Religion as a Tool of Control Essay

Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people (Marx 260). This statement implies that holiness is a decent concept that encourages people to accept their conditions instead of revolting against their plight. Indeed in the wrong hands, it bathroom be perverted to justify countless atrocities and so be used as a tool of oppression. In her refreshed, The Handmaids Tale, Marg atomic number 18t Atwood portrays a dystopian society, a fictional republic called Gilead, whose rulers use the power of religion to validate their terrifying personal agenda.She satirizes the policy-making system that uses faith to validate its mandate, and justify its more enigmatic laws. Clearly the use of religion for political purposes is one of the central themes of the myth Atwood takes a set of fundamentalistic spectral beliefs followed by original fringe elements in contemporary society and takes them to their logical end to highlighting their true despotic nature. In Gilead, politics and religion go hand in hand. The Sons of Jacob use religion and psychological tactics to control the masses and bend them to their will.Consequently the republic makes extensive use of religious terminologies for example domestic servants are called Marthas referring to a domestic character in the bible, the soldiers are called Angels while the topical anesthetic police are the Guardians of the Faith. The ruling g everyplacenment officials are called the Commanders of the Faithful. Even the names of obtain stores have biblical references like All Flesh, Milk and Honey, Loaves and Fishes. The purpose of this extensive use of biblical speech communication is to deceive the people of Gilead into believing that their rulers enact the will of God Himself.Moreover the government only adopts certain aspects of Christianity while it shuns those that it finds inconvenient. For example Aunt Lydia, a teacher to the handmaids, says Ive learned to do with verboten a vision of things, you get too attached to this material world and forget tonusual values. You must cultivate poverty of spirit. Blessed are the meek. (Atwood 110) at this point in the novel Offred notes that Aunt Lydia says nothing about get the Earth. Thus the republic used religious justification to demand docile behavior from the handmaids.Therefore religion is used as a powerful political tool in Gilead. Women play a in truth extra role in Gileads society biblical allusions are used to weaken their status. A Commander makes the following speech at the womens prayvaganza. Let the adult female learn in shut up with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.Notwithstanding she shall be saved by child conveying, if they continue in faith and pilot ladder and holiness with sobriety. (273) Therefore, by drawing an interpretation from a single biblical story the role of women is limited to reproduction. Moreover, in order to prevent the women from getting libertarian, secular ideas mass censorship takes place in Gilead. The state is cut off from the outside world as it does not even allow international telly to be broadcasted Offred notes this while watching the television Serena clicks the channel changer.Waves, colored zigzags, a garble of sound it is the Montreal orbiter Station being blocked. (101) Furthermore all books deemed heretical by the republic are burned and women are not allowed to read at all, the bible is kept under lock and key so that the Commanders can read out only those parts that are prescribed by the government. Offreds commander reads out the following passage from the bible on the day of the monthly honoring Give me children, or else I die. Am I in Gods stead, who hath withheld fr om thee the fruit of the womb?Behold my maid Bilhah. She shall bear fruit upon my knees, that I may overly have children by her. (112) This biblical tale, narrated in the novel by the Commander, forms the basis of the concept of a handmaid which is why it is given special significance in Gilead and it is also another one of the archaic stories from the bible that are used to enforce highly questionable obligations on women. Thus the women of Gilead are subjugated by a warped version of Christianity.Religion is supposed to free man. But The Handmaids Tale depicts a society in which it is used to shackle people, to persuade them, to force them to conform to a lifestyle permitted by their government. Margaret Atwood compares the people living in Gileads restrictive society to rats trapped in a maze, she points out A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere as long as it stays in the maze(363). In fact those that rebel to the established norms are dealt with harshly they are punished a t a seudo-religious ceremony called the Particicution, where they are lynched to death by a mob of women for false crimes they did not commit. Regarding this, the dissident handmaid, Ofglen remarks He wasnt a rapist at all, he was a political. He was one of ours. (350) What this entails is that the society in the novel is highly autocratic and it does not allow the freedom of expression, in fact it uses fear to control its citizens and cause their piety, as Offred notes We must look good from a distance picturesque, like Dutch milkmaids on a wallpaper frieze.Soothing to the eye, the eyes, the Eyes, for thats who this show is for. Were off to the Prayvaganza to demonstrate how obedient and pious we are. (266) This highlights the peoples entire paranoia, the fear of being found unfaithful, that has been slowly cultivated into their hearts and minds. Truly the establishment defiles the true spirit of religion by going against its very essence the spiritual liberation of mankind.The use of religion for political purposes is one of the central themes of the novel Atwood takes a set of religious beliefs followed by certain fringe elements in contemporary society and takes them to their logical end to highlight their true despotic nature. In conclusion, Margaret Atwood portrays a fright alternate reality in which religious fundamentalists dominate and religion comes to dictate every aspect of humans life. The topic of religion carries a lot of significance in the novel in fact the novel serves as a warning against the extremist views held by many modern think tanks.