Writing an essay is not a piece of cake, but when it comes to writing a paper on “What is the oldest religion”, a regular essay no longer seems to be such a difficult task. Yes, you do not need to spend hours trying to come up with a topic. However, research on “What is the oldest religion” theme can take even more time. So, what do you have to include in such an essay? What to write in the paper beside the direct answer? Let the experts from cheap assignment writing service clear this up.
Introduction of an Essay on “What Is the Oldest Religion?”
Do not start with a question “What is the oldest religion?” and a straight answer “Hinduism”. As in any essay, you want to grab the readers’ attention and pull them in. We highly recommend you to begin with a general statement and then narrow the topic down. It may sound like this:
“Religion itself is arguably the most exciting psychological and world-phenomenon to captivate humans since our conscious and intelligent inception thousands of generations ago. But out of all the religions that have risen and fallen, one has withstood these tests of times far longer than any other has even come close to doing. A religion of many Gods, many traditions, and many cycles of life. Today we are talking about Hinduism.”
After that, give a brief synopsis of the content you are going to include – core philosophical concepts, beliefs, and texts Hinduism entails. It is crucial to mention that the oldest religion does not encompass one set of religious aspects but hundreds of different sects, denominations, and cultural appearances. So, with that being said, you can proceed to the main body of the essay on “What is the oldest religion?”
Body Paragraphs: The Origin of the Oldest Religion in the World
The first paragraph of your essay about the oldest religion may reflect the origin of Hinduism and a bit of its history. Do not go into details, just state the key facts which the reader needs to comprehend the concept of your essay. The biggest thing you need to realize while writing a paper on “What is the oldest religion?” is that the word “Hinduism” is not where this practice was originated. It was originally known as “Sanata Dharma”, which essentially means “the eternal truth”.
You need to highlight that before any other religions came to be, there was a unique way of life that was present in the Indus Valley from roughly 7,000 to 5,000 years ago. So, the Hindu teachings were prevalent almost 5,000 years ago through word-of-mouth and were finally written down around 1500 B.C.E beginning with the Vedas and lasting with new texts and scriptures up until the 3rd century. This is over a thousand years of collective wisdom being finally transcribed into a modern religion as we know Hinduism today. In fact, many other religions take their teachings from the oldest religion, they are altar replicas from what is told in the Hindu books.
What Is the Oldest Religion? The Second Body Paragraph
Devote your second body paragraph to God’s or scriptures of the oldest religion in the world. The unique part of Hinduism comes to the Gods. They are what makes Hinduism the beautiful, vibrant, colorful, creative, and enjoyable religion. Hindus believe that there is one ever existing God – the universe itself known as Brahman. There is also Vishnu, the preserver, and his incarnations – Rama, Krishna; mother Kali – the goodness of time; Lakshmi – the goodness of wealth, etc. Depending on which one of these gods or Goddesses you may follow, people fall into different areas or specific denominations. While these Gods can be complicated with masculine or feminine forms, they are so interesting to know and figure out which one impacts you.
If needed, tell your audience about the Upanishads – a collection of ancient Hindu stories and philosophies of living (from sex to what we eat, to the origin of the Universe, and many other philosophical concepts of what we are, what existence is and what Hinduism really encompasses).
When it comes to the main body of your essay on “What is the oldest religion?”, do not forget to add the transition paragraphs. For instance, “but after all of this, if we see this history, how ancient these scriptures are and how detailed they all are, what exactly some of the core beliefs that Hindus follow? Due to how widespread Hinduism is and how much it changed in different areas of India, there are probably more conflicting aspects of practice than there are unified once.”
Third Paragraph of “What Is the Oldest Religion?” Essay
Explain the core goals of the oldest religion in the third paragraph using such terms as:
- Dharma (means accepting the cosmic order or the natural way of things as they are, that the Universe, however chaotic it may appear, has a profound methodology to it);
- Artha (the practice of obtaining material prosperity and wealth in the human life);
- Kama (the pursuit of pleasure in a sensual way during this life);
- Moksha (the final goal, attaining liberation from this cycle of life).
It is crucial to mention that if one can’t obtain the moksha in this life, they need no worry because according to basic beliefs of Hinduism, the cycle of life and death will continue through reincarnation. This goes on no matter how long it takes. We will continue reincarnating until we have this instant realization of true reality (moksha). In Hinduism, this permeating reality around us, this conscious experience is transcending matter. Consciousness is behind the material world. Therefore, a physical body is just a vessel. So, when the body dies, consciousness moves into a new vessel. It is like pouring water in different cups. The ones may change, but the water is still the same.
While writing an essay on “What is the oldest religion?”, point out that the realization of Moksha which pretty much every Hindu believes in and agrees upon is obtainable through a few different methods – Bhakti yoga (love/devotion), karma yoga (work), and Jnana yoga (mind).
Conclusion about the Oldest Religion in the World
The hardest part of the task is done, now all you have to do is to rewrite your statements in a catchy manner. It is not the right time to add new arguments to your conclusion, highlight the existing ones and structure them. Tell the reader what fascinates you about the oldest religion in the world, what inspires you in philosophical concepts of Hindus, what make you believe that this is the oldest yet the most powerful religion on the entire planet.