If you accept a secular take on religion

Then this article at the National Catholic Reporter is for you.  It probably resonates with those who accept a view of religion that supposes one is more or less as good as another.  Christianity might be my thing, Islam someone else’s, Buddhism, Hinduism, atheism.  Doesn’t really matter.  Per the prophet Oprah, all religions get you to God somehow, whatever that God happens to be.  For me, a Trinitarian God, for others, not so much.  For others, God might not be at all.  Again, doesn’t matter.

With that said, seeking conversion is obviously no big deal.  Heck, it can even be counterproductive.

Another obstacle to honest exchange is the Muslim fear that theological discussion will be used by Catholics to proselytize them. The Bridge report’s finding that 83 percent of Catholics view dialogue as a prelude to conversion shows that this fear is legitimate. Rather, dialogue ought to be an occasion for mutual understanding and appreciation rooted in reciprocal witness. It may sometimes occasion conversion, but that is not its purpose.

Because as the hereafter becomes less relevant, the here and now becomes all important.

What does dialogue matter if it isn’t ultimately for the purpose of conversion?  What does anything matter if it isn’t for the ultimate purpose of bringing us back to reconciliation with our Maker? When did the Church decide our eternal destinies are of secondary concern?  It’s worth noting that if you think it’s wrong to dialogue for the sake of conversion, you already have been converted to the secular ideals that insist religion ultimately doesn’t matter in the first place.