[GratiaTerra]

Attending church can have negative consequences because religion promotes belief in unprovable claims, building life on a false premise: since the central claim isn’t true, the practices and rules around it may seem hollow or misleading.

Religion discourages critical thinking, consumes time and money, enforces conformity through social pressure, and expose individuals to guilt, shame, or manipulation by institutions with histories of abuse or corruption.

[flipnotyk]

Not every church is associated with a large international community. My girlfriend is an avid churchgoer and her church has 46 members I believe. They aren't Catholic and not associated with a broader group. They're called "Primitive Methodist" so I guess there's a broader denominational link to other churches, but they don't get orders from anyplace above them or anything.

It sounds nice to someone like me who doesn't do any organized religious stuff, because the money and things donated there go back to their little community or for maintaining the building and things like that. I see firsthand how that kind of church drastically helps her have a sense of community in an increasingly digital-first world.