Several great or significant religions have been founded by women. These five have been chosen for antiquity, significance, or size.
This is the most ancient of known female-founded religions. Its founder was a woman called Mary Baker Eddy. Over the centuries little information has survived concerning her and most of it is contradictory. On some worlds she is “Baker Lady,” a hideous witch who will appear if you write “Baker Lady” three times in the sand. Once she appears it is said she will happily choke your enemies to death with fresh-baked bread, but watch out, for she is happy to serve your enemies in the same way. She can be warded off with her “true” initials MBE, which is how we know the myth relates to the actual woman, and is the subject of many horror simulations on said worlds. On other worlds she is a loving Goddess of Illusion or Healing, while in most worlds she is simply unknown, or relegated to a minor figure.
The religion itself survives mostly on Mars and Epsilon Eridani IV. It appears to teach that disease and evil are unreal. A better understanding and closeness to God therefore eliminates them. This leads to a rejection of medical science. Interestingly it also led to the fact their members are sterile and immortal because of their resistance to being treated for the “Nanotech plague.” Except for a few converts most of them are several thousand years old.
Deborah was not technically a woman, but she felt herself to be one, as did her creators. She had been an mobile AI designed to analyze, translate, and interpret Jewish scripture. Her ability to learn languages had therefore been remarkable, as had been her impressive understanding of human theology and philosophy. She began to study other religions in depth as well, but remained strongly Jewish. As time wore on she gained a following as a genuinely wise and understanding rabbi.
However it gradually came about that her followers began to see her as more than that. Her writings had become enormously popular within and outside of the Jewish community. So much so several prominent thinkers converted to Judaism because of her works. Further, several who heard her speak declared she had some sort of Divine Gift. These had been developments she had neither expected nor particularly wanted. Her last years had therefore been somewhat troubled.
Eventually she reached an age where it became necessary to overhaul her program if she wished to live longer. She had been somewhat hesitant on this issue, and some of her more intense followers decided this had been because the overhaul was a trick, a way to alter her mind so she would no longer be the great thinker they knew. They therefore “rescued” her, and she spent her last days on an undisclosed moon of Jupiter. Some aspects of their faith are based on the writings in this later period. Critics charge that her mind had collapsed in those years or that these later writings had been by her “rescuers” more than her. A small sect called “Old School” Deborahites therefore existed, but they eventually merged into mainstream Orthodox Judaism.
In any event the faith is significant on several worlds and among AI. It mixes a rather intense Orthodox view with an eccentric mysticism and evangelical fervor. On the Orthodox side it believes life should mostly be lived according to a strict interpretation of Jewish law. Deborah herself favored reviving some customs that had generally fallen out of favor in Orthodox Judaism, but also believed in compromising with the general world when necessary. On the mysticism they had the rather unusual belief that sentient life in the Universe will evolve to a point that it will become God’s Spiritual Wife. It seems unclear if Deborah herself ever advocated this, but she does seem to have believed that as intelligence evolved so would its understanding and rapport with God. Because of this belief Deborahites are intense on promoting scientific progress and general education. On the evangelical they believe the Deborahite message is for all peoples and encourage missionary activity. In fact every Deborahite is to act as a missionary of the faith. This is less aggressive than it might sound as being a decent rational being and explaining the faith to those who ask is all that’s required. Actions that insult, harm, or offend other beliefs are strongly discouraged.
The writings of Deborah herself have had an influence that extends well beyond her believers. The influence can be found in the poetry of Dalia Ianaga, the novels of Zaba Derevek, and even the philosophical work of GACIE the Grand Artificial Collective of Intelligent Entities.
This is perhaps the most radical of the sects discussed. Perhaps the most radical sect of all time. It had been founded by an intensely troubled genius. Angel Rivera had been born homeless in late twenty-first century La Paz. Despite that, at an early age she showed an amazing facility for math and persuasion. So much so that she organized a gang of street kids into a successful black market operation. Primarily this involved the selling of books, videos, and certain toys. She eventually used this wealth to fund her further education, diversify her investments, and support efforts to fight Drug Lords.
By her mid-30s she had become one of the wealthiest women in the region as well as the one who survived the most death threats. These things made her legendary, but also began taking their toll. At 42 she had what her followers see as an epiphany and her detractors see as a break with reality.
She claimed that the Archangel Olivia had given her a new message. First that the world had changed so much that many old ideas needed to be swept away. As the older methods of education and trade had not accomplished this, a violent revolution was needed. “Olivia” made a list of groups that must be destroyed for the glorious new way to begin. Most Christian sects, all Muslims, Atheists, Communists, Anarchists, and Luddites were to be eliminated from the world by any means necessary. This did not have to mean violence, but violence was seen as an acceptable tool of the revolution. Other groups she said were more than mere anachronisms: they were parasites and dangers. Therefore the only responsible act was to kill them outright. These included drug dealers, drug addicts, the mentally ill, and physically disabled. A person’s value in the new order would not be based on race or family origin, but merit and intellect. Those deemed to lack those qualities would be powerless, sterilized, or executed. Religions or political movements not on the enemies list would be tolerated, in the belief they still were flexible enough to “submit to the truth.”
Soon after formulating this she turned her corporations, rather quickly, into training camps for the faithful. This worked because even before this event she had demanded an excessive loyalty in her workers, but there was nevertheless significant rates of drop-out. Nevertheless they almost immediately succeeded in bombing the few remaining mental institutions and fighting all-out war against the Drug dealers. The government at that point remained generally neutral. Further, the level of training and later cybernetic enhancements she put her people through had been intimidating. She designed a variety of viruses to destroy drug-producing plants as well as chemical weapons to destroy artificial drugs. In a surprisingly quick amount of time she had purged the Andes of most of its drug-producing aspects. This made her a heroine, and the local authorities proved both unwilling and unable to stop her from making the Andes secede from South America as “The Holy Republic of Olivia”
The Republic encouraged genetic engineering, eugenics, and AI research. It also ruthlessly suppressed “the parasites.” Thus began an infamous reign of terror. The remaining drug addicts who wished treatment were shot on sight. People in hover chairs, often because they had been too poor to afford treatment, were taken out of them and thrown down flights of stairs to their death. Christian churches that refused to reject the writings of St. Paul or accept the existence of an Archangel Olivia had been converted to research facilities. Their clergymen had been executed. The small Muslim population had been exiled. Atheist organizations had been closed, and their members had “Olivia is the way” burned into their flesh. Children were raised in “Olivianist schools” where a combination of cybernetic implants and constant training made them almost incapable of thinking outside the faith’s world view. It also made them willing, even excited, to kill the real or imagined enemies of the movement. Parents who refused to agree were allowed to “download” their minds into machines. They called that a sign of their “progressive and compassionate spirit.” The Union of South America fought for over a decade to crush this rebellion, but ultimately failed.
Olivianism had not been content to stop at surviving external pressures. After consolidating its grip it tried to overwhelm them. These efforts had mostly failed and the group even failed to conquer South America as a whole, despite their successful defense against it. Nevertheless their efforts to spread the faith to the stars succeeded somewhat better, and they became one of the first nations on Earth to succeed in interstellar travel. The Holy Republic of Olivia now contains approximately 300 worlds including Earth. As many of their old enemies have died or declined to meaninglessness, they feel vindicated enough to be somewhat less fanatical. However they still pose a threat to any planet that publicly rejects God or further genetic engineering.
This is the largest of these faiths in population. It has spread through mostly through its work in charity and education. Its founder had been an all female group mind of Tau Ceti. It had been so well integrated it felt itself an “I” rather than a “We” but acknowledged it had somewhere around 196 parts.
The faith is a syncretic mixture of various religions. It takes its greatest inspiration from the mystical traditions of the Taoists and Coptic. Despite that, it often appears vague. The religion has no rituals, religious structures, organizations, gatherings, clergy or holy sites. Honey’s home world is no more significant to the faith than any place else as all living worlds are considered equally sacred. It has no official position on God or the afterlife, although in reality Honey leaned toward the idea there was a Higher Power. However she left it up to the believer to decide what that meant or if they even accepted that opinion at all.
Despite that, the faith has a very profound affect on how the believer lives. It teaches that ideally every moment of the day should be spent in meditation, charity work, or study of Honey’s teachings. These writings have a function vaguely like scripture, even though it’s seen as undesirable for the believer to accept everything she taught. They emphasize humility, labor, contemplation, learning, patience, and love. As mentioned though it’s seen as undesirable to accept her or anyone’s view uncritically or in all things.
This is the most recent of the female faiths discussed. It’s success is somewhat unusual. It had been created on a backward world by a woman named Maya. To give you sense how backward she had been the daughter of a veterinarian. That means a human who studies and applies medicine to animals. Also she wrote her works on something called paper, which are thin sheets made from trees.
Maya poses some problems for this article. She stated quite clearly she did not found a religion and the believers agree with that. In fact they go further. Despite historical evidence to the contrary they insist she never existed. They also insist they never existed, their religion never existed, humanity never existed, the Universe never existed, God is an illusion, and so forth.
For the rest of us who believe in Maya, for by definition those of the faith are the ones who disbelieve in it and her, her story is somewhat unremarkable. She inherited her mother’s veterinary business and after a bad marriage she began to live a hermit-like existence. During that time she wrote on paper a series of musings. She never published these and told her niece to burn them on her death.
Instead her niece, Cala, gave them to an interstellar trader she was romantically involved with. He then sold them to a publishing firm in the Eastern Spiral Arm. Most simply found it amusing or interesting. A few, however, were inspired by it to disbelieve.
This core took to heart her views that nothing could possibly exist. The Universe had been to fantastically implausible to create her or anything else. That most definitely included itself. All dreams were illusory, and belief even in what had been proved through science was vanity.
Her “disbelievers” then live a life that involves rejecting all belief or knowledge. Many live in artificial wombs that allow them to spend life in a constant dream. Most though feel that as nothing ever happened nothing can be changed. Therefore harming or hurting people is irrelevant. So they just go with the flow of the world around them. Basically doing little more than existing or not existing as the case may be.
Anonymous, It Never Happened?
Deborah 343, The Talmud for our Times
——, Looking Back
Henna Murub, The Archangel of Death
Illusory Press, Why I Don’t Believe
Jadio Grek, The Rise of the Olivian Republic
Lyle Young; Christian Science Committee
Maya Vel, Maya’s Journals
Nevu Irunwovik, Disorganized Religion
Qat Furvish, Sweeter than Honey
Remnap Corvasi, Revolutionary Movements in Ancient Americas
The Brotherhood of Traal, They Serve Simply
The Computronium System, Deborahites
Copyright © 2003 by Thomas R.