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jake; Welcome, I'm not talking science here and you are right, perhaps I should have said 'artistic' creations, thought I did say 'some' of the greatest not 'all'. What I'm saying is quite simple I believe, and if you don't see it I shall give up, please see last part of my post 16:12 Sunday.
The large monolithic 'sculptures' (our classification) on Easter Island are beyond our comprehension; we do not know what they mean, nor will we ever know as the civilisation has gone without leaving any record. So all we can do is admire them for what they seem to us to be, and marvel at the ingenuity of making, transporting and erecting them, but that is not what they were about, of that we can be certain. Only the people of that culture and sensibility could know and feel what they really were.
Similarly, in Bombay there is a Museum, initiated by the Victorians - Indians don't normally DO museums- which is full of sculptures of deities from the Hindu pantheon. Much to the infuriation of the curators (and my amusement) people keep placing offerings of rice and flowers in front of these deities and adding red pigment to their foreheads, because they have a deep spiritual meaning to them on a personal level and as such they are not simply beautifully executed carved objects, - their understanding and feeling for them being truer than that of the curators.
This I believe holds true for any religious work of art, the heathen can be ecstatic in admiration, can even be extremely knowledgeable about its production and iconography, but can never really grasp (encompass) it fully to his or her heart.