It wasn't in my experience. I attended Quaker and Catholic meetings/churches and schools and ducked my head on occasion elsewhere for curiousity or other reasons.

I got much out of all of them by just listening and observing, adopting what I felt was useful and right, understanding but disagreeing with others things that I felt were misguided that in turn also served to develop my beliefs, etc.

I found that the learning and development process--much like here on this site--is the exploring and examination of ideas. Other things were also very positive, such as participation and attendances at church sponsored community services, schools, sports, etc, and I really valued that additional exposure and opportunities then and now having benefited from it all. For all the crap and controversy that can come with religion, it also can and does get a lot of things right for personal and societal benefit.