The Old Covenant.

[muleslax]

If all of the absurd laws from Deuteronomy, Exodus, and Leviticus (for example: Deuteronomy 17:2-7, Deuteronomy 13:6-10, Leviticus 21:9, Deuteronomy 13:5, Leviticus 21:17-18, Leviticus 24:14-16, Exodus 35: 2) are no longer valid because of the new covenant, would that not connote that we mustn’t follow the Ten Commandments any longer as well? I’m just wondering; I know that to fully understand the Bible you need to read the whole thing, but I’m a slow reader and it might take me a while to get the parts explaining these parts.

[rsanford]

Something I had recently learned is that all of the laws are still valid and we should follow them.
Such laws concerning to stoning and other punishments of death for various crimes still apply, but, as Jesus said :" let he who is without sin cast the first stone" Those who break those laws will die, and have to pay for breaking those laws. but Man is not righteous enough to cast judgment onto them and punish.
That's what I've been taught anyhow.
I'm not too sure about the laws on Meat except for a few where Jesus says it is ok to eat meat that is cooked. I believe the laws were set then on certain meats due to the people not being able to properly refrigerate the meat and it can be poisonous or unhealthy if not kept properly.
We'll see what others have to say on the issue.

[muleslax]

Your answer was the same one I said to the athiest that asked me that question; but someone told me I was wrong.

[Ryan Dozier]

The laws in the Old Testament are not absurd because God demanded Israel to keep them during the established Theocracy described in the Old Testament.
The Laws instituted were under the Covenant of works and many of the laws (like sacrificial or dieatary) had a purpose to distinguish the People (or Nation) of God and foreshadow the appearance of Jesus Christ the Messah.

I will answer further when I time permits me.

[j3frea]

There are a few different camps:
#1: Keep all the OT laws except the ones that the NT revokes (and it does...) add the new NT laws.
#2: Chuck all the OT laws and only use the ones the NT instates
#3: Chuck all the OT laws except basically the ten commandments and also the ones the NT instates.

They actually bring you to pretty much the same place...

It certainly would never leave you without the Ten Commandments since all of them (with the exception of the fourth which is keeping the Sabbath day holy, which is debated although, in my opinion, essentially revoked) are repeated in the New Testament! If you can, get hold of a MacArthur Study Bible, the footnotes are really great but there are some nice features, for example, beneath the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, there is a list of them, where the death penalty is described as the consequence for breaking it and where it is repeated (or otherwise) in the New Testament... Stuff like that makes studying quite a lot easier and without sounding like some sort of muesli advert, more enriching.

[muleslax]

I'll have to grab one of those MacArthur Study Bible's then! But which is the right point of view on the subject?