Ok, after many years of observation regarding " religion ". ( almost 60 years actually ) - I believe I can contribute to this question in a logical and rational manor and hopefully shed some light among the darkness with respect to the " mechanics " of religion. and how it operates.

Premise: Throughout human evolution even as far back as primitive man humans are and always HAVE been community driven creatures. For example, we used to gather in numbers for protection ( even schools of FISH know this ) - as their is safety in numbers.

Through this " social evolution " humans have become hard-wired to evolve into " social beings " - all of us need whats referred to as "social stroking " or a need to feel part of a group - or to " belong " to some kind of social group or community. These days its not so much for the protection perspective - but more for an emotional need. Hence, it makes us feel good to be part of some kind of group it helps social cohesion within society in general yes - but more so because we are hard wired to gain " acceptance " within that group as it makes us feel whole, and makes us feel safe, and interacting with like minded people is enjoyable and gives us a " feel good " sensation. it also lowers out stress levels because it makes us feel more content within ourselves.

In many circumstances at any given time however, there are those which ( for many MANY reasons ) cannot or do not " fit-in " within society because either they are shunned for one reason or another, or have low self esteem, or do not possess the necessary inbuilt tools to MAKE connections within their societies social structure.

This can be because of something like some mental disability, or some physical handicap which may cause this low self esteem - or it could ALSO be perhaps because of something they have done in their lives earlier like alcohol or drug addiction, or even some internal self-loathing or believe for one reason or another that they don't deserve to be apart of a community.

The FACT is that regardless - this need for " social stroking " - or acceptance of others and to be a part of a " group " is a very powerful physiological driver.

Now that being said What is the calling card of the church? " No matter WHO you are, or WHAT you have done - we will accept you - without question. "

With that being said? - no wonder many of those some with ( and to be fair some without ) social interactivity difficulties gravitate towards religion. - and for a variety of reasons

Some because it was drummed into them through reinforcement by family or the church itself - and simply accepted, - or for some of the reasons pointed out above. Don't get me wrong here, some very intelligent people out there are also believers of religion. Some do it because they are looking for some kind of answer to their lives, some for social reasons, some for purely business reasons - rather than ecumenical pursuits.

Now, lets delve into what I refer to as "desensitizing" for a moment.

So here is an example of how the " physiological mechanics " work.

So you get your self a job at a mental institution. it's your first day, and everything is humming along fine. You are in the main recreation area common room when on the wall, there is a clock which now shows 10 am. At WHICH point, one of the patients suddenly stands up and starts to furiously masturbate while screaming " my cat LOVES me! ".

So your now thinking - WHOA!..this guy is a total NUTJOB! ( obviously right? and THIS is why hes IN here! ).
But consider this taking place every morning at 10 am over the course of 10 years.... - you are no longer shocked or stunned to see this behavior - you might not even raise an eyebrow. why? you have now become desensitized to your surroundings, and have now "accepted " what before was totally strange - as " normal ".

The same can be said for religion - some of those that go may not even REMOTELY believe is whats being said - for them its purely a way of feeling like you " belong " to some kind of a group - that satisfaction or " need " to feel part of something bigger - that " social stroking " urge satisfaction.

But as with working in a mental facility - what may seem totally INSANE behavior at the beginning - will slowly over time be regarded ( and believed ) as being " normal ".

The more you are subjected to abnormality - the more you are susceptible to eventually accepting it as normal.

Logic

The church consists of the people not the building. They do socialize together and if they are following the scriptures they will be a blessing in their communities. I’m not religious (legalistic) but I have faith (a relationship) with God through Jesus Christ. There’s a big difference. Just as in any loving relationship, I know Jesus intimately. Just as in any healthy relationship, we talk and listen to each other (prayer). Just as in any caring relationship, my desire is to serve. My relationship with Him has brought me great joy, growth of character & a deeper understanding of life.

You might not recognize, the truth gets colored by
Wrong things, bad things do disguise
Afraid you might despise the real thing
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
Down in southern cal we don't wear shoes
We lay it way back
When someone with charisma tells me "Don't wear shoes"
I tell them "Go back where did you get that?"
You might not recognize, the truth gets colored by
Wrong things, bad things do disguise
Afraid you might despise the real thing
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
Down in Africa they beat the drum
They like the big beat
White man through the P.A. says "Don't beat that drum"
They tell him "Go back, where does it say that?"
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
Down at the little church they all wear hats
They feel they're doing right
Over at the big church they hate those hats
It get's them uptight now is that right?
You might not recognize, the truth gets colored by
Wrong things, bad things do disguise
Afraid you might despise the real thing
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
The real thing whoa-oh
Colored By - Daniel Amos

I choose to uncouple God from "religion," mainly because of Amos 5:21-23, but also because I believe religion is a man-made construct. We have some 20,000 different doctrines, all of them focusing on on their particular take on the Bible (usually some specific portion of it), yet none of them understand what the entire point of the Bible was supposed to be. They all have their own "way" or "ladder" to get to heaven except the one that the Bible actually says is the one true doctrine. Mankind doesn't just take pride in their knowledge of science and material concerns, but this same pride in what people think they know also exists in the churches as well. So yes, one can believe in God but set religion aside. Church is in the people, not a building.

So the question is True/False but the poll is Religious/Non Religious? And where does the premise come from? The question, as written, makes no sense.

It is my belief that too many people mistake the practices of organized religion for a belief-based system of values.

Rubbish.. I was atheist for 25 years. Had no trouble socialising then.. Have no trouble now.. Difference is my faith, which is not up for debate, is a personal and spiritual experience, and it has nothing to do with religion per se but everything to do with having a real and tangible relationship with God, who is Jesus Christ.. Its available to all who genuinely seek. And it's not inhibiting but rather the opposite.. Jesus has set me free from a lot of things and given me much more than this meaningless world ever did.

I'd recommend spending a little more time studying people.

I'm "religeous" in the sense that I believe in god, and that Jesus was senselessly murdered for my sins after a lifetime of trying to lead by example, and for preaching "reason" if you want to call it that.

That being said, I've been in every social situation most can think of. I've sat with pastors at bible study in a number of different branches of the faith. I've sat around an empty wire spool with bikers doing drugs. I've been in jail and made friends with the mexican gangsters because I was the only one who would stand up to them and tell them they were cheating at monopoly. I've been in soup lines with several dozen fellow homeless trying to figure out where my life went so wrong that I wound up not caring about having a home. I've sat in classrooms and listened to lectures given by real professionals trying to relay advice for how to build a toolset that you could monetize and use to better yourself.

Know how many times I was even the smallest bit awkward in a social setting? None. Not once.

We, as human beings, through choice and free will can be as charming or as sadistic as we want to be. Learning early that there are rules to settings is important, but it's not an insurmountable handicap to developing social abilities to listen and communicate effectively and appropriately.

Root that in faith, or science. Both prove it to be true across the spectrum and cases can be found throughout human history in abundance during any given time period.

I'm an atheist. Empirically agnostic, but rationally gnostic on the grounds of Occams Razor. However I am religious. Naturalisitically religious. Not for fellowship or even spirituality, but for discipline. I find value in ritualistic practice, for analyzing ideology, principle, and values. I'm a truth seeker. So even if all theism sudden;y ended, religion itself would still serve purpose. Since it is the organization of beliefs, not specifically belief in deities.

Socially there are much better alternatives and people are rapidly going to virtual spaces for socializing. You see this with people buried in their phones engaged with people at great distances despite their proximity to people right in front of them.

I appreciate JBP attempting to salvage the intrinsic values of religions, but his solution to utilize the metaphor for the truths in parables runs into conflict with literalists that believe in 'the word' of holy texts as 100% literal fact. We ought to drop the pretense of analogy and go straight for the ideological underpinnings that are valuable. Aiming to be concise with our belief systems ensuring epistemological and rhetorical accuracy.

I don't believe that religious people "stay" religious or somehow pretend to believe in God just because of the social aspect. Morality is grounded in religion and wipe that away and you end up with the bloodiest century ( 20th century was the deadliest on record). When God doesn't make the law, Hitler, Stalin and Mao will. I hope im not preaching but this idea that we have to get rid of religion is the same concept as what these looney leftists are doing already with gender and sex. Also, if there is no higher moral law giver, then morality becomes relative. That would mean that your opinion is just as valid as the one with religious beliefs.

Who is "they?"

Ridiculous. The most religious people I know don't even attend religious services. and Atheism is a religion.

It is such a boring social concept that people already are leaving the church in droves. When looking at the statististics of how many millenials attend church of any denomination, they are all reporting a drop of attendance. So already there is a generation of people out there that have broken away from this model of socializing which I find to be for the best as why would anyone want to sit around all day talking about how good someone is when instead we can go out and be "good" ourselves and take it upon ourselves to help out whomever we are able to help until no one lives in poverty or without a home any more; but what does the average christian do on sunday after church? lol football! Religion is a joke!

It depends what you consider "religion", many of my deepest spiritual experiences have come in solitude and silence when the only person I have had to communicate with was The Divine. The fellowship side of spirituality for me is more about accountability and observation than simple company as your post implies.
Thank you for your opinion though.

I really think that’s a really sad perspective of the firmly held religious beliefs of your fellow citizens.