What religions were started by women?  If I'm not mistaken Christian
Science, "Foursquare" and the Quakers were started by women (although
I may be wrong about the Quakers).

Can you confirm or add others to this list?

Hi tonyrush:

Thanks for the interesting question. I've broadened your term
"religion" to include churches under already existing denominations.

I was able to find the following:

International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
Founder: Aimee Semple McPherson 
Quote: "The term "Foursquare Gospel" came about during an intense
revival in the city of Oakland, California in July 1922. As thousands
had gathered to hear the gospel, the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson
described a vision God had given her, taken from Ezekiel's vision in
the book of Ezekiel, chapter one."
URL: http://www.foursquare.org/index.cfm?cat=about&subcat=history

Mount Sinai Holy Church of America
Founder: Ida Bell Robinson 
Quote: "This work outlines the life of Bishop Ida Bell Robinson in a
book format. The Bishop was the founder of Mount Sinai Holy Church of
America, Inc. She is the only African-American woman to found a
denomination that held consistent female leadership from its founding
in 1924 until February of 2001."
URL: http://www.regent.edu/acad/sls/publications/dsl_projects/abstracts/owens2002.htm

Christian Science
Founder: Mary Baker Eddy
Quote: "Mary Baker Eddy is Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science
and author of its foundational text, Science and Health with Key to
the Scriptures."
URL: http://www.tfccs.com/marybakereddy/

Unity Christ Church 
Founder: Ethel Higgins
Quote: "Since its founding in 1946 by Reverend Ethel Higgins, Unity
Christ Church of San Francisco has served as a powerful spiritual
center and a dedicated advocate for good in the lives of individuals,
the community, and the world. Unity Christ Church was incorporated in
1940 and held its earliest meetings at the Golden Gate Commandry at
133 Geary Boulevard and the Western Women's Club at 111 O'Farrell
Street in San Francisco."
URL: http://www.unitysf.org/default.asp?section=1&subsection=8

Shakers (United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming)
Founder: Ann Lee
Quote: "(1736-1784), charismatic and visionary, called Mother Ann. Lee
founded the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming,
known as the Shakers, by emigrating with eight followers from
Manchester, England, to New York in 1774. Earlier, in 1770, her
frenzied religious zeal, which included dervishlike dancing and crying
out in strange tongues, had led to her imprisonment and the
persecution of her followers. Accused by the Manchester magistrates of
blasphemy, she had confounded church scholars examining her by
speaking in seventy-two separate tongues. The millennium she
envisioned had arrived."
URL: http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_052200_leeann.htm

Tensho Kotai Jingu Kyo
Founder: Sayo Kitamura 
Quote: "The religion was founded by the prophetess Sayo Kitamura
(1900-1967) in 1945, after the Pacific War had ended. The name of the
religion is surprising, as Sayo Kitamura was a strong critic of the
imperial government. She claimed, however, that a god from Ise shrine
in central Japan merged with the Sun Goddess in the body of Sayo
Kitamura."
URL: http://www.abo.fi/comprel/temenos/temeno32/rev_land.htm

As for the Quakers - not quite:

Quote: "Margaret Fell Fox, wife of George Fox, the founder of the
Quaker tradition, wrote extensively on the subject of women, with
detailed interpretations of Biblical Scripture citing the many
examples of women speaking ?in the power of the Lord? and challenging
the misinterpretation of Scripture that held women silent."
URL: http://www.wnc-woman.com/0304quaker.html

Search Strategy (on Google):
* religions "founded by women"
* International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
* Mount Sinai Holy Church 
* Christian science 
* Unity Ethel Higgins
* shakers 
* sayo kitamura

I hope this helps!

websearcher

Great answer, websearcher!

Another name that can go on the list: Ellen G. White, one of the
founders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

http://www.answers.com/topic/ellen-g-white

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2865009.stm

Hi Pink! 

Thanks for the addition. I was sticking with the churches founded
*strictly* by woman. Maybe I was treating the question too literally.

websearcher

Anne Hutchinson, when I grew up, was accounted a good Baptist woman of
the foundress variety (Roger Williams, Rhode Island, and all that).
Contrary to what lots of current Baptists affirm, women have always
been ordained in the Baptist tradition, long before Anglicans and
Methodists did it (and now just about every other Protestant church
too).

Are any of these religions acceptable to God? It was God who inspired
the scriptures [ 2Timothy 3;16] and Jesus' teachings consistently
backed them up. So why would a faithful disciple of Jesus write the
following...First Timothy 2; 11 - 15 " Let a woman learn in silence
with full submissiveness. 12. I do NOT permit a woman to teach , or to
exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13. For Adam was
formed first, THEN Eve. 14. Also, Adam was NOT deceived , but the
woman was THOROUGHLY deceived and came to be in transgression. 15.
however, she will be kept safe through childbearing, provided they
continue in faith and love and sancification along with soundness of
mind.
The above scripture is balanced by verse 10 " But in the way that
befits women professing to reverence God, namely, through good works".

To the question about whether or not the religions are acceptable to
God, I would submit that would have more to do with WHAT they believe
rather than whether or not they were started by a woman.

Paul's advice to Timothy has been removed from historical context in
many ways.  Timothy's church was in a city that was overun with a cult
that worshipped Diana and used priestesses for all church function.

When you also consider that Paul regularly recognized and saluted
female church leaders in other epistles, it suggests that his
admonition for "women to keep silent in the church" was a specific
instruction for a specific church in a specific city.

Unfortunately, many denominations have -- through misinterpretation
(intentional or otherwise) -- have used this verse to handicap their
congregations by basically making half of their members spiritually
useless.

The entire question of Paul's real intent is discovered when you
understand the historical context of what was going on in Timothy's
city and church at the time of Paul's writing.

We're having a conversation about this at
http://www.sogospelnews.com/forums/showthread.php?p=158911#post158911

"Paul regularly recognized and saluted female church leaders in other epistles,"

??????????????????????????????????????
Huuuuuh?
Now where's that in the Bible, pretty please?

P.S. You're right when you say "Unfortunately, many denominations have
--through misinterpretation(intentional or otherwise) -- have used
this verse to handicap their congregations by basically making half of
their members spiritually useless."
That is really sad.
BUT: that happens because they don't pay attention to the Bible as
whole, for instance 2John 9 : "Everyone that pushes ahead and does not
remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God..."
NOT because 1Timothy 2:11-15 shouldn't be obeyed. :-) Otherwise it
would be us who choose WHAT to obey. Wouldn't it?
So when somebody says he belives in what the Bible testifies but still
has two paragraphs that are seemingly contradictory, don't you think
he should humble himself and test if his understanding of one of these
paragraphs is incomplete?

Fruitfly, I would encourage you to participate in the discussion at
the link I referenced earlier.  Using Google Answers as a discussion
forum seems to be an inefficient way to conduct a conversation.  :)

Thanks,
Tony

Very true; google answers is here only to provide the answers - not to
open the polemics.There'll be many different views presented, but it
will also be possible to hear the truth. (Pro 1:20 -> John 10:27)
As far as participating such discussions - there's a better way;
following the example set by the GreatTeacher the same way his
apostles did: Acts 20:20.
All the best!

Once could also argue that spiritualism was founded by the Fox sisters.
(This assumes that spiritualism is a religion; but I'm not going there.)
G@@gle on 'spiritualism fox sisters' for some useful links.