Thank you Samm and Deadly Nightshade. But if you actually read the Bible, there is little open to interpretation when it comes to what Christ represents and thus "who He is" in the Bible. Granted, if you are atheist, agnostic, Jewish or Muslim you will think of Jesus differently, but if you take "the Bible" then you can hardly argue your point to me. Just challenge me my friend. Just challenge me to find loads of evidence to support my claim here.
I agree though, if you mean that people can take anything out of context and justify themselves, but if you make a careful exegesis of context and culture then your argument is faulty. Don’t be ridiculous Samm. Everything is “open to interpretation,” but not every interpretation is intellectually honest. If I come from an urban, industrialized area, then when Jesus says, “My yoke is easy,” I’ll say, “What is a yoke and why do I care if it’s easy?” But I’m not an idiot. I know He is talking about because I search out the answer, and I see He is metaphorically speaking of burdens in the motif of his culture’s bucolic lifestyle.
One difference between us and those people on the subway is that we are not stupid; we are intellectually honest. Because someone says Merry Christmas does not mean they believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. So when you make generalizations about the Bible and what it says and what it meant to the people who it was originally written to, and why it was originally written to them, and what it means to us now, I encourage everyone to be careful. The Jesus of the Bible cannot be construed to be anything you want Him to be if we are going to be honest.
I am not talking about the Old Testament law here. Christ is said in the Bible to be the fulfillment of the law, the Old Testament. A lot of stuff seems horrible in the OT, I agree, but that does not stop me from seeking God and trusting in His righteousness. God defines righteousness and He is the Executor of justice, not me. I will not punish people with the sins they committed against me because as Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.'" Matthew 5:37-39.