To say that one must follow the AFM verbatim regardless is ridiculous. Have your ever heard of the term "No Technical Objection"?
Capn Bloggs, fully understand what you say re what your Boeing manual says, but what about CAR 138.
CAR 138 Pilot to comply with requirements, etc of aircraft’s flight manual, etc
(1) If a flight manual has been issued for an Australian aircraft, the pilot
in command of the aircraft must comply with a requirement, instruction, procedure or limitation concerning the operation of the aircraft that is set out in the manual.
Penalty: 50 penalty units.
With regards to compliance my ops manual, for example, says,
This Manual shall not supersede or countermand any Regulations, Orders or Instructions issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Compliance only with the terms of this Manual shall not absolve any personnel from the responsibility of abiding by such Regulations, Orders and Instructions.
By what instrument is one allowed to deviate from CAR 138.
You really need to carry a silk around in the flight bag these days to attempt to make sense of anything.