There are some interesting concepts in milder religions like Buddhism or Shinto, who are less about punishment and more about peace and harmony.
When the Gospels were written, the known world was fascinated and captivated with what was being preached. Because it was familiar, logical, and somewhat inevitable to them. To Jews it was revolutionary, and to Greeks it was transcendent.
The inspired authors of the New Testament tugged on every heart string, checked every name, and copied every dank meme that mattered. This stuff is fulfillment of every prophecy. Of course it's cliché; that's a good thing!
I've always thought it was funny when people say then don't need religion to know morality-- well yes that's true because the morality of the Abrahamic faiths has become the morality of our times(broad strokes ways). People take for granted that we don't follow the moral rules of Carthage, or ancient Greece. Or else we'd allow child sacrifice in the case of Carthage, or pederasty in the case of Greece.