Well, as story we’d have to look for metaphor and hyperbole I suppose.
Why? If you're giving instructions to (even one 'special select chosen group' of) humanity on how to save their immortal souls, why make the instruction book cryptic? Why not give straight instructions?
I think I’m right about a large scale post ice age flood which didn’t wipe out everything.
The evidence doesn't suggest that you're right. Whilst there were a number of localised significant flooding events, there is no evidence for a singular massive post-ice age flooding event.
Physical death is not the end, that’s also in the bible.
But that contradicts the Baghavad Gita, which clearly indicates that we all get turned back out on the wheels of Karma. And they both contradict the Norse myths which say that the warriors get carted off to Valhalla. And then there's the Undying Lands where Gandalf and Frodo get to go, and don't get me started with Sto'Vo'Kor.
Having been given the privilege of physical existence of the sentient variety do we actually have the absolute right for that do be maintained by God?
Yes. You put people in the position where they could suffer, you have a moral duty to try to help them avoid that suffering. That's a duty on parents, it's a duty on employers, it's a duty on service providers, it's one of the underlying principles of civilised societies. Arguably, it's right there in 'love thy neighbour'...
Yes there is judgment and penalty just as there is in any literature generated about and by any world view.
But the punishments don't fit the crime, nor are they proportionate. Eternal punishment (of whatever variety) for a temporal crime is disproportionate. Death for being on the same planet as some people who didn't comply with arbitrary 'laws' on haircuts or sexual congress is unjustified, disproportionate and non-productive. That's even if you grant the notion of 'punishment' has validity against the intent of rehabilitation.
What, for instance are the Humanists going to do with people who break there rules when they hold the majority world view?
Try them and, if found guilty, determine what the most likely method of rehabilitating them is - if that's not viable, isolate them from the community so they can no longer harm people. Not, anywhere, in any way, shape or form, eradicate the entire populace of the Earth because of the actions of some (or even the majority). The idea of collective punishment is abhorrent when teaching primary children, it's even worse when it's lethal punishment for entire populations for things deemed 'wrong' on little to no justification.
In the Old Testament miraculous judgement figures highly but over a long period. In the New Testament not so much so we are dealing with rare interventions by God over a long period of time... because God as it says in the bible is slow to retribution.
Or, maybe, because people were less credulous and wanted to see evidence of these 'miraculous judgements' - and as the organisation of society improved and communication became improved so the ability to investigate these outlandish claims improved and suddenly the outlandish claims started to diminish...
O.
