The Handmaid's Tale post #2

Something that I find very interesting about this book is the role that religion plays in the novel. In many ways it seems that religion is supposed to dominate in Gilead, and that Gilead is supposed to be a puritan society. Everywhere you look there is something religous. Rather it be the church that was turned into a museum, the seat cushion in the narrators room, or the prayers that the commander is required to read to the handmaid and marthas at night before they go to bed. What is confusing to me though is that one minute it seems like they are meant to follow the bible strictly, but then the next we see them comitting sins left and right. For example, the commanders commit adultry with the handmaids. This is one of the ten commandments "though shalt not commit adultry", for such a religous society, you would think that they would at least follow the ten commandments. Another thing that these people do, which is also a part of the ten commandments, is that they murder. I wonder if Atwood is trying to tell us something by setting up the society so religously, but being completely hypacritical in having them commit two of the major sins all the time.