Animism goes along this line of thought..
My brother the buffalo, sister the grass.. "the great Spirit".., even Cargo Cultism, like that..
Could be the animists are detecting the Spirit "on some level".. "Primitive minds" can have a hard time with long winded rational.. and tend to simplify to the point(maybe) of being simplistic.. Not every one can be as "smart" as materialist scientists.. {cough}...
Could be all seeking of God can have an element of the truth in it.. Even MINE!..
Indeed. That is its most primitive formulation. And it seems to me there is some degree of truth in it. Not the most exhaustive, perhaps. But certainly not outright false. Same for the way all of us "explain" the spiritual aspect of human reality, provided, of course, that we haven't ruled it out as a matter of principle. Then I think, all that's left is: nihilism.