Even the philosophers (when not thinking theologically) constantly see religious practice as a medium of association not between man and god but between man and man. (1)
Parker's Athenian Religion is an important source for learning about Athenian religious practices. He persuasively shows that religion was very much about community and the experience of doing something together, socially. This is consistent with philosophical theories on religion in any time period.
The social value of religion is important for me because it helps show the power of religion as a motivating tool. People accused of religious violations, such as Alcibiades, were being accused of violating social rules, too. As such they ran the risk of not just being religiously punished, but of being socially ostracized. Indeed, a common punishment for religious violations not considered bad enough to warrant the death penalty was a ban from religious ceremonies, and thus from much of the socializing of Athens.
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