Des, you are a child. I don't mean that in a demening way, I mean it seriously. We are all children of God. If we think that the 'be all and end all' is with us, then yes, God doesn't really make sense. But what happens if we aren't at the top. What happens if there is something above us?
The best analogy is the one God uses Himself. God is our father and we are His children. True, it is different from a human relationship between parent and child, but the basis still stands.
Does a parent let his/her child do whatever they want? No. Does a parent set down a bunch of rules for the child's own good? Yes. Then, does a parent punish his/her child? Yes. Does the child often think that the rules are unfair? Of course! Why? Because they child only thinks of themself or their own happiness.
Does God send people to hell? Yes. Does he enjoy it? No. Just as a parent doesn't (or shouldn't) enjoy punishing their children. Do we have a choice in the matter? Yes. You describe God as if He should let us do whatever we want. As if He is cruel and inhumane for punishing us. You get to decide whether you obey or not. You also suggest that perhaps God is impotent because people go to hell. God gave us free choice. And He won't override that free choice. So, no, He isn't going to force us to do anything.
You talk of personal belief as if you are entitled to believe whatever you want and no one can tell you otherwise. Well, we're all stuck with each other, so our "personal" believes affect people other than ourselves. If are all to get along, there has to be some sort of standard. Without that, there is only anarchy. God is that standard. You can't get mad at the justice system for punishing you for killing someone just because you thought they had it coming. It's your personal belief the person had it coming, but it's irrelevant. There is more to life and morality than just one person.