BLESSED BE THE FRUIT
When watching The Handmaid's Tale, it is nearly impossible to get through one episode without hearing a prayer or excerpt from the Bible. However, it is evident that not each quote is true to text. Filipczak claims Atwood relies on "possibilities of distortion" and calls the role of the Bible in the show "ambiguous" [4].
In viewing the show through a Christian point of view, Bromleigh McCleneghan writes about the effect that hearing Bible verses paired with graphic scenes from the show had on her. She writes that it "reveals in brutal detail how closely related the rhetoric of sexual purity and complementarianism is to the desire of Christian patriarchy to limit women’s freedom, sexual and otherwise." [13].
When arguing whether or not The Handmaid's Tale is anti-Christian, I think it is important to include the impact that any pre-existing bias’s towards religion can have on a viewer. To contrast the article written by McCleneghan, Jessica Crooke writes from a less religious point of view. She notes that it "is not an attack on Christianity, it is an example of a religion gone wrong..." [3]. Like Crooke, I believe that those having a strong opinion--leaning in either direction--would be easily influenced by their own personal biases towards Christianity and thus, refuse to see that the show should be used as a teaching moment.
One passage in particular has stood out to many viewers for the show's ironic use of it. Prior to the ceremony where the Commander tries to impregnate his Handmaid, he reads an excerpt from the Bible that describes what he is about to do. However, as McNally explains, Jacob, the man from the Bible, is commonly used as an "example of what not to be like" [12]. While this was likely intentional, it further shows the willingness the Commanders have to take passages from the Bible at face value--rather than actually studying them and learning to interpret them.
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Regarding the topic of prayer, The Handmaid's Tale uses prayer as another method to enforce power over the oppressed. In Christianity, prayer is often used in situations when one may need comfort. In her book, Frederick emphasizes how many women who have been subjected to similar abuse as seen throughout the show turn to religion and "God's extraordinary power to heal" [5]. However, in Gilead, the comfort that can come from prayer is taken away as the Commanders repeatedly use scripture to continue oppressing women. This further proves that Gilead does not rely on religion as much as it claims. Instead, Gilead relies on the oppression of others in order to keep the elite in power.
