Are you sure about that?
Yes.
Look at all the people in this video, (which starts at 40 seconds).
3000 people. I think there are about 310.006.372 Americans.
This is a Christian concert and all of those people made the decision to follow Christ.
Do you even hear what he says? He says: ''Let's pray; Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner.'' Oh really? Since when did you know? Who told you?
It sounds like the churches are different in the U.S. ? Don't they have things like this overseas?
No, they don't. They organise art expositions in most churches around here. They even have banners on some churches, which read: ''God still believes in you.'' I think this describes the state of our churches perfectly. I also have a video for you to watch:
youtu.be/2b01yvOlXn8
You can ask M-G or any other Dutch person about these guys if you don't believe me or think I'm overexaggarating. Okay? You can see about 300.000 people here, attending a concert for the first Dutch hardcore-rap group ever, which actively spread the message of the new generation. They've opposed Christianity for almost two decades. These guys are living legends, and have influenced and inspired whole generations. You can ask any Dutch person around thirty or younger how they feel about organised religion, and about 95% of them will tell you it has no place in their lives anymore.
those are probably called megachurches, a fairly new phenomena in the US.
My condolences.
In my opinion religion serves some basic human needs:
In my opinion it surpresses some basic human needs. It condemns sexual desires and stigmatizes people who happen to have a mind of their own.
sense of belonging, sense of hope, need for having sense in life, the need for guidance, and finally, religion is a large degree a tool of social control.
We don't need your control. We have laws. We don't need your guidance, because we're adults who can think for themselves. We don't need your hope, because we aren't afraid of your non-existing Boogieman. We belong in our country, and we all share the same blood.
All those things are needed within the society, otherwise there would be a total chaos.
Oh really? Care to explain why our generation is the least violent of all generations before us? Care to explain why our generation is the least criminal of all generations before us? Of course I'm talking about the indigenous Dutch population there, not the immigrants from religious countries who are making a mess of our society, not even mentioning how many of them like to rape and assault young girls. Yeah, religion is really necessary here. We really need it.
For those who are interested, the sociology of religion is something to look into.
I guess I'll politely decline.
:)