Hello all,

I hope your having a blessed New Year.

I'm from London, England and I'm a 15 (nearly 16) year old Christian who has some questions.

Over here in Britain (and maybe the rest of Europe), religion is losing its place in society. Many have disposed of their faith as we make advancements in the science world and some abandon their faith because they believe it's easier to live a life without God. It's very rare to find someone (especially my age) who actually genuinely believes in God and wants to devote their life to him. I would sound like an alien to most and so I am reserved about my faith in public.

For example, our school is a Catholic school, and yet many are disrespectful, make fun of religion and we have a number of teachers who are Atheist. Now it seems like belief in God is lacking in some parts of Europe, and I began to think about the U.S.A.

I lived in North Carolina about 12 years ago when I was a a young boy but I don't remember going to church often and I left the US to Canada in 2004 before coming back to England in 2006. My memories of the U.S.A are vague, but I do think the media twists our perception of your country. According to statistics, 73% of Americans state they are Christian, whilst in the UK, 59% are Christian which is about 11% lower than it was in 2001 (71%).

For extra detail, here is a map of Europe and the percentage that believe in God, with only 30% believing in God in God. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Europe_belief_in_god.svg/839px-Europe_belief_in_god.svg.png

Anyway, I'm dragging on here, but it seems that faith in Europe is waning, and in the U.S.A it is much stronger. So I ask, what is it like to be a Christian in the U.S.A? What are people's attitudes towards religion and God? Do you see the U.S.A going the same way as Britain and other European countries in the future? And finally, do you think the U.S. Is a more hospitable environment for a Christian, especially a young one?

Thank you and God Bless

EDIT: Thanks for all the answers guys, it's been really insightful into how Christianity is perceived in the US. Maybe I'll go back there one day in the near future!