An Atheist Verse in the Qur'an

I have been emailing back and forth with the PR officer of my local Muslim group. We have been discussing a few things and, most recently, abrogation. He quoted a few verses to me, so I opened my Qur'an and read a few pages of context for them. I then came along this gem of a line:

And they say: None entereth paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian. These are their own desires. Say: Bring your proof (of what ye state) if ye are truthful. (2:111)

Well, what do you know? An atheist verse right there in the Qur'an. When Jews and Christians bring their claims to me, I say all the time: Bring your proof if ye are truthful. :-)

I must wonder, though, does this also apply to the Muslim's claims? Regardless, it's going in my collection of quotes from holy texts I like to quote. Not too much farther down the page comes another dandy:

And the Jews say the Christians follow nothing (true), and the Christians say the Jews follow nothing (true); yet both are readers of the Scripture.

Yet another good observation. If it weren't for all the vainglorious praise to Allah on every page -- and, not to mention, all the misogynistic, violent, and homophobic filling the gaps in between the praises -- I could really find the Qur'an enjoyable. Actually, I could live with the misogyny, violence, and homophobia; it adds intrigue. But in the name of the merciful and compassionate Allah, the repetitive praise of Allah persists ad nauseam.