alt Hacker News> i highly doubt a christian church has the same effect. everytime i see a church i think about atrocities commited by the religion and alienation
Maybe not the exact same effect as nature but it is indeed calming to me at least. Stepping into a cathedral, or masjid, or temple and the noise of the world falls away (and I'm not even religious). I'm sure I'm not the only one.
i'm also not religious and having lived in a remote place for more than a year, i lost count of the amount of times i sat at the grass in a completely meditative state by starring at clouds, mountains and sunsets