There are religious groups that take a literalist stance on scriptures and interpret the rules therein as checklists of arbitrary codes to adhere to because rea

There are religious groups that take a literalist stance on scriptures and interpret the rules therein as checklists of arbitrary codes to adhere to because reasons, but that's not really how most serious theology or religious thought works. Generally religious scholars are scholars because they're trained in an intellectual tradition that involves understanding the underlying logic behind the rules so that they can be applied to the changing times and evolving contexts. That's the whole point of having a clergy in the first place. If it was just rote memorization of a rule book you wouldn't need them. Talmundic law has managed to continue updating itself based on extrapolations of the underlying logic behind restrictions in the source text. Here is an example: http://www.kashrut.com/articles/buffalo/ http://www.kashrut.com/articles/buffalo/ And in Hinduism, the dietary restrictions are based on practical considerations around how the food is produced and its perceived metabolic impact on the body and mind. There is an established framework for evaluating any food by these standards.