Autism comes from Greek word “autos” meaning “self”. An autistic person can be seen as an “isolated self”.
The UK National Autistic Society defines autism as, “A lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them” (I don’t agree with the “disability” bit).
So religion is a hard place for autistic people. Religious events can be on a par with parties and other social gatherings that, for an autistic person, can be the equivalent of a person with severe breathing difficulties running a marathon.
The Bible is also largely a social document. It follows the story of the Jewish people for the first several hundred pages. Then one of them, Jesus, clashes with the religious authorities of the day and is murdered in his early thirties. Following Jesus’s death, St. Paul who was persecuting Christians, swaps sides and becomes a disciple of Jesus. His letters to the early church about what should and shouldn’t be done form most of the closing stages of the Bible.
Together, Paul’s words, and those of ancient scribes, fill far more of the Bible than Jesus’s, because Jesus was not religious. He did not write anything down. He told people not to refer to him as a religious teacher.
So autism and religion aren’t particularly compatible, although that isn’t to say autistic people can’t benefit from religion, it’s just it’s a challenging environment. With declining numbers, churches are often much easier now and the environment can be good – the buildings can offer sanctuary, peace and quiet and often not too bright too, although that is changing for the worse in some places.
Church and God are not the same but churches can help to show the way to God.
I would suggest other religions may also do that. Having mixed with other faith communities they typically have a respect and desire to do good that is often lacking in wider society.
A key aspect of all religious teaching is that we are accountable for our actions. Without that, society cannot function as people then feel it is okay to harm others to improve their own position.