There's truth in this. Places of worship provide more than a dissemination of views and beliefs. They are a communal place where mostly like-minded folks have

There's truth in this. Places of worship provide more than a dissemination of views and beliefs. They are a communal place where mostly like-minded folks have a consistent opportunity to connect (or at least feel connected) to others around them. Under ideal circumstances, the beliefs in place also assure there is both encouragement of this behavior and means by which discord can be resolved. Mind you, I also believe this breaks down considerably in larger places (i.e. 'megachurches' in the states) as you hit an inflection point of being able to become anonymous again.