People who have a problem with the premise (I'd be one) simply won't play. But it seems to me you could have the same gameplay with a different set of factions, and instead of using known religions you could just create two pantheons of gods with different philosophical approaches. Instead of doing a trite good vs. evil gambit, you could add moral complexity.

The Greeks, for instance, believed their gods were a bunch of cliquish jerks, with the same character flaws as humans but magnified. If you took that approach to constructing both sides, there'd be no good vs. evil to deal with, just faction vs. faction, where maybe one faction is better on some levels (like general benevolence) and another is better on other levels (like keeping things in balance). Maybe you'd have one set of gods who are hands-on and want to help even though it can sometimes cause other bad things to happen, whereas another set might be hands-off when it comes to individual intervention but just tries to make sure there's enough rain and sunshine and such.

Lummox JR

Or just have warring factions where the point of the game is to either win anouther faction over via capturing command post... or having completly eliminated there forces. Thats worked for many an action game.

i think i will take into account the things said here. i just need some ideas for factions. thanks, anyone have any ideas?