[mc32]

One way I could see is talking about it abstractly --either examining breeds of an animal or imagine being an alien from outer space and talking about the different aspects. Although, admittedly in either case it may be an imperfect instrument because for example one can see how one kind of cat may be better at some thing (mouse catching) than others --but still, we can ask why if we wanted what's best for all cats, would we prefer one kind of cat over another.

It's probably the same for religion. Use thought experiments rather than talking about things directly which could hurt someone who is not prepared to have an open discussion.