growing up religious

I grew up as a Catholic and I reckon about 1/3 of the people I work with have a Catholic upbringing. Here are some thoughts about having a faith conversation with someone of the Catholic tradition.
1) Don't write off the Catholic tradition. I've gone through the whole range of hating to loving my upbringing. Now I'm old enough (35 almost 36) I've learnt to recognise that benefits and negatives in my experience.
2) Catholics are a little more prone to have a view of God and the Church that misses the point of a personal relationship with Jesus. (But this isn't just a Catholic thing.) So it's important to always check a persons understanding by asking questions. Never assume anything! The reality is that a lot of people grow up in the church but never get to grips with the core teaching of Jesus.
3) Learn to appreciate the deep heritage that Catholics bring to spirituality. I have found that the some of the best writings on prayer come from the Catholic tradition. For me they tend to be more profound and realistic that some of the triumphalistic protestant writings.
4) Always challenge people to seek out the teaching of faith via reading the bible for themselves. A discovery that is personally made is much more profound than a truth handed on a platter. We need to encourage everyone to go on the journey of faith and trust that God will guide them and help them.
5) Recognise that everyone has to come to a point of being challenged by the call of Jesus to follow him. The point is not that they agree with all your views of the bible. The point is that they come to a point of committing their lives to follow Jesus as a disciple and doing what he calls them to do.
6) Acknowledge that their are committed Christians in the Catholic tradition. I personally made my decision to follow Jesus as a young Catholic and my early growth was a direct result of being mentored by the youth leaders in our local parish. I thank God for their vibrant faith and the way they were used by God to establish me in the journey of following Jesus as my God, Saviour and Lord.