Why do we need God?

Since we use the word 'need', we are alluding to inventing God in the idol/human/conceptual form. A God who judges, forgives, gifts, audits and engages in other "human" transactions.

Identity

We are what we think - which is not entirely correct. Thoughts change and identity by definition has to something 'static'. Something that survives the passage of time. So that it is 'secured'. Solid ground. 

Beliefs
This need is filled by our bundle of beliefs/conditioning which SEEM more 'solid', but are without foundation. The mind faces a constant INSECURITY of losing this solid ground, the beliefs. It can afford to lose one belief, provided it gets another equally solid and 'convincing' belief in return.  

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God
That's where God and religion comes in. God is the ultimate projection of all things not explained, hence feared. If there is no answer, blame it on God. Love him, hate him, give up on him, become an atheist - but at least the mind has an ANSWER for anything that threatens its existence. We can afford to shift responsibility, give up control. 'Count' on somebody. We often call that 'Faith'.

Power games
Wherever there is someone to give up control, there is someone to happily take it. That is where the 'institutions' and the power games come in. You have to conform to their practices, but they guarantee you an EXPLANATION in return. An explanation that is in sync with your EXISTING beliefs - no matter how scary. Your identity is secure. Hence God and her agents become necessary

So are beliefs, identity, faith, religions, Godpersons all bad?
Not at all!

• Identity is not bad. It is simply a need of the mind, not the mind itself.
• Beliefs are not bad. They are just a need of the mind to bridge the vaccuum of ignorance(what we do NOT know), to connect the dots(what we DO know) - so that we keep creating our path as we walk, and do not stop walking. Simple logic dictates that we we do not assume that the path we created is the only path. the problem is not in having beliefs, but in assuming they are facts. That is a recipe for self-contradictions, conflicts, struggles and wars.
• Religions are not bad - they are simply paths forged by majority beliefs. Again, the problem is not in following religion, but in assuming it is the 'right' one.  Religion might be the same. But its interpretation and hence, paths created are as many as the followers. Religion might allow for convenient categorization - but the fact is that every human human forges her own path.
• Faith is not bad. But if it is an excuse to shift responsibility, then we are fooling ourselves. Regardless of the word used.
• Godpersons are not bad. But our dependency on them is, and they exploiting it is. The solution is of course not to renounce all Godpersons, but to understand why the dependency is born. Without dependency, control cannot exist.

So is God just an excuse to blame?
Yes - if that God is a product of a petty mind and its beliefs. A belief created by us, in our own petty form and then granted 'life'. We are the makers of God in this case, rather than the other way round! Reality lies beyond it. Or more correctly - underlie it. Whether we call it God, Brahman does not matter. What matters is it is not the 'beliefs' that we fight on. And that the word is immaterial. It is like the waves calling the Ocean 'God' and then feeling offended if one wave says 'God does not exist'. The offence itself indicates that they consider themselves separate, ignorant of their oneness. And if one can see that, who would you have left to blame? Who's 'destiny' would you curse? Who would you call evil? The oneness becomes obvious - that it is all part of the same process. The moment we understand God, the need for God stops.