Religon

"May the lord open." (pg. 19)

In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood decides to create Gilead's government into a Theocracy. A Theocracy is where religion and government are intertwined. People of Gilead lived by the motto “God is a National Resource”. Common jobs that we have today were refereed to differently in Gillead. Soldiers were known as "Angels", maids were known as "Martha's", and law enforcement members were called "Guardians of the Faith." All professions have biblical connections shows the importance of religion in their society.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:theocracy&sa=X&ei=ywUMTPWsPIGdlgeO56CtDg&ved=0CBYQkAE