How did Auguste Comte describe the theological stage of human thought?

Auguste Comte described the theological stage as the initial phase of human intellectual development, during which the world and humanity's place within it were explained through magic, spirits, and divine or supernatural powers.1

In this stage, natural phenomena are interpreted as the direct result of miraculous wills or powers, regardless of whether the religion is polytheistic or monotheistic. Comte criticized this stage as anthropomorphic, arguing that it relied on flawed, all-too-human analogies to account for observed events. He viewed this phase as a primitive mode of thought that was eventually superseded by the metaphysical stage and, ultimately, the scientific or "positive" stage.1