https://www.salon.com/2022/08/02/the-gilead-playbook-right-wing-extremists-are-making-fiction-come-true_partner/

The change that felt natural to us between 1970 and the turn of the century was not natural to *them*. Not even faintly. Never in recorded history had there been such an upending of patriarchal power.

We're now witnessing a real-life attempt to construct Atwood's once-fictional Republic of Gilead in our country, complete with forced birth and rape as a means of master-race reproduction.



https://www.dailyadvance.com/news/local/making-the-handmaids-tale-a-reality/article_f083ec0d-af72-5caf-bb8b-6f1fa3151b56.html

The newest member of our U.S. Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, was a “handmaid” in Kevin Ranaghan’s People of Praise religious cult. Her writings make clear her belief that a judge’s decisions should be colored by their religious beliefs, counter to the most basic tenets of our democracy.

And so it is that she and four other Catholic members of the Supreme Court have ruled that women are not really people. They are brood sows, put on this earth to serve men. This most egregious opinion of the Supreme Court has put the court’s fundamental legitimacy in question. As well it should.

It appears we are on the slippery slope to a dystopian future. First, rule that women do not have a right to bodily autonomy. Then, preach that female subservience is godly. Enlist fathers and husbands to instill male superiority in daughters and wives. Then preach that wives must “submit” to their husbands because men are the “head of the household.” And then, make abortion against the law because everybody knows that women shouldn’t have control over their own bodies.

The myths of white supremacy and male superiority tend to go hand-in-hand with white Christian nationalism: white supremacists tend also to have religious views that teach male superiority.

The danger posed by these mindsets is exemplified by the People of Praise cult. The founder, Ranaghan, was described in court documents as having complete control over the women and girls in the cult. Women were required to hand over any money they made to Ranaghan, and allow him to control their dating relationships. Former members testified in court that Ranahan promoted “sexualized” demonstrations promoting the view that wives must submit to their husbands.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2022 08:22AM by anybody.

Here's one problem for them -- the number of "nones" combined with atheists, agnostics, etc. is now at about 30% of the U.S. and rising. The number of Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons is falling across the board.

The long term trends are not in their favor.