Originally Posted by VRPdommy

Religion is most often created by man trying to explain the world around him.
I would somewhat exempt the Sumerian cultures. Theirs was not a religion.

While they may have been the first to write the written word as we know it, the tails they tell before that time were handed down verbally. Many are of a time much older than 8,000 years ago. Having the tool of the written word, they began writing those tales that had previously been handed down verbally. More likely older than 12,000 years ago for many of them.

A habit that the Jews took while in exile in Babylon from the Sumerians 'culture' that still existed. (being able to replicate the story so it does not change between later generations i.e. the torah) But those Sumerian writings are where it all gets interesting as they detail what the 'gods' did. This is a matter of perception as 'WE' think of a GOD as a supernatural being, and to them, they just had all of what they perceived as the MAGIC that was just mere science they could not comprehend entirely.

The Hebrew wrote the same as the Sumerians from a perspective of the person telling the story. So that persons perception prevail in the text and requires a bit more understanding of what they actually knew and what things appeared to be 'to them'.

That makes it easy to error in translation for the meaning of statements, not just words.
If Hebrew were to use the term 'sticky water', you would know it better as glue.
But using the term in a much larger statement could easily confuse you.

But if you wish to celebrate a creator, the Sumerians tell a much more believable tale. but that depends on your knowledge of history.

While those Sumerian text are not a religion, I find they have more credential than any religion. Simply a historic documentary from the eyes of the writers and much older than any religion.