Why don't christians keep the old testament laws and obligations?

Christ clearly told you people in your own bible that he did not come to change the law but merely in fulfillment of it. So clearly you ought not be eating shellfish, you have a whole bunch of animal sacrificing to do, and probably should be stoning certain individuals in your home towns.
Why don't you read the bible for yourself? Your post shows you haven't done so.
One of the stories in the New Testament concerns a judge by the name of Nicodemus, asking Jesus which laws he should keep. Jesus told him: 'Love the lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself'. He also gave a parable as to who is your neighbor.
Jesus said, 'Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them' He did not say in fulfillment of them. What He was saying is that the law is now fulfilled. The Law has fulfilled it's purpose and has been superseded by faith in the Christ.



Romans 3:19-22: Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand.


If we become conscious of our sin and turn to the Father for His grace and forgiveness through the shed blood of His Son, then the Law has done it's job and is no longer necessary.
I see you haven't gotten to the part where Jesus said he had fulfilled the law. Read on.........
In the mean time, here's a nice link to find answers to other questions
http://www.watchtower.org/cgi-bin/lib/ProcessForm.pl


Answers:
Why are the Old testament and The New testament even in the same book together? They constantly contradict each other.
None of it makes any darn sense.
In all modern law there is rule to govern it. God is the law and Jesus is the rule by which the old laws are followed.
Some Christian attempt to.There's no Jews that keep all the O.T laws.
Well, so much for the word of God 'never changing'. They don't keep the 'Old Covenant' laws, yet still get uptight over the ten commandments. Isn't this in the Old Testament? Isn't this an Old Testament law? Didn't Jesus come to bring a new set of laws, or 'new covenant'? Picking and choosing, once again. Another reason why I can't take their religion seriously.

BTW- 'Rev'- is this the best answer you can come up with? Just because someone doesn't agree with your faith doesn't mean they didn't read the silly book! I've studied it since a child, know it better than a vast majority of christians. That's why I don't believe!
Well, even the old testament was written a long time after Jesus's death. That's why there was a lot of error in it. These errors were attempted to be corrected in the new testament. But remember, we are talking about people who altered the Bible and wrote it to suit their needs. So, although the Bible was the words from God, both the old and new testaments are an altered version of Gods words and therefore are subject to a lot of errors and descrepencies.
Actually, that's not true. The fulfillment that Jesus was talking about was in relation to the promised Messiah. God's plan was for Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice so the animal sacrifices were no longer necessary. Not only that, but it allowed not only God's promised ones (the Isrealites) but also anyone to be able to access Him (God) anytime they wanted. Previously, the only way an Isrealite could 'talk' to God was after he purified himself (through sacrifice). By Jesus being the ultimate sacrifice, this was no longer necessary.

As for the laws such as stoning, eye for an eye, and things like that, Jesus explained in Matthew Chapter 5, that it was no longer necessary. Instead, it is our job now to be living sacrifices to Him. In other words, not to worry about what the world thought of us, but to follow Christs' example.

I hope that helped.
because one Christ Jesus was born he was the ultimate sacrifice and now people could have a relationship and faith in God rather then perform rituals and laws to be loved by him. there sin was now cleared by Jesus dying on the cross forever.
WELLLLL many believe that he did change the 'rules' ... but many Christians I've encounter pick and choose which rules they choose to follow depending on which sect they belong to. Many will tell you it's because they are archaic and many will tell you it is to separate them from the Jewish faith of which they are sprouted off of. Blessings
It's rather interesting, actually. It's all about the idea of a Covenant. The King James Bible actually translates this word as 'Testament' in places - which is where we get 'Old Testament' and 'New Testament' - literally, 'Old Covenant' and 'New Covenant'.

It's not about the laws, it's about the covenant. Jesus fulfilled the old covenant made to Abraham, and built a new covenant built upon Himself. The OT laws were merely a means to fulfill that old covenant for the Israelites.

Today, those laws don't have any real power over me. The laws over me are things like 'Don't exceed the speed limit' and 'Pay your taxes.' It's not by works (such as following the law) that we are saved today, but simply by faith in Jesus.

Of course, this is just how I understand it.
It seems you don't even have clear what can be eaten out of the seas, shellfish do not have fins and scales. They should live by every letter of the law according to Matthew 5:17-20.

Leviticus 11:9 (New International Version)

9 ' 'Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales.
heres your answer

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Gal 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
Gal 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Gal 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
Gal 5:8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Gal 5:10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
Gal 5:11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offense of the cross ceased.
Gal 5:12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Gal 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
That's right. He fulfilled them. The Law was a prophetic device to identify the Messiah. Well, Messiah has come, and now scripture shows us how to live in grace.

http://tinyurl.com/e5ekj
Read Acts 18, where they are talking about Gentiles coming to Christ. It is CLEARLY spelled out that the Mosaic Laws are ONLY for the JEWS, and are NOT applicable to us gentiles (with a few exceptions!)

Remember- most of the NT was written by and to other Jews- we Gentiles were a definite minority then, so of course the 'default mode' is that the laws still have power.
The earliest Christians, when they were rejected by the Jews since Christian theology contradicts the Bible, went to the non-Jews to obtain converts.

They quickly discovered that the non-Jews would not convert, unless the requirements of Gd were removed, especially those of observing the Sabbath by not working, and of keeping kosher, and of circumcision.

When they wrote the Christian's New Testament, they wrote verses they attributed to Jesus and to Paul to make observance of the Laws of Gd, like the Sabbath and of keeping Kosher and circumcision, no longer required. Then, the new faith of Christianity became more popular among the pagans of Europe.

Of course one should ask: What would Jesus have thought of this development? After all, Christians believe that Jesus also said,

Matthew 5:17-19 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Last i looked, heaven and earth have not passed away, so, to Jesus the Laws of Gd are to be followed!

And if one person perfectly fulfills the laws of stopping at a stop sign, does this meant that from now on, no one has to stop at any stop sign anywhere? Fulfilling the law, even perfectly, does not mean the law is no longer valid or to be followed!

If Jesus said that those who teach others to break the commandments will be least in Heaven, it must mean that Jesus thought one should continue to observe Gd's laws. Unless being least in heaven is good enough.

Then, as the followers of Christianity became more and more and more from the non-Jewish people, remembering that only the Jews were commanded to keep these laws, anyway, the Laws became irrelevant anyway.
Christ fufilled the law:
Romans 7: 4-6 4So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5For when we were controlled by the sinful nature,the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.led the old law by His sacrifice.
Im an athesist who has studied Christianity. I frequently get into this debate with my wife. Yes old testmenant law does apply to everyone. Thats Gods laws. I'm just talking to you like we would the rules that apply to santa claus, how he has to go out on the 24th and the time stopping - its all a fiction, but even a fiction has rules. Like that movie scary movie, where they have the rules of scary movies.

Ok, so here goes, God's laws still apply. Everytime we break a law, it is a sin. The way this was explained to me was theres like 700 of these God's laws that God has, and its virtually impossible for someone to live their whole life having followed all the laws.
So the intention is the person learns about Jesus, and how he died and suffered in heaven, and that if the person believes Jesus paid the penalty for all the sins, then that person is absolved of sin, and able to enter into heaven. Its what they mean by saved. To be saved in the evangelical world means they believe Jesus is the savior, and he pays the penalty for their breaking the laws.

So taking this to the extreme, and again, we have to, cause its a fiction, and theres no point playing in the real world, like the real world is you kill someone you go to jail and everyone hopes you rot, no no,
so religion, christianity, you break god's laws when you wear a shirt of different fibers, so this means you are immediately a sinner, but if you believe Jesus paid the penalty for that sin by suffering on the cross and dying and going to hell, then your eligible for heaven and gods love again.

Im sure they christians well say no no god loves you always. But then he wouldnt send us to hell, but again its a fiction we can make it up as we go I guess.

So then why did jesus come back? To prove he was the god.

I find my own 'journey' into God always comes to the apostles, who died horrific death when presented with go back on what you said, that jesus wasnt god, and they still choose death, and these were a group who right after he died denied knowing him. So something must have happened where they either a) saw him come back, and he is god, or b) they hallicunated some how and then were willing to go off and 'spread the word' and then ended up being martered.


So to conclude to answer your question - understanding its a fiction - if we were to 'play' we are all breaking the rules and to get 'saved' we have to believe in Jesus.

This leads to the question could I go rape and kill if Im a christian, to which they will respond no thats still wrong and you shouldnt to that, but if a person truely believes in jesus blah blah blah

so the question is asked is hitler in heaven and the answer is of course, they say look at saul or paul or whatever who killed christians then fell of his @ss and was blinded by light,

we can play with the fiction all we want to
You are pretty much right except for the animal sacrificing. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for the atonement of sins, since this is the reason He was born of the flesh.
As for stoning some individuals. Sure some deserve that.
Christians have been taught that their Christian culture differentiates them from the People of the Scriptures. They identify the Jews as being the ones who should avoid shellfish, & not themselves.
Sacrifices are not kept now because there is no Temple in which to sacrifice. When it is rebuilt, sacrifices will resume.
Punishment for crimes is part of life. A religious law cannot violate a state law, tho'. And, mercy triumphs over judgement.
BTW; excellent question.
I don't even know how people believe religious text as truth. Just some old men writing up crazy stories. Sorry for offending ya'll.