These are wonderful points that you bring up. First let me talk about logic and reason. Everything, and I mean everything that we study is all dependent on logic and reason... I mean everything. Without reason and logic, we can't even do things like science. Having said this, I can now address your other points.

Why is there a need for an intelligent being to manipulate matter?

There is no need, that just seems to be one of a few reasonable explanation when we try to explain the reason for the existence of the universe. How you might ask? Well, I think the Kalam cosmological argument does a good job at explaining that. You might say that's just logic, and, logic is just some silly thing we created. The thing is that if you say that then you would be discrediting everything else that we have based on logic, including science.

And you could be right, maybe the universe did come to be out of nothing and it is eternal in the past. However, because everything that we know of seems to have a cause and a beginning, the burden of proof would be on the person making the claim that the universe is eternal in the past and that it has no cause.

Now about God making humans in his image. This is a Christian believe and not one that is generally held by all religions. Hence, I will answer it to the best of my ability from a Christian point of view. What makes you think that to say that he made us in his image speaks of a physical form? Maybe that means that he made us in his image in the sense that we would be able to recognize the concept of love and morality.

And, evolution is in no way in conflict with the idea of the universe having a creator. Evolution only tells you how organisms already created eventually evolve. Evolution does not tell you how such organisms came to exist nor their reason for being.

And why do we need this being to be so invested in us...? Well, this is only true of some religions. Suppose the universe was created, then for all we know this creator could be an asshole for all we know. Now, the worldview that I hold (Christianity) stipulates that this God is a personal God. This is the reason that I believe this God is so vested in us. But again, this is not just based on some illusion. There have been many studies on the topic and they, in my opinion, seem rational; here is a video of a talk at UCSB university on the historicity of Jesus .

And you are right, you shouldn't sign up for something that you don't believe to be rational. I think that Christianity is rational (mere Christianity) and true based on rational investigation.