Do Christians worship a suicide victim?

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Some things I've often wondered about Christ's death:

1.  Why was the sacrifice of God incarnate even necessary?  God could simply have said, 'Ok, humans, here's the deal - love me big bunches and you'll get to go to heaven.  Don't love me and you get punished.'

I've asked a similar question to Thomas Kelly several times already. He's responded to other points in my posts, but conveniently ignores that one. 

To reiterate, why did "God" need the sacrifice at all?

It's his universe, his rules, why not just forgive humanity?

There are no actual gods of any kind in this solar system.  But there are billions of stupid people.  Why did people throw virgins into volcanoes in an attempt to stop them from erupting?  The twits in the Middle East became experts at sacrificing their kids for one stupid reason or another.  That's what stupid people do.