An embarrassed smile, tinted with the subtlest hint of annoyance, came over my face, and I replied to his "issues with girls" question saying, "maybe a little."

Wanting to move on, I offered to show him the quote about the lustful eyes, the quote that I found applied to me as much as I believe it applies to most other men.

"If I'm not wrong," I said, "it's Job 3:16," though after some searching, realised I was wrong, and must have gotten it mixed up with John 3:16, or maybe, to my great embarrassment, Stone Cold Steve Austin of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), who had a similar catch phrase: "Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass"

In the end, I gave up and passed the book back to him. Probably understanding the predicament I was in, he offered to change the subject by showing me some of his favourite quotes.

"You go to Church?" he asked, after he seemed satisfied that he had shown me all his favourites.

"No. Used to, not anymore."

"Why?"

"Don't know," I said, not really not knowing, but knowing that the reasons why were too many, often too subtle, and impossible to put into words.

"I just stopped. I do go during Easter and Christmas though," I said, hoping that perhaps this might relieve me of some of the sin of not attending church. I felt I had to justify myself to this person sitting opposite me, almost as if he was God himself who was seeking my answers.

There was silence for a while, as we looked on into the heat of the day. It was surprisingly cloudy, but within the clouds were gaps, and where the gaps were, the sun would be too.

"You believe in the Bible? As in, the Bible is factual?"

I shook my head. I was going to say that the Bible to me is like a story with good intentions -- written by people to prompt others into a certain action that aims at improving the human condition, and not a factual, historical account of what happened back then. But before I could say anything, I was interrupted by his claim that the Bible is a factual, historical account of what happened back then.

"Did you know that there have been studies that back the factual claims of the Bible? It's true. Scientists have studied the Bible and it's proven that many of the things in the Bible actually happened."

Two words went though my mind when as soon as I heard this: oh no.

I do not like discussing religion's fact vs. fiction. It is to me a very personal thing, something which everyone has a different interpretation of. I respect all interpretations, there is no right or wrong. But when someone seems intent on changing my views even though I resist wholeheartedly -- as it so happens almost everytime I speak to a Christian -- I tend to get rubbed the wrong way.