We should all aspire to the most nearly perfect 1) articulation of truth 2) celebration of beauty 3) preservation of good and 4) enjoyment of community in order to give God the greatest possible glory (AMDG: ad majorem Dei gloriam). We must acknowledge, however, that there is no a priori theoretical argument that can demonstrate which path would take us to AMDG. Furthermore, beyond a certain measure of epistemic virtue, a posteriori demonstrating the practical superiority of one religious stance versus another (for example, employing sociologic metrics to measure and compare levels of Lonerganian conversions intellectual, affective, moral, sociopolitical and religious) remains too highly problematical for all sorts of reasons. That's why both proselytizing and heresy hunting so quickly reach a point of diminishing returns and become counterproductive, even to the point of offending charity. So, in the same way that we affirm a government's role to maintain the public order but not to enforce all moral virtue (because diminishing returns quickly ensue), we thus temper our coercive attempts to convert others to our stance, instead evangelizing them by modeling the belonging, desiring, behaving and believing that we would to share with all. Thus we distinguish between what would be an insidious religious indifferentism (imagining that one's choice of stance makes no difference or that there are no criteria for choosing) and a humble and contrite religious tolerance (warranted by our human fallibility). Let us thus pray with Thomas Merton: O Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire to please You. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me and You will never leave me to make my journey alone.
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