Voltaire. “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” [Quotes of the Day]

I am not sure what I think about this quote. Everytime I try to ponder this quote, my mind runs off in a different direction. Is it a serious statement or just a glib comment? I can't tell. My first assumption was that this is a serious statement about man's innate need for God. At the end of the day we find our selves humbled by what we do not know. Clearly it is much easier for the average person to acknowlege that God is in control then to believe that the world we live in is the result of a massive evolutional lottery. I have several problems with evolution. One of the more amusing problems has to do with relative disparity of intelligense between the species. Why is it that humans are so smart compared to the other species? What kept all of our closest evolutionary relatives(e.g. chimps) back? Evolution explains some things neatly but not enough things to make me comfortable with the lottery. I don't like to venture into the evolutionary swamp too much so my mind runs off to the God seed issue. It is a fact that almost all societies have worshipped some God. It seems to be built into our genes.  I call it the God seed. When this seed sprouts and starts to grow, it changes people from within. When they make the personal connection between their growing spirituality and God, they want to see if other people feel the same way. As more people share and explore their beliefs, they bond and make the existance of God indisputable within their group.