10-27-2020, 11:16 AM
(10-27-2020, 11:06 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I think we're conflating terms a bit here. When I say "treat women like property" I'm not saying that the bar for that is Handmaid's Tale or nothing. A cult could very easily treat women as property without making them slaves, as in the story. Indoctrinating women to believe that their place is in the kitchen, for example, is a form of this treatment. To what extent PoP does this, I don't know. But it's not as easy as "they're either slaves or they're entirely free of indoctrination."
And I think that is the chief accusation thrown at PoP. Their purported patriarchal structure negatively impacts the women who belong to the group and, thus, are reminiscent of a cult. They are outside of cultural norms enough to have a dystopian story based on them, after all.
Like I said, I think if it was true, there'd be real world examples to point to.
(10-27-2020, 11:06 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: So, if she is genuinely part of a cult, I don't think saying "she's part of a cult" or referencing her as a cult member (or leader, if a handmaid is a leader) would be belittling religion in general. I think it is just pointing out that she's part of a cult.
Maybe it is being done flippantly in some contexts here (these forums are not generally known for their nuance and level headedness, after all), but I don't think the sentiment behind criticizing a cult member for being in a cult is inherently anti-religious.
Let's be honest here. Cult has a negative connotation and is thrown at many religious groups with the sole purpose of belittling that group or members of that group and/or religion as a whole.