My theory is this.....many years ago in some village the elders or leaders needed a way to control the masses. While they couldn't have total watch over them they made up this imaginary God who lives in the sky and watches over everyone. If you don't do what he says (which is follow the rules of those elders) you wouldn't get into this perfect place in the sky. That was the easiest way to control the masses and hence the phrase "the fear of God". As other cultures and areas of the world picked up on this it changed as does any tall tale that travels around, so you get your Buddhas and others depending on what those men in the different parts of the world wanted their people to believe. Write some books about it and make up some fairy tale stuff and you've got yourself a controlled society.
Agreed 100%... but now that the church is on it's way out, the government is taking the position of controlling the masses. The U.S. realized it was losing control of it's citizens as many people were thinking outside of the box/freeing their mind, so they decided to take over your health care. They already have social welfare and the economy in their hands, but it wasn't enough. We're slowly exchanging in our liberties for protection, but this protection is false and artificial and protects the government more than anyone else.