[spoon]

Yes, the talisman is overpowered. However, it does not guarantee a win if you are playing with people who know about how overpowered it is. The "balancing factor" that has emerged amongst experienced players is to gang up against and wipe out anyone who chooses the Religious trait before they get the chance to weild the talisman effectively. So in a way, choosing religious can be more of a liability, which makes for a neat mechanic.

That said, I prefer to ban it in the games I play in. (along with Stellar Manipulation).