I couldn't agree more with the OP! My thoughts exactly.
Why on earth does God value faith in Him above everything else? Why does God not reward good people, generous people, loving people, honest people, and so on?
Why is it faith, that decides whether you get to see heaven or hell?
I think this is highly suspicious, because it is exactly what you would excpect to be the case if somebody "made up" christianity and wanted it to spread.
Religions that don't emphasize faith and conversion of others do not survive and go extinct much like animals go extinct.
quote:
The reason why "faith in God" would be considered important is that "faith in God" is the means supplied by God to man whereby a man is saved. Seeing as there is no other means whereby a man can be saved it seems sensible that the only way be emphasised. Note that "faith in God" is given as a gift from God to man - God doesn't expect a man to believe without his supplying the means whereby the man can do so. God supplies the evidence > man believes.
That is circular reasoning.
You say: God emphasizes faith, because faith is needed to be saved from hell.
The question is: WHY is faith needed to be saved from hell? Why not send the murderers, child molesters and warmongers to hell in stead?
Why not base Judgement on how friendly, loving and kind people are, rather than judging them by their ability to believe things without evidence?