Do you think that "Armaggeddon"/Hellfire damnation" is just scare tactics?
Do large ursine mammals employ wooded areas for defecational purposes?
It's the stick in the carrot/stick equation. Any religion that presents a stark choice between eternal reward and eternal punishment is a religion of control, power, and domination. Every religion should be evaluated by that standard. If the religion says little about an afterlife, about punishment, about rewards, but simply offers enlightenment for the current life, that's a different matter.