were more animistic with a centralized great spirit expressing itself through all life, animal and plant alike.

the people of what is now the southern usa were considered primarily more shamanistic, with a central priest to interpret gods will to the people, and despite the absence of written records it is accepted that these religious structures reached back to a few thousand years ago.

Answer 2

Christianity is the oldest western religion, primarily Catholicism which traces its roots to apostolic times. Other Christian religions have split from Catholicism over many centuries. And, in turn, many of these non-Catholic Christian religions have split over time.

Answer 3

Islam