Yeah as an outsider, the big welcoming social club aspect of religion is a big appeal.
I wonder if part of the reason it works when regular social clubs often don’t is because of the “obligatory attendance” part. A lot of people have some great memories of school for instance, which is another place where all the attendees are obligated to attend even though the actual events that are hosted there are often boring as fuck. Maybe there’s some kind of camaderie due to that, “We’re all stuck here together with him/her” *gestures up at the teacher/pastor*
While at an actual social club, the socializing itself is the main reason for being there, and that means socializing can easily become a chore, rather than an escape.
Yeah as an outsider, the big welcoming social club aspect of religion is a big appeal.
I wonder if part of the reason it works when regular social clubs often don’t is because of the “obligatory attendance” part. A lot of people have some great memories of school for instance, which is another place where all the attendees are obligated to attend even though the actual events that are hosted there are often boring as fuck. Maybe there’s some kind of camaderie due to that, “We’re all stuck here together with him/her” *gestures up at the teacher/pastor*
While at an actual social club, the socializing itself is the main reason for being there, and that means socializing can easily become a chore, rather than an escape.