You can't make up stuff like that... In the beginning God created. Pretty simple. Good question though.

These things start as folk tales and somewhere along the line, people start believing them. It's pretty simple.

even thinking about it makes me sad. I want to be something after I die. and if God was just made up. then i would just most probably be part of history. and nothing else.

There is an excellent book called "Religion explained" which says a lot about this. Primitive humand invented Gods to explain what they didn't understand. So when they invented a God of Thunder, they Just meant "whatever it is that causes thunder". Then they started making up stories to try and explain why this entity did what it did, and becasue humans anthropomorphise everything, they explained them as human. Of course, as we gradually explained more and more, gods of thunder became unnecessary. The Jews invented the abstract singl God who lays down moral rules. My opinion is that people need God not to enforce morality, but to explain morality. Homo Sapiens is above all a co-operative animal, one which lives in huge groups which depend on each other in an incredibly complex way. In order to live, we *have* to eb nice to most of the people we meet most of the time - and this is burnt into out behavious. Of course, it only applies to "people like us" - and that is culturally defined. But, as thinkg animals, we can see the disadvantages of selfishness much more than co-operation. We are constantly worried that other people will be logically selfish, and we will lose out becauxe we are nice. So we package up the internal drives to be nice to people that we have, and that we hope others have as well and fear that they do not, and say God commands them. Which means that we all have to be nice; I know I will be, becasue I am a nice person, and I hope you will be out of fear of God.

For someone to write the bible,they must be extremely intelligent.

I've wondered that myself. There seems to be a natural instinct in people to believe in a superior being, like an almighty parent. When you see or experience something extraordinary you want to praise or thank God. Or even if your not someone who prays or goes to Church you may plea to God for help in adverse circumstances.

God doesn't exist. Simply said. :P

I think someone saw how bleak reality really was and didn't want other people to find out since it'd make them lose their will to live so they made a reason for them to keep hoping. Basically, we had the ability to think that could lead to death so someone came up with religion to direct that ability in such a way that we'd be kept alive for a long time. Religion is there for the sake of our survival. If it's no that then it was made to gain control over peoples' opinions and organise them into being useful.

Yes, one huge fairy tale written by men.

Well, I don't think someone just made up religions as we know them today from scratch. It is a natural human urge to try to explain unknowns, but primitive people were not able to do that very well (as compared to what we can explain today). So, they had no choice but to make up explanations, and this resulted in religions and mythologies for local cultures. From there, the religions evolved into what they are today, and truly, most modern religions have their roots in long abandoned mythologies.

God is so obviously not real! I totally agree. I mean, come on the bible was written like 100 yrs afta Jesus died and who was supposed to have wrote it. It couldve been a schizophrenic for all we know!!!! Basically there was actually a person called Jesus who done something or other to get recognized an ppl passed down stories which got changed ova the years! How can ppl encourage kids not to have imaginary friends wen God is one!!! Y wud there b ppl in the world starving to death if God was real huh? Answer me tht all u Christians LOL