Little Hawk, I agree with you to a point. However, adopting such a flexible definition makes the words "Christian," "Muslim," etc. essentially meaningless. If a Christian is anything anyone says a Christian is, why do we have the word at all?

Moreover, while I have not taken a poll, I believe that most self-proclaimed Christians would say that they believe in the Bible (whether or not they know what's in it). If Christianity means anything at all, it means subscribing to the teachings of Jesus -- who himself proclaimed that he came not to deny the (earlier) scriptures, but to "fulfill" them. He also proclaimed that he came not to bring peace, but a sword. Even if a Christian only endorses the four Gospels, and dismisses the rest of the Bible (essentially adopting a very small portion of a very large book, or collection of books), he is still signing on to an awful lot of bigotry, conflict, and potential bloodshed.

Islam is even worse; practically every page of the Koran contains hateful passages about infidels, and what should be done with them, and what is in store for them after they die. Again, if a Muslim disavows these scriptures, what is left for him or her to subscribe to?

I believe that the reason moderate, peaceful people still claim to be Christians or Muslims or (religious) Jews these days is because most of them are either ignorant of what their chosen scriptures actually contain, or choose to pretend that it isn't so. So we continue with this polite fiction, calling ourselves Christians or Muslims or Jews, but acting surprised when other self-proclaimed Christians, Muslims and Jews actually take the tenets of their faiths to heart and act on them. Wouldn't it make more sense for us to admit that these texts do not form a good basis for rational living, and find a better way?