No need to mention the religious beliefs, bullshitting so you don't offend people is a networking skill you are probably gonna need to learn sooner or later. My suggestion 1. Say you are focusing on yourself Nowadays and aren't looking for anything serious . 2. Say you have a LDR girlfriend Given that you live in Texas and how you describe him, he is probably concerned about you and thinks she will "shape you up". It's probably best to be gentle about it.