[quote]I've always been taught that the coming of Jesus made it to where you didn't have to perform animal sacrafices or anything following the old laws, you only had to have a relationship with God and ask forgiveness for your sins, and he would help you be how he wanted you to be.[/quote] Correct. [quote]BUT I was also taught that God is the same and has always been the same, and he doesn't make mistakes, which means he's the same God that flooded the Earth and routinely punishes people with his "holy wrath" or whatever.[/quote] Correct. [quote]If he doesn't make mistakes, why did he make the rainbow as a promise to never flood the Earth again? Could that have been a mistake?[/quote] It wasn't a mistake, if humanity would have carried on as it had been than God would have made a mistake. The one reason god created us was to glorify him, and humans were not doing so. So he basically hard reset the human race in a sense. [quote]Also, God seems pretty self-absorbed if you ask me. He created a whole universe with humas just to worship him[/quote] God was all alone up in wherever he resides. He doesn't need sustenance, so he would probably want to entertain himself in some way. That is where humans come in. [quote]and gave the humans free will then allowed them to go to hell when they actually used it.[/quote] You can use free will and not go to hell. Also, Earth is like a trial of sorts. Those who pass get to heaven, and those who fail don't. Just as steel strengthens when tempered, faith is strengthened when tested. [quote]Why do we feed into that when we despise it when other humans have that quality? Maybe it's because we percieve ourselves to be lower than him. Whatever. I hope I explained myself adequately.[/quote] You did. The reason we perceive ourselves to be lower than god is because we are, just as we are above animals. [quote][spoiler]I do believe in God, but I'm not religious and not a Christian even though I do have mostly the same set of morals, just to clarify.[/spoiler][/quote] Thanks for clarifying.

To add to the flood thing, it says in Genesis that God regretted making human beings Genesis 6:6 - The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.