With the Origin of GOD (, which was purely a hypothesis on why humans need God), next logical step would have been developing faith and religion. It is hard to say which part of the world must have first seen a new species, i.e. man, walking on its face. So let us assume that this miracle of human evolution took place at one place, and later when the humans developed the nomadic attributes, they started to explore around more and thus settling in different parts of the world.
When man first discovered something Supernatural that must have been the starting point of some faith & creed. This would have taken shape of the initial religion much later. Which was the first religion that existed, who started it and when, these are difficult questions to answer.
Once the religion was established, it must have played an important role in building up societies which still hold true to this date. Every religion has been refined and re-refined from its original state. These refinements are based on the progress of the society.
Initial religion and faith would have been much simpler then there current form. With religion and society in place, man was left to explore more… this was the advent of science. Science would have been a major contributor in facing the initial religion, which I believe was lost somewhere down the line when the hostilities and conflicts between man increased. Religious motivations have sometimes influenced scientific development, while scientific knowledge has had effects on religious beliefs.
Hinduism is perhaps the oldest religion on this planet and also one which is mostly, if not entirely, based on scientific facts, in which behind the complex religious rituals lies the facts of science. Present Hinduism is not what it used to be originally. Original Hinduism was based on scientific studies and had guidelines on how nature and man can coexist. It taught to live in harmony with nature and recognize that divinity prevails in all elements, including plants and animals. It is also one of the most environment friendly religion, because of this Hindus worship rivers, mountains, animals, the mineral world, as well as the stars and planets.
