"It's a talking shop."
A talking shop with the power to block legislation and your description of the church fits thousands of other groups in Britain, from cyclists, to womens' institutes, to Freemasons.... only the others don't have the power of a mystical being to frightens people into believing behind it.
Not in any way a believer, but the most atmospherically beautiful place of worship I've ever been in is here and the most spectacular one is here - (if they ever got rid of that god-awful neon cross!!)
Jim Carroll