Does the Bible Approve of the Sexual Violence in The Handmaid’s Tale?

Last updated on: April 28, 2017 at 9:52 am by Rebecca Florence Miller

Does the Bible Approve of the Sexual Violence in The Handmaid’s Tale? 2017-04-28T09:52:23-06:00 Rebecca Florence Miller

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Handmaid’s Tale shows how societies can twist God’s intent in order to serve their own wicked ends, demeaning all involved. While the wives of the men in the story comply with the whole setup, their own pain is clear. Like Rachel, they long to bear children. Like Leah, they long for their husband’s pure love. The men are unhappy too; sex is turned into a clinical act of procreation, stripped of love and intimacy. And the handmaids have it worst of all; like Bilhah and Zilpah, they have no agency, no ability to say no. They are resented by the wives and abused by the husbands.

What Christians Can Glean from The Handmaid’s Tale

Writing in The Federalist, Gracy Olmstead engages book and series, arguing that it aims to critique not conservatives but fundamentalists. She argues compellingly that it ought to be a wake-up call to everyone, liberal and conservative, to avoid the slide into oppression. She says,

Atwood saw the dangers of religious fundamentalism, and wrote a stinging rebuke to it, much like Aldous Huxley used “Brave New World” to address the dangers of progressivism in his time. …

I have seen religious conservatives in more authoritarian, fundamentalist circles fall prey to a similar Gnosticism. I’ve seen families reduce womanhood and “femininity” to roles that limited their humanity, the complexity of their characters and minds. I’ve seen how that reduces the depth and complexity of male belief and vocation. I’ve seen the abuse that could often result.

To deny these dangers would be to give the Left the strongest rebuke of conservatism they could conjure up: that we look upon our own vices and susceptibilities without concern, without alarm. To counter this stereotype, we must see what the stereotype can teach us—and then make certain to fight it, however we can.

The Handmaid’s Tale is a difficult watch; the scenes of sexual violence while filmed without nudity (thus far, anyway) are viscerally horrifying. There is a pro-choice thread running through it that, obviously, I disagree with (although it would be compelling to analyze the comparisons one could draw between the control of children and the evils of abortion). The view of a dystopian religious world might be hard for religious people to watch, raising questions that are challenging or frightening to some. But as the stories of the patriarchs remind us, this kind of dysfunction is not what God intends for humanity. We need only hold it up to the created order in the garden of Eden or to a vision of the new heavens and new earth in Revelation to see the striking contrast. We need only compare it to the mercy of Jesus, standing by the woman caught in adultery and saying, “Woman, where are your accusers?” or to the image of the Son of God stretched out and dying on the cross, offering his life, not taking from the vulnerable, to see that broken, oppressive systems are not God’s intent.

This dysfunction may not be God’s intent, but I agree with Olmstead that the series (and book) can be excellent warnings against religious fanaticism, which I would argue can cause us to veer away from the core of our faith and lead us to oppress those we are called to love and serve. When oppression is cloaked in religious words and scriptural texts taken out of context, it sounds smooth and convincing. Religious people are particularly susceptible to this. In the end, The Handmaid’s Tale should be a warning to us all to know the whole of the Scripture and the depth of God’s love for a broken world.

——————-

Community discussion guidelines:

Because this is a Christian blog, the things I’m talking about will obviously be topics that people feel strongly about in one direction or another. Please keep in mind that this is a place for substantive, respectful, constructive conversation. All perspectives are welcome to discuss here as long as all can treat each other with kindness and respect. Please ignore trolls, refuse to engage in personal attacks, try not to derail the conversation into divisive rabbit trails, and observe the comment policy listed on the right side of the page. Comments that violate these guidelines may be deleted. Vulgar remarks may result in immediate blacklisting. For those who clearly violate these policies repeatedly, my policy is to issue a warning which, if not regarded, may lead to blacklisting. This is not about censorship, but about creating a healthy, respectful environment for discussion.

P.S. Please also note that I am not a scientist, but a person with expertise in theology and the arts. While I am very interested in the relationship between science and faith, I do not believe I personally will be able to adequately address the many questions that inevitably come up related to science and religion. I encourage you to seek out the writings of theistic or Christian scientists to help with those discussions.

—————————–

Previous Post

April 24, 2017

The Immorality of Profiting Off Opioid Addiction

Next Post

May 3, 2017 How White Conservatives Can Empathize with Black Americans' Distrust of Police

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Charis Christian Witness Church Year Conversation Creativity Cultural Engagement Curiosity Current Events Film Jesus Lectionary Message Literature Lutheran Theology Politics Story Television Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz