One curiosity I've noticed about close friendships through religious communities compared to other modern circles of "friendship": it is largely independent of

One curiosity I've noticed about close friendships through religious communities compared to other modern circles of "friendship": it is largely independent of age, socioeconomic status, and stage of life. In every other friendship circle I've been a part of, the basis has either been age (school/college), economics (work), extended family, or skill (sports and hobbies like motorbikes). Some friendships seem to be made through some shared interest (somebody here mentioned heavy metal, i consider you guys my friends on HN) but those tend to be heavily segmented by age/skill/socioeconomic status too. Religious communities are the only friendship circle I've ever been in where you easily connect with both young and old, regardless of skill/ability or stage of life. The unifying factor is "belief" and adherence to tradition. To this day, they remain the strongest and most stable relationships over time and space, even as we moved cities, changed jobs, and entered new stages of life.