What happens when sacred texts become political blueprints? In this episode, we read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood to examine how religion, gender, and power converge in dystopian—and disturbingly familiar—ways. We unpack how biblical narratives are selectively weaponized, how ritual becomes surveillance, and what the novel reveals about authoritarianism, reproductive politics, and resistance. From American political discourse to global debates on theological authority, we ask: what does it mean to reclaim the sacred from those who weaponize it?

Episode music: Shavnabada Choir.

Episode cover: ChatGPT