Let me describe my day...

First, I need to set the scene. A few weeks ago, a coworker complimented me on being very smart, and asked if I read a lot, and I said yes. He asked what I read, and I said mostly sci-fi and fantasy, and a lot of nonfiction too. He asked me if I had read the bible, and I said yes. That seemed to be the end of it.

It wasn't.

Today, he again complimented my intelligence. Then, the conversation proceeded like this:

Him: You said you've read the bible, yes?"
Me: Yes I have.
Him: All of it?
Me: Well, I mostly skimmed some parts, like the genealogy of Christ, but for the most part yes.
Him: Do you believe that it is the inspired, infallable word of God? (actually, this is paraphrased, his actual question was longer, ritualistic-sounding in the way it was phrased, and very reminiscent of a Catholic profession of faith.)

Me: (after gaping for a second and trying to think on my feet of how to answer that without offending) Well... I'm not sure. There are some sections of it which seem to contradict other sections. (This answer seemed to satisfy him.)

Later, he continued the conversation.

Him: Do you believe that faith in Christ is the only way to heaven? (again, paraphrasing a longer ritualized question.)
Me: (again thinking on my feet and being truthful without answering what he is really asking, which is whether or not I'm Christian) Well... I'm not sure. I've known a lot of good, honest, kind people in this world who are not Christian, and I can't believe a kind and merciful god would condemn them to hell for not being Christian.

This got a bizarre reply about how that's judging God by human standards, basically saying that God works in mysterious ways and man will not be able to understand them. Which I agree with in some contexts, but not when it comes to said deity being consistent.

I was lucky, that was pretty much the end of it, he digressed into a long rant against Bush (apparently he does not consider himself right-wing christian and hates Bush with a passion, even considers him satanic in the sense of having literally sold his soul to satan in exchange for temporal power) that I was largely able to just nod and agree with, while tossing out a few bits of tasty info for him like Bush's name in the skull and bones group.

Still not a pleasant exchange. I wish people wouldn't drag their coworkers into religious discussion/debate uninvited.