what is a Christian (repost)

What is a Christian? (according to Wikipedia) Current mood: contemplative Category: Religion and Philosophy
I just finished reading an article about the "E-word" (evangelical) being used too much, and losing it's meaning. Within the article, there was a link to Wikipedia for the word evangelical. I read it, then decided to do a search for the word Christian. Pretty simple huh?
If I were not a follower of Jesus Christ, and I read this, I don't even know what my feelings would be. The first part, not so bad. But as I read further down the page, I found the part about "Persecution by Christians". This in itself, no matter what else was said, would make me turn away from anything else I'd read. Here's an exerpt. First, the defination, second, the info about how the Christians have persecuted others. Hold onto your hats!
A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as the Christ. Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God, who lived a life befitting that of the creator of the universe, free of sin and full of love, who at the end of his earthly life was crucified, and then on the third day, rose from the dead, and later ascended into heaven.
Christians believe that Jesus offers the only path to salvation, and that it is only possible because of him. Paul of Tarsus' Epistle to the Ephesians, a key work in early development of Christian doctrine, states, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Christians believe that salvation cannot be earned, but can only come as a gift from God. Good works, however, are a result of living according to the Word of God.
Christians identify themselves as monotheistic, believing that there is one God. Most sects believe in a triune God made up of: Father (the Source, the Eternal Majesty); the Son (the eternal Logos or Word, incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth); and the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete or advocate). Today, it is estimated that there are around 2.1 billion Christians in the world making up 33% of the world population, with the largest Christian denomination being Roman Catholicism.[1]
[edit] Persecution by Christians
Main article: Historical persecution by Christians
Further information: Martyr#Persecution_among_Christians
Christians have also been perpetrators of persecution, which has been directed against members of other religions and against other Christians. Christian mobs, sometimes with government support, have destroyed pagan temples and oppressed adherents of paganism (such as the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria, who was murdered by a Christian mob). Jewish communities have periodically suffered violence at Christian hands, often in the form of a Pogrom. Christian governments have suppressed or persecuted groups seen as heretical, later in cooperation with the Inquisition. Later denominational strife has sometimes escalated into religious wars. Witch hunts, carried out by secular authorities or popular mobs, were a frequent phenomenon in parts of early modern Europe and, to a lesser degree, North America. European Colonial efforts often placed emphasis on Christianity over indigenous religions.
I'm not sure how you feel about what has happened in the past, but after reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller, the whole idea of persecution by Christians breaks my heart. Think of how many people were affected by this. Not only personally, but the generations after them that the stories of persecution and death were passed on to. In his book, he talks about setting up a "confession" table at the campus of a university that for the most part is anything but Christian. Since I grew up in a Baptist church, the whole idea of confessing my sins to a man instead of going straight to our Creator with it is odd, but I think what he and his friends did was amazing. As these non-believers came to the table, expecting to have the Gospel shoved down their throat, Donald and his friends confessed and asked forgiveness for the horrible things that our Christian "forefathers" had done to those who didn't believe in Jesus Christ. They were slaughtered, tortured, driven from their homes, and so much more. Instead of coming to them in love, like Jesus did when He was here on earth, they had someone elses' beliefs forced upon them, and if they didn't readily accept it, they were treated worse than we could fathom. The only thing I could compare it to now is how a certain "religion" is killing thousands of innocent people because they won't accept the belief in a certain prophet or the writings that are supposed to be so peaceful (we know better than that now).
Honestly, after reading "Blue Like Jazz", the next time I encounter someone who has been hurt by a Christian, I'm just gonna lay it on the line, and apologize for the sins and the hate of those who have gone before me in the faith. I challenge you to think about the atrocities that the Christian movement before us forced upon so many innocent lives. It may not be a true "generational sin", that came thru our biological bloodlines, but as brothers and sisters in Christ, we should step up and ask those who have been hurt either directly or indirectly by Christians for forgiveness. You never know what kind of impact that could have on someone who's hurting.
Sorry for the rambling, but I felt like I should share this with whoever will read this. The whole thought behind this is that as Christians, we should be "followers of Christ", and be examples of His love and forgiveness.
I'd love to hear any stories you have about this kind of thing. I feel like the impact of taking ownership and responsibility for the hurt that has been dealt by our predecesors can make all the difference to someone who is without Christ, and truly make an eternal difference.