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[On whether the flood actually happened:] It's irrelevant, because the biblical account of it has a message and that message says that God repented (KJV), or was "sorry" (NAS, NKJV), was "grieved" (NIV), that God "took it to heart" (LXX), that He had made people who "turned out" wicked!

In your belief, when God sins like this, to whom does He confess? :)

If you believe that, then why was He angry with wicked men -- they turned out exactly as He ordained them to be! Where is their fault? They are just passive "tools" and fools in your vision of God's creation.

They weren't just passive tools, they were very active tools, and responsible for their own sins. If we remain in the state of our birth, then we will be wicked. God has every right to be angry, because He is not the author of sin. Men (and satan) are.

[In addition to wicked men, Genesis 6:6 states that God decided to destroy all innocent animal life as well. I wouldn't call that kind.]

Perhaps you would like an apology? :) Besides, cats always have it coming to them anyway.

In your belief [that God changed His mind and was sorry, repentant and grieved that men "somehow" -- I suppose contrary to His wish, plan, ordination -- turned wicked on Him, and decided to drown them in Gen 6:6], when God sins like this, to whom does He confess?

That's not my belief, FK. That's my point. I think it is a story with a message. I don't for a moment believe that people turned wicked because (a) God didn't see it coming or (b) because He ordained it so. I don't believe God changes His mind, is grieved, sorry, or angry when we are wicked.

That whole section portrays God in human terms for early Hebrews to be able to relate to God, as most primitive people do.

It's not the physical event that it describes but the message that comes out of that story that matters: our wickedness (based on our choice to reject God) will bring (us) calamity. And it does! Without a fail.

In most of the OT, the people were scared into obedience and are scared into obedience to this day in some churches by being threatened with God.

That's unfortunate.