Man judges friend for shoplifting habit, 'she constantly argues against sinful behavior.' AITA?

"AITA for hurting my friend's feelings by criticizing her shoplifting?"

I (27M) have a friend (23F) who lives in California. She frequently shoplifts from major retailers, justifying that she can get away with it both because of the state's questionable theft laws and for the fact she's "less likely to be profiled." Most of our arguments have made for several hour long back-and-forths, often to no avail.

Recently, my friend met another woman who she intended to be in a relationship with. This woman checked off a lot of boxes, and I could tell my friend was particularly excited. However, when my friend's crush learned that she was a shoplifter, she broke off contact because she didn't want to be exposed to a "bad influence."

My friend returned to me, complaining about this falling out and how upset she was over it. After I asked her to explain the reason and she did, I told her that most people don't support stealing, especially because she's not exactly stealing to survive.

She mostly pilfers books, makeup, and other recreational products that she does not want to pay for with her full time job. I then asked the friend if there might be something to learn from this, to which she replied, "Keep things to myself/lie more." When I told her that might not have been the right message, she grossed that, "She doesn't know why she tells me things."

Considering that friend is Christian and constantly argues against "sinful" behavior (such as premarital intimacy), it's extremely frustrating to me that she can't seem to grasp why stealing is wrong. Am I wrong to have brought it up when she complained about her failed crush and should I have been more supportive, or is she simply refusing to learn a basic lesson about morality and social contracts?

Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:

KatTheKonqueror said:

NTA. Her response to you asking what she learned is troubling. If she's adult enough to run around stealing, she's adult enough to be called out on it. For the record: A lot of places wait until a shoplifter has stolen a significant amount of things so there will be bigger charges.

Alternative-Copy7027 said:

Remind her of the 8th commandment. Thou shalt not steal. Straightforward text, not much ambiguity there.

Odd-Professor-5309 said:

Your friend is a common thief. You are NTA.

LolaSupreme19 said:

NTA. It isn’t too harsh to say “don’t steal." When her takeaway from the incident was to aspire to be a better liar, she’s damaged goods.

Shinigami_WarLord said:

NTA! But seriously if she is the type to contradict her own beliefs, you're just wasting your time walking into that can of worms. Though, I do think her stealing goes a bit deeper and not just the excuses she gave you. If you're honestly concerned for her, talk to her in a non-judgemental way. I hope that helps.

Money_Engineering_59 said:

NTA. You are guided by a very different moral compass. What else does she do that is morally / socially wrong. Usually it goes further than just shoplifting. Please be careful. Do not go near a shop with her. You’ll end up tangled in her web of off kilter social values.

NTA. Your friend is probably a kleptomaniac who needs help with this compulsion. It’s impacting major domains in her life and it’s only going to get worse when she has legal and financial repercussions.

She’s TA if she doesn’t admit she has a problem, doesn’t admit that she can’t stop doing it, and doesn’t get help. I recommend distancing from her until she does this.