I agree, but it was used as a "spiritual hospital", too. Don't forget religions are as old as the the human species. It got more organized only with the agricultural revolution. Also, the optimism that created by religions in the form of gods watching over us, and life after death or something like that, was not a small step in dealing with the sense of meaning and purpose, which helped in the continuation of human species during hard times. Now we have other means and we control our lives better than our ancestors, and thus religions are less relevant.