The basic premise of Christianity is that Christ fulfilled the prophecy (to the Christians, I mean), right? If I think that the old testement is just a bunch of highly embellished folklore (and I’m not saying I do, so don’t get offended, my Jewish brothers and sisters); is there any way I could justify a belief in Christ as son of God?
This is a good question. I consider myself Christian, yet do not believe that the Bible is inerrant. You didn’t specifically bring up Biblical inerrancy in your OP, but it seems that BI is at the heart of your question.
My own personal answer to you, Hey you!, is that “yes, you can a belief in Christ as son of God while accepting that the Bible is not literal truth.” But that philosophy works for me on a personal level, and others’ MMV. I will be interested in the responses of others.
“yes, you can a belief in Christ …” =
“yes, you can have a belief in Christ …”
To me, the desire to selectively “disqualify” the OT, and yet retain all the feel-good bits from the NT is a real dodge… and a tacit admission that the bible itself, taken as a whole, doesn’t stand up to scrutiny very well.
If the OT isn’t true, it doesn’t look good for the NT, either.
If the NT satisfies you, I’d say you kinda have to accept the OT along with it… complete with all the intellectual booby-traps and logic faults it’s littered with.
Literally true, or metaphorically true?
Truth itself is not an absolute. Even truth can be nuanced.
One may, of course, believe whatever one wishes, regardless of precedent or even logic. Believing in Jesus as Savior (and God) does not require one to believe in the works found in the Old Testament. (A total rejection of pre-New Testament literature would make some aspects of Christianity a bit odd to follow (the New Testament quotes the Old Testament in several places and Jesus invoked the names of Abraham and Moses on several ccasions).)
Interestingly, one of the earliest prompts for the formation of what would become the New Testament canon was the reaction against Marcinion who did reject everything about the Old Testament and Judaism, and who compiled a list of “acceptable” books that formally rejected the Letter to Hebrews and the Gospel of Matthew (among others) because of their “Jewishness.”
Are you absolutely sure about this? Because if you’re not, then truth can be absolute, and if you are, you just contradicted your statement.
Is it possible to believe in Jesus without believing in the Bible? Sure. I think one of the verses says ‘You believe there is one God, you do well, but even the demons believe, and they tremble.’