alt Hacker NewsYou don't need to go to church to find community, a better response would be what you're saying but something where you don't pressure people to join an institution that might be extremely hostile to women or minorities.
Anyone can find a community nearby, churches aren't the only way.
Glad it worked out for you, but it doesn't for many people and that's okay. There are other communities out there.
Also Church is no substitute for mental health professions. Would you tell someone to "pray the cancer away?" I hope not, you'd tell then to speak to a qualified professional. That's where therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or even guidance councilers come into play.
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> might be extremely hostile to women or minorities
This isn't accurate at all. Christian churches welcome everyone but there are no zoning laws directing people to specific churches. Many happen to be very homogeneous as a side effect of people often being more comfortable. There are numerous "black", "hispanic", "chinese", etc churches that are out there by perception but not by requirement. None of these churches are going to turn you away if you don't look like them anymore than a predominantly white church would.
Regarding women, I'm not sure what you've been reading to make that suggestion? There's probably no institution in the world that cares for women more than the Christian church. Strong families are part of the bedrock. Visit one on Mother's Day sometime. Check out the low cost and sometimes even free child care available (Mother's morning out, VBC, etc). Jesus treatment of women was radical in the context of the time period.
Many churches have professionally trained counsellors. No, they wouldn't tell you to "pray the cancer away" (though there are prosperity-"gospel" preaching churches that would say "donate to make the cancer go away"–beware), but they would counsel you from a biblical perspective, which is extremely helpful. And they would also tell you to seek professional help elsewhere if you need it and they couldn't provide it.