Apparently a reliance on magic is pretty deeply hardwired into us, and for many people religious faith is really a way to try to tap into the power of magic.

I recommend Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas as a fascinating look at religion in England in the 16th and 17th centuries and what happened with the move from Catholicism to Protestantism (with its prohibition against practicing magic.)

People haven’t changed all that much since then.