My trash panda doggo. She's the sweetest.

To an agnostic, I presume all guesswork on what made us is, by definition, premature. We might say we don't know. Technically I don't "know". For me, it's something I would strongly go for (based on experiences and self-reflections) rather than a truly smoking gun (in the sense that it's hardwired into the universe). You would certainly be right about most "churches", not necessarily all churches and not necessarily all spiritualities, with the history of the Catholic church coming to mind since so much of it has hijacked what Jesus actually intended (with the structural doctrine not even reflected by the divine doctrine) from the moment of Paul. My own group/church is always thrown into a loop since the Catholic teaching of the Nicene Creed is used as the ultimate test for what is considered "Christian", even though Jesus himself did not necessitate what it says, and we are seen as not following that. Denominations, sects, cults, whatever you want to call them, it's on this sublevel where you actually find these kinds of debates, as well as the exploitations you're alluding to (the churches I frequent don't have those monetary habits, it's just a group of people honoring one history).

You say that like all of us are going to mind if you're theistic or not (an understandable stereotype, even though still a stereotype). I suppose there are other options, like clubs and libraries, but as a rural woman, I can't say anything else makes a stereotype out of it. All the communities I've seen are notoriously bad at keeping common interest groups thriving.

What groups have you been exposed to where the negatives outweigh the positives? There are those of us who have found the right crowds of people, groups where there is no aspect of unjustified hierarchal gain, the best of which allow outsiders from other groups. Note that I wasn't necessarily implying conversion, just joining our Sunday activities, which in non-urban areas would be as good advice as using a meetup service. People can really jump to conclusions sometimes.

The opposite extreme is also true and something I have faced, where people can even be mistaken between one another because people forget that no mindset is at 0%. It's not like DNA where nature makes sure we all have a unique said (heck handwriting and signatures aren't even like DNA, which has always been a bombshell whenever I bring it up), and there is no hard rule about how often two people coincidentally operate the same way, something that has made its way into the world of scientists.

If we're talking strictly opinions, that church takes up the void Sunday gloom otherwise would.

What kind are you doing?

Too much homework.