Is it human nature to ascribe that which we do not (yet) understand to the supernatural?

Answer 1

Not necessarily.

Understanding and supernaturalism are not mutually exclusive. Take for instance the proposition of theistic evolution, that say evolution is a guided process through which God works. It is fundamentally different that fiat creationism which says God created things “ex nihilo” (which means “out of nothing”) as they exist, or at least similar to how they exist today. Theistic evolution is the marriage of naturalistic processes and theological understanding of the world. Before such notions existed, they were attributed to the supernatural without explanation, but now they are attributed to the supernatural with explanation.

With this said, one shouldn't reject supernaturalism in light of the understanding, and vice-versa, because one does not deny the other. Science is the ignorant on matters of faith-- it say nothing about theism, atheism, or agnosticism for that matter, because it makes no theological statements. Being a scientist does not automatically make one irreligious, and being atheists does not automatically make one a scientist, so one cannot claim science as his or her territory and disallow others its use.

Answer 2

Its human nature to find comfort and security in a particular thought or state of affairs. The primary goal is to find a way to have a 'grip' on the world. When an event or a thought occurs outside our comfortable known world we must find a way of interpreting it within an already existing framework. The supernatural is just one such framework, so is science, so is religion.They are metaphors, if you like, for seeing the world. And these metaphors act as very handy tools for explaining all that we cant understand or grasp. An ideology possesses within it the possibility to explain everything, and that is why ideologies are powerful because they seem to encompass everything under their wing. Of course that is until we change, and adopt something else.

Answer 3

Sure. In the hypothetical time machine, if you took a digital camera back to medieval times, snapped a few pictures of people, and showed them their faces on the back of the camera, you'd likely be burned as a witch. History will repeat itself so long as there are things we don't understand.

Answer 4

Sadly, yes, it is. The theurgic experience is genetically and neurostructurally biased in humans. This was necessary for our earliest ancestors, but the lingering of the trait is rather an annoyance. Here's hoping a few hundred more generations and we'll be well past it as a species.

Answer 5

Yes, that's why people used to believe the Sun was Apollo riding a flaming chariot across the sky.