Which philosopher said, "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him."?

The very well known philosopher who said, "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." was Voltaire. Born François-Marie Arouet, aka Voltaire (his pen name), he lived from November 21, 1694 until May 30, 1778). He was a French writer, deist, and philosopher.

The above statement about God was made as part of Voltaire's larger argument that the existence of God and/or belief in God were beneficial and necessary for civilized society to function. The larger context of the debate in which he was engaged at the time indicates that he did not intend this statement to be an ironic one. He was essentially claiming that God is an entity based on a person's or group's faith. This is now in the 21st century commonly accepted by a majority of human beings worldwide.

The statement ("If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.") was made as part of a piece that Voltaire specifically wrote condemning and refuting an atheistic essay called "The Three Imposters".