My "leaders" don't, FK. I am a "black sheep." I am not a spokesman for the Church, for sure. I simply confess publicly my doubts. I do not claim that I am right. At least I don't say that the Holy Spirit "guides" me. I would never use His Holy Name to dignify my babble.
There is absolutely nothing in that story that suggests it is an allegory. Nothing
No there isn't. But that story tells me that God "grieved" and "repented" and was "sorry" because the people He created to be good became spoiled and rotten as if He had no control or foreknowledge of it, or, worse, as if He didn't plan it that way.
If I believe the story to be true, then I must believe that God was surprised and disappointed, and felt stabbed in the back. Then I must believe that He didn't know. That He didn't see it coming. And that I don't believe!
It is much easier for me to see that the story was meant for the Jews to realize that their disobedience will bring natural disasters as a punishment from God than to believe that God was grieved, repentant, surprised, and blind-sided -- or, worse, that He intentionally created man so He could drown the whole wicked lot along with innocent animals.
I don't think we have to throw out the baby with the bathwater. We both know it is not in God's nature to be surprised. We also know that it is not in His nature to be ignorant, as the text makes Him look in the garden (Adam where are you?) It is a recurring theme. So, I think those kind of things can be safely interpreted without throwing out the underlying story.
-- or, worse, that He intentionally created man so He could drown the whole wicked lot along with innocent animals.
Didn't God create us to eat innocent animals? :)