im 18 years old and have gone to youth conferences, services and events since i was 12.

for about a year or so i have felt uncomfortable during 'praise and worship', where pretty much all the atmosphere is created with special lighting and effects, it makes me doubt whether the spiritual euphoria or 'God's presence' that everyone claims to be experiencing during these times are genuine.

i have felt the same kind of atmosphere during a rock concert.

red flags also go up for me whenever there is an alter call, and a musician hops onto the stage to play some nice soothing background music on the piano while the preacher is calling people to the stage to give their hearts to Jesus.

the nice music wont be there when they leave and go about their everyday lives, so why create a false atmosphere?

most of the time i feel as though they are just trying to convert as many lost souls as possible in the one night so they can claim the number of people they 'saved',
the new converts respond to the alter call out of 'spiritual' impulse, they don't understand the lifechanging importance of their decision,
they just do it because it feels right at the time, thanks to the human constructed atmosphere.

Sadly, their decision to accept Jesus usually doesn't stick once they leave the service and get on with their lives.

christianity is supposed to be a sacrifice, you 'take up your cross' to follow Jesus for the rest of your life.

a genuine decision to do that can hardly come from a 'spirit filled' encounter created with music and lighting and candy coated messages promising an easy life and hell insurance.