“May the Lord unfold!”. Fictional religion in M. Atwood's dystopia “The handmaid's tale” and post-secular religiosity

The paper treats fictional religion developed by M. Atwood in the dystopian novel “The Handmaid's Tale”. The paper examines the concept of fictional religions, terminological difficulties associated with its translation and usage, functioning of fictional religions and their place in post-secular religiosity. Through the analysis of the world constructed in the novel, a number of key problems facing modern society are highlighted: the human response to a possible ecological disaster, gender inequality, the use of religious and pseudo-religious agendas to restrict freedoms, the promotion of an anti-scientific worldview, and political and religious violence. The article demonstrates how religion, fictionalized within the dystopian novel, is able to reflect modern religious, cultural, and political processes by revealing their negative sides. At the same time, being not just part of popular culture, but a sought-after work, “The Handmaid's Tale” is embedded in the contexts of post-secular society and affects public opinion and behavior.