I'd still say that religious parody is the strongest element, what with the mass mesmerism and Jasmine's following being so eager spread The News, but the fact that Jasmine really IS able to bring about "paradise" upgrades the story to a high-quality piece of speculative science fiction for its last acts. And the lovely thing about that kind of story is that if it's done well, it can evoke more than just a single metaphor, Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Handmaid's Tale style.