>>18239849
iirc the character designer Joshua Sawyer studied religions but is not particularly religious himself, so that's probably why he came at it at such an angle and was able to craft such a religious yet sympathetic character. usually such characters are written as unlikeable zealots.
Miriam Godwinson from SMAC is much more like that, is written as an unlikeable zealot due to her faction's actions, but her promos actually actually come off as sympathetic in the same way as Graham.