A common objection regarding Christianity is that there are manuscripts, for example, some Hindu texts like the Mahabharata that predate the Biblical manuscripts.
But does this claim really hold? Well, it depends on which sources one trusts. Some argue that the Rig Veda—which predates the Mahabharata—is older than the earliest biblical manuscripts. Others maintain that their origins are roughly contemporary. Still others suggest something entirely different. Many insist Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, while others trace the roots of faith back to Judaism. Christians, of course, see Christianity not as a new religion, but as the fulfillment of Judaism itself. And if we follow the Adam and Eve account, the God of Judaism is not merely old—He is the eternal Creator, the origin of all.
In the end, we find ourselves faced with a familiar dilemma: whom do we trust? Personally, I am not eager to stake ultimate truth on the opinions of a secular scholar who denies purpose altogether and reduces humanity to an evolutionary accident.
But even for the sake of argument, suppose Hinduism were proven to be the world’s oldest religion, with texts predating the Bible. Would that undermine the truth of Christianity? Not at all. The mere antiquity of a religious text does not confer truth upon it. Older does not mean truer.
The real question is not which tradition is oldest, but which worldview best explains reality. If Hinduism were first, one would still have to demonstrate that Vishnu—or any of the countless Hindu deities—was the original Creator of all things. Yet Hinduism, like Islam, Buddhism, and every other non-biblical system, is riddled with contradictions and unanswered questions. By contrast, Scripture provides a coherent foundation: it explains how things were meant to be (creation), how they went wrong (sin), and how they will be made right (redemption).
Notice the crucial difference. In non-biblical accounts of origins, we do not find an original good creation. Instead, we begin in brokenness. Buddhism opens with the claim that “life is suffering.” Islam, through the Qur’an, presents a post-biblical text stitched together with fragments of pagan influence and borrowed Scripture, assuming from the outset a fractured humanity deserving judgment. But here’s the question: how can something be broken unless it was whole to begin with? To speak meaningfully of suffering, fallenness, or judgment, we must first ground ourselves in Genesis 1–2, where the world begins not in despair, but in wholeness, goodness, and harmony with God.
For clarity: Christianity does not claim to be the “oldest religion.” Humanity has always created idols, gods, and rituals. But Christ did not come to establish yet another religion among many. He came to reconcile creation with its Creator—the God of Genesis, the God of Israel, the Alpha and the Omega, who predates not just religions, but reality itself. He is the one true eternal Creator, the origin and the end of all things.