If a proposition taps into our neurocognitive proclivities, it’s likely to be vivid, intuitive, plausible, and relatively easy to remember. The idea that there are weird but still person-like supernatural agents, who care about what we do, is one such proposition. Propositions that hit on all the cylinders of motivation and explanatory bias provide an adaptive edge. Religion explained, per Pascal Boyer.
Reference:
Boyer P (2001). Religion Explained. The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought London: Random House & New York: Perseus.