and there was this moment where really my choice was to lie out loud with words ("Oh, yeah, I don't get that either") or to tell the truth.

Yes. That is a perfect description of that moment, and a hard decision to make.

I had my own moment with my mother the other weekend, where I had the opportunity to either lie or admit that I was morphing from Catholic to Buddhist. I waffled, and I still feel guilty, but I was scared.

I like to keep the big, important stuff close to the vest--this revealing-of-self business is hard.