And I recognize His followers by their actions and their words, no matter what they call themseleves and others. And I recognize those who USE His name for their own agenda, hiding behind His robes to spew their bile and bigotry for self-gain. And I've learned first hand from FR that Christian does NOT equate to Christlike.
You point out that claiming to be a Christian and actually being one are two different things.
But, you must also realize that there is a distinction between those who live their lives based on faith, and those who live their lives based upon religion.
When a Mormon wants to sit down with someone and explain the tenets of Mormonism, they are explaining why they belong to Mormonism. They are not necessarily explaining why they have a deep personal conviction that Christ is the savior.
I can sit in one church or another and practice their religion... but, this does not make me a Christian. My Christian faith is based upon a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter which denomination I belong to within Christ’s church.
This is an important distinction.