The Evolution of Religion

Historical Development of Religion:

• The history of religion began with the invention of writing around 5,200 years ago.
• The prehistory of religion involves the study of religious beliefs that existed prior to the advent of written records.
• The concept of "religion" was formed in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• The word religion does not have an obvious pre-colonial translation into non-European languages.
• The Religionsgeschichtliche Schule originated the systematic study of religion as a socio-cultural phenomenon.
• The earliest archaeological evidence interpreted by some as suggestive of the emergence of religious ideas dates back several hundred thousand years.
• The Pyramid Texts from ancient Egypt, the oldest known religious texts in the world, date to between 2400 and 2300 BCE.
• Some historians have labelled the period from 900 to 200 BCE as the "axial age".
• Muslims came into conflict with Zoroastrians during the Muslim conquest of Persia (633–654).
• The 18th century saw the beginning of secularisation in Europe, a trend which gained momentum after the French Revolution.
• By the late 20th century, religion had declined in most of Europe.
• In 2001, people began to use the internet in order to discover or adhere to their religious beliefs.