The story of the Biblical Flood brings to mind one of the most confusing issues in the Bible, one that few Christians will talk about. I haven't read anything about it on GLP, so here it is.

This is the reason the Old Testament God gave for destroying every man, woman and child except for Noah and his family:

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them” (Genesis 6:5-7, KJV, highlights my own).

And this is the reason the Old Testament God promised never to destroy mankind again.

“And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done” (Genesis 8:21, KJV, highlights my own).

So the omniscient God destroyed most of mankind because they were inherently sinful, and he promised never to do it again because....they were inherently sinful! As they so eloquently say on the GLP forum: WTF??

Here is what bothers me: If the reason for destroying humanity and the reason for promising never to do it again are the same, what was the purpose of killing so many people? According to God Himself, He knew mankind would continue to be just as evil (and they have), so not one damn thing had changed. The Flood thus appears to be a senseless act of unparalleled cruelty.

So what was the purpose of the Biblical Flood. It appears there was none.