if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him
if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him
proverb A sentiment expressed by 18th-century French philosopher Voltaire that emphasizes the human need to believe in a divine being. People can't help it—they need something bigger than themselves to believe in, so if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.
See also: did, god, if, invent, necessary, not
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.
Prov. People need a deity to worship. (This is an English translation of a quote from Voltaire. It is often parodied, using a person's name instead of God and implying that the person is somehow necessary.) The atheist tried to convince Jerry that God does not exist, and that people should not waste their time worshiping Him. "But you can't stop people from worshiping God," Jerry replied. "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." The unscrupulous mayor was such a convenient scapegoat for the city's problems that if she had not existed, it would have been necessary to invent her.
See also: did, god, if, invent, necessary, not
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- it takes a village
- village
- teach a man to fish
- the best-laid plans
- the best-laid plans go astray
- the best-laid plans of mice and men
- best-laid plans go astray, the
- for want of a nail
- For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse ...
- tomorrow never comes