"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him" and why this is true

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. - Voltaire

I've thought about this quote a lot over the years. I've always agreed with the premise because the theory of God fills a few niches that some people need filled. What I didn't understand until recently was just how MUCH it would be necessary to invent God.

Speaking on here to some die-hard theists and Christians, I began to understand that the God concept is a lot more far reaching than I had originally thought. I mean, sure, religion is important to people for a variety of reasons, whether they be reassurance, comfort, morality, tradition, even just plain socializing or identity. But is God necessary for these things specifically? My stance is no.

However, the need for a "higher power" is central to people who require an irrefutable structure to life. Something that cannot be questioned or influenced by man and our many many viewpoints. It's all based on the authority hierarchy. For example, when you are a child, you obey your parents and the rules they make because they are your higher authority. For all intents and purposes, they are God to a child(which reminds me of a quote from The Crow "Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children"). When you get older, you acquire new authority figures, whether they be your teachers, your boss, your spouse, the law, or maybe even still your parents. Basically, until you reach adulthood, there is almost always going to be a "higher" authority to appeal to in times of confusion. Once you hit adulthood though, that stops. In the absence of the God theory, there is no "higher" authority than mankind, which means there is nothing absolute. When the "chain of command" stops, we are at the point where we can no longer operate on givens, on universal and irrefutable standards and codes of conduct. Enter God, the ultimate authority figure. Now, with the God theory, you have an extra tier of irrefutable rules and standards. Problem solved.

Obviously there are other reasons why religion and beliefs in a deity exist, but what I just mentioned is central to why it's necessary for some people to have them. Now, I'm not going to try and guess why people require the God theory in order to function because there's likely a variety of reasons that are going to vary between each specific person.

What are your thoughts?