My point was that you can befriend the person(s) with leverage in the community without having to become their “trusted advisor”. Here is one scenario. Befriending a priest is indeed easy: if you come across as a friendly and curious non-believer, it is in his job description to attempt to win you over. If you cheerfully volunteer in the (non-religious) community events organized by the church, you win people’s respect and eventually their sympathetic ear. If you know some useful stuff about instrumental rationality people can benefit from, that might be the time to share. Eventually you can start discussing religious beliefs and tenets in a respectful and friendly manner.
My point was that you can befriend the person(s) with leverage in the community without having to become their “trusted advisor”. Here is one scenario. Befriending a priest is indeed easy: if you come across as a friendly and curious non-believer, it is in his job description to attempt to win you over. If you cheerfully volunteer in the (non-religious) community events organized by the church, you win people’s respect and eventually their sympathetic ear. If you know some useful stuff about instrumental rationality people can benefit from, that might be the time to share. Eventually you can start discussing religious beliefs and tenets in a respectful and friendly manner.