I've now read about 2/3 of this thread and I have to say that I agree with Russ Tanner on everything I've read and to me reading his words is like getting a big breath of fresh air. But, I would like to add that I personally believe that the true law is spiritual and not necessarily meant to be observed literally. "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." ."-John 6:63. To me this means that what the words say on paper and what we hear through our ears may not be exactly what the author/speaker really means. The only way to know what the true meaning is is by direct revelation in spirit. This is why some people can read the bible and really understand it and many people can't. It's because they are not getting it by revelation.
"A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code." "-Romans 2:28, 29.
One example from my own faith: Leviticus 20:25 says, "You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds." I read this as saying, "You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean souls (humans-good and evil) and between angels and demons (clean and unclean birds )." Let each person interprete the words by their own faith of course, but this is the way I see it when I read it. Additionally, in all this talk about circumcision - whether it is moral or immoral, has anyone ever thought about the fact that animals in the wild kill each other at God's command? It's a very sad fact to me, but also reality. God often brings pain and misery seemingly on purpose and this is clear for everyone to see. So, maybe we should start asking, "Why?" instead of automatically condemning anything that involves any kind of pain. Let's use common sense logic instead of emotions. I don't like it either (animals killing each other, eating animal flesh, etc.) but obviously can't change the way God made the world. Rather I tried to find out why things are the way they are, and believe it or not God began to show me the answers. There is a reason for everything.