"When was the last time you heard postulated an infinite hierarchy of Gods, none of which create themselves, as the answer to the First Cause?"

Fairly recently, as a matter of fact. Although the LDS church does not officially emphasize this doctrine, I know multiple Mormons that hold that exact view.

It's an easy conclusion to reach if you take either Joseph Smith's statement that "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!" or Lorenzo Snow's that "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become" seriously. Conversely, according to my Mormon acquaintances, there will be lots of additional gods in the future.

Anyhow, wonderful post. Sometimes I wonder where you are going with a topic, but then posts like this one make everything come into focus.