667. Why is polytheism one of the oldest and most widespread of human beliefs, despite being false?
“The concept of a single God could only have resulted from the evolutionary development of human thought. Incapable of conceiving an immaterial being with the power to act on matter, humankind naturally attributed physical features to God, basically a form and a face. From that point forward, everything that appeared to transcend ordinary human intelligence was regarded as Divine. Whatever humans could not understand was regarded as being the work of a supernatural power, and led to the belief in the existence of as many separate powers as the numerous effects that were witnessed but for which they could not account. However, there have been enlightened human beings in every era who have understood that it would be impossible for the world to be governed by this array of powers without a supreme ruler, and who were led to formulate the concept of the one and only God.”
