My aunt called me yesterday. I avoid talking to her as much as I can (you'll see why) but she called me and asked what's been going on.

I told her about work as well as possibly starting a new career. I told her I got a job offer and met with the owner of the facility. She asked where it is and all that. I told her about possibly moving and mentioned that a friend and I are talking about becoming roommates. Reported that we talked about that previously, but he ended up moving in with his girlfriend. However, they recently broke up, so we're back to talking about getting an apartment.

Ooooooooooh......... she didn't like that one bit. She asked about him moving in with his girlfriend and all that and I said I'd only met her a few times. Her next response, and I shit you not, was to tell me that maybe I shouldn't have much contact with him because "your friends doing stuff like that would be a bad influence on you." To reiterate, the "stuff" she is referring to is [checks notes] a couple living together. In essence, she lost her shit over my friend and his girlfriend living together. To the point of calling it a "bad influence". That's extremely normal!! Like, to the point of being fucking MUNDANE!

But, that is the evangelical brand: vilifying mundane and normal facets of society.

She subsequently told me that I should "find friends who set a better Christian example." Something I should clarify is that I'm 32 years old. She's talking to me as if I'm a child. This was completely unwarranted in every possible regard. Again, this was (in my mind) a minor but necessary detail to explain my current living plans; no big deal. But, to her, it was enough to derail the ENTIRE conversation.

I shifted focus and asked about her kids and the conversation wrapped up and hung up because what in the actual fuck?!?!

So, her definition of being a Christian is being involved in a romantic relationship but not living together.

Any atheists here romantically involved with someone but not living with them? Well, I have news for you: you're a Christian now, apparently.

I think for fundigelicals like her, it allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll comes down to image. My aunt doesn't wanna be viewed by (let's be honest) people who act like she does as "sinning".

So, yeah, I avoid talking to her as much as I can.