Aunt Lydia makes a comment during training at the red zone that "Even with birth rates going down they still relied on contraceptions and abortions so they could continue with their orgies" (or something along those lines). There is also the hospital scene when June has her daughter and is shocked at how sparse the…

Well said. Offering some insight into male characters does add a bit of meat to what otherwise would remain just skeletons or shadows of people. Also…how else could the previous Offred's suicide be brought into the story except through the memories of Nick? The Comander isn't likely to acknowledge his destruction of a…

By combining the state with the church they've created a theocracy ie. They believe their government is directly ruled by God and as acted out by the patriarchal board and the rules/laws that dictate how society functions. Because Gilead is seeking to live out it's moral/spiritual beliefs as a totalitarian society…