I think you've hit on something important here. Without getting into the merits of religious belief, the rapid increase in loneliness seems to be strongly correlated with the rapid decrease in religiosity. There just aren't any institutions prepared to replace church communities.
For my part, I get more than enough socialization through my church community: I actively turn down opportunities to socialize because I'm saturated already.
In a move to reject the mysticism we're throwing the baby out with the bathwather.
But it also depends on a person. I have never made a real friend at a gym or fitness class. I haven't done anything else like join sports team or book club. I also used to go to religious building (mosque) but never made new friends there. So don't think you really need religion for community building.
Edit: this sounds way more antagonistic than I wanted. I was aiming for cheeky. Happy Friday, fellow beneficiaries of historical violence!
I’m involved in a music festival held annually in our city in Canada. It’s organized by the Kiwanis club. But looking at the volunteers who are all septuagenarians and octogenarians, I wonder how long this can last. As far as I can tell, there is zero recruitment of younger adults.
I think we have a built-in need to observe, compare and compete with each other for status. Social events once supplied the forum for that to happen in a convivial setting. Now it’s happening 24/7 in social media and every other online channel. The need is being met elsewhere.