They believe they are descended from fallen angels, who gave them knowledge.
Might be more than superstition. Look into Archons, a.k.a. demons. I think they are living quantum information. These people try to get themselves possessed.
Also, I think that our overlords have a Hive Mind. Maybe, in the lost depths of time, evil reached a critical mass of interconnectedness and became sentient. Maybe this emergent entity is actually lucifer. More likely, lucifer is an inter-dimensional entity. The hive mind of the Archons.
See also the Book of Enoch re: fallen angels.