I agree they went a bit heavy handed on the religious aspect without intending to offend people. It doesn't bother me and I know there is a spiritual aspect to the games, but the way they did it in VV5 was kind of, I dunno, more religiously loaded than usual.
I am one of those people, who -- in the beginning -- was a bit miffed about the religious aspects. I truly wanted to like the game, and left it at that till I've completed the game - twice. My beef became the GOD power, NOT the name, NOR the hand statue. The fact that players are forced to keep the population at 100, with no other choices available, is, in my opinion, the biggest flaw in the game.