Are there any (serious) religions whose doctrine does not include the belief that woman was created from man?

Question

I must say that I find it exceptionally hard to believe that the first woman was created from part of the first man. Does this automatically make me an atheist? Are there any *serious* religions which would be not be incompatible with this disbelief? Please note that I am not a "mocker" or a "blasphemer". I am an agnostic - I do not know the truth, but I would like to know if there is a truth that would accommodate me. Many thanks.

I am truly very impressed with the number of good - even excellent - answers here. Even the people who have disagreed with my premise have done so with sincerity. Wicca and Buddhism sound very interesting. But I have always found that the large majority of Christians are unwilling to accept that I can be a Christian unless I accept that Genesis 2:22 is part of the truth.

Answer 1

Wicca, I take this very seriously.

Answer 2

No, your beliefs don't make you an atheist. I am a Christian, and there are parts of the Bible that are hard to swallow for even me, but having studied and explored and read a lot of it, I find that nothing is irreconcilable. Before you get worried about woman being an inferior creation to man, let me point out that according the way she was made in the Bible, she is NOT. Here's where I am coming from:

"But for Adam, no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." Genesis 2:20-22 NIV.

Ok, I know that makes things tough, but let's look at this: Adam, the man, was incomplete. He was lonely, and so God created the perfect partner, the ultimate earthly companion in Eve. Think that makes Eve unequal? Well, she may have a different role to play, but it's certainly not inferior to the role man plays, and consider this: If Eve was to be inferior to man, wouldn't God have used part of Adam's foot to make her? Or if she was supposed to be superior, a part of his head? But no, God took out a part of Adam's side, close to his HEART, which is a very symbolic move on God's part. that these two beings would complete each other, man and woman...and also, one is not more valuable than the other, even though they are different.

Answer 3

I think you'd be better off with what you have now, as an agnostic point of view, or maybe a relaxed Christian point of view. You can believe that there is a God that created you without believing everything from the Old Testament (Noah's Ark, 6 days, justifying murder, prejudices). There are so many inconsistencies and things proven false from the Bible, that it's probably better to create more of your own beliefs and interpretations. Take more of an artistic stand-point. You can still read the Bible and not take everything literally. You're already in a smart position that you question things and are looking for truth without placing all your faith in one place without question, so just keep living, keep listening and learning, and interpret things how you want to, as long as you're happy.

Answer 4

The Roman Catholic church doesn't take those passages of the Bible literally.

From the Wikipedia entry on Bible inerrancy:

"The Roman Catholic position on the Bible is further clarified in Dei Verbum, one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council[15] This document states the Catholic belief that all scripture is sacred and reliable because the biblical authors were inspired by God. However, the human dimension of the Bible is also acknowledged as well as the importance of proper interpretation. Careful attention must be paid to the actual meaning intended by the authors, in order to render a correct interpretation. Genre, modes of expression, historical circumstances, poetic liberty, and church tradition are all factors that must be considered by Catholics when examining scripture. The Roman Catholic Church holds that the authority to declare correct interpretation rests ultimately with the church through its magisterium.

As examples of passages not to be taken literally, the bishops cite the early chapters of Genesis, comparing them with early creation legends from other cultures, especially from the ancient East. The bishops say it is clear that the primary purpose of these chapters was to provide religious teaching and that they could not be described as historical writing. Similarly, they refute the apocalyptic prophecies of Revelation, the last book of the Christian Bible, in which the writer describes the work of the risen Jesus, the death of the Beast and the wedding feast of Christ the Lamb.[16]"

Answer 5

My perception of religion is groups of people who worship in common and adhere to specific dogma often as a means of socializing. I, on the other hand am spiritual in a personal fashion in that my relationship with the universe is direct. I am connected to the divine and receive knowlege or help when I am open to it.
I've heard the story and I don't know the religion from where it comes but when Adam/Eve was created they were created as 1 being connected and they committed a sin before eating the apple. As punishment God(s) split Adam/Eve in half creating two people. Hope this helps...

Answer 6

If you go back to the religions before Islam, Christianity, and Judaism there were the pagan gods many of whom were women.

When life was tied to hunting and the cycles of the moon goddess worship was much more prevalent. Remnants if this can be found in the Wicca religion.

The three major religions have been around about 3,500 years and we as modern humans have been around about 25,000 years. So it is reasonable to believe that mankind has been worshiping women much longer than they have been discriminating against them.

Answer 7

Atheism, though it's not a religion.

Agnosticism is good too.

Oh, and Dianic Wiccans too. Actually, all Wiccans. But I don't know if that fits what you're looking for.

The only thing that makes you an atheist is the belief that there is no god. An agnostic says that it is impossible to tell if there is a god or not, and you don't sound agnostic, you sound like you're saying that there is a god and you've just got to find it yet.

Answer 8

Buddhism teaches that even such speculations are a distraction from focusing on the here and now. The Buddha refused to speak of such matters for just that reason. Perhaps we can also take that to heart and imagine what we could do with our intellectual energy and our time were we to find such a question irrelevant to our present life.

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 9

It doesn't make you an Atheist. The concept of it isn't so complicated. If you believe everything else except that one thing I don't think it's a serious issue. Evolution says that we all evolved from apes. Hopfully this helps a little.

Answer 10

Wicca

Answer 11

Buddhism?