Do you ask people about their beliefs and religion when you first meet them?

Over here, we don't and I think it's rude to ask anyone what he/she believes in. It's implicitly sending the message that if you don't believe in the same thing I do, I'll always have an uncomfortable feeling even if you're my best friend. Although, as an individual I prefer to hang out with people who are neither anti-religious nor religious. I can tell how religious they are by the way they act. Fortunately, the two extrems are very few in number at least where I am. What do you think of this and how do you choose with which people you want to hang out?