A knotty usenet problem........

I wonder if you could spend a bit of time reading the following
discussion and giving me what advice/guidance you think I would
benefit from. I know its a long post and for that I apologise.

I have quoted three verses from Matthew these are Matthew Ch.5:17-19
in which Jesus strongly approves of the law and the prophets.
   "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  Amen, I say to you, until
heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part
of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken
place."  (Matthew 5:17 NAB)
    For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an
iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished.  Whoever
then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men
so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does
them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 5:18-19 RSV).
Clearly the Old Testament is to be abided by until the end of human
existence itself. As Luke writes, quoting Christ, "It is easier for
Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter
of the law to become invalid."  (Luke 16:17 NAB)

This brings me to the point in question. Can we own slaves? 

Searching the bible for guidance on this matter I have come accross
the following: 
 Leviticus 25:45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do
sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy  and they shall be your
possession they shall be your bondmen forever.  Genesis 9:25 And he
[Noah] said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto
his brethren.  Exodus 21:2 & 7 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six
years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for
nothing  And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she
shall not go out as the menservants do.   Luke 12:47-48 [Jesus
speaking] And that servant, which knew his lords will, and prepared
not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with
many stripes.  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of
stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.  
Colossians 3:22 Servants, obey in all things your masters.  So
obviously the Biblical God thinks slavery is right? There are many
more pro-slavery verses but I want to keep this post manageable.
 I would like to mention here  that pro-slavery Bible verses were
cited by many churches in the South during the Civil War, and were
used by some theologians in the Dutch Reformed Church to justify
apartheid in South Africa.