Origin of Major Religions

This table indicates the approximate date each of the twelve major world religions began, along with the traditional dates for the birth and death of its founder (if applicable). You can click on each religions' link to start reading about it.

This list of twelve world religions is, of course, an oversimplification. Also, keep in mind that there are religions (such as the belief systems of Native American and Australian Aborigine peoples) that go back much further than Hinduism, and there have been several large religions that have started since Baha'i.

The 'Common Era' refers to 1 A.D. CE=Common Era, BCE=Before Common Era

date	Near East	India	China/Japan
1000+ BCE	: Moses 1500-1350 BCE	: 2000 BCE
600 BCE	: Zoroaster 628-527 BCE	: Mahavira 599-527 BCE : Buddha 563-483 BCE	: Lao Tse 580-500 BCE : Confucius 551-479 BCE
100 CE	: Jesus 1-33 CE		: 100 CE
600 CE	: Muhammad 570-632 CE
1500 CE		: Guru Nanak 1469-1538 CE
1900 CE	: Baha'u'llah 1817-1892 CE