But it also creates an opening for people to corrupt that threat of divine retribution... "Don't be gay, or God will throw you down to Hell!", "Don't be dark-skinned, or God will throw you down to Hell!", "Don't disobey the benevolent overlord, for He has been granted his power by God!"

I see nothing gained by that.

EDIT: The problem I'm trying to get across is that it introduces [i]absolutes[/i], and absolutes can be (and have been) corrupted over time, not to mention their being difficult to argue against (thus allowing them to flourish even longer).