Are the churches using atheists to gain more converts?

[madog]

[...]Any examples, it really shocks me when I look at how strong religion appears to be in the USA or at least to me an outsider.

I think religion appears strong in USA for a number of socio-political reasons, but mainly due to separation of church and state, as well as multi-cultural background of the relatively young nation, combined with freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

In most European countries there are only 1 or 2 main religions, which have established their position over centuries, often to the point of actually integrating to an extent with the government (as is the case with Anglicanism in the UK). The effect of this is that those religions don't have as much need for aggressive self-promotion, or desperate attempts at gaining political advantage through un-constitutional legislature. Because they pretty much achieved what they could have reasonably hoped for and making a nuisance of themselves would be likely to bring attention to their over-privilege.

In US, there are many different religions and denominations, who have been fighting for power ever since the country has been established and who have been largely prevented from advancing their efforts by constitution of the US, as well as by each other. Because of that - all they're left with is their freedom to make as much noise as possible and saturate US political system with religiously inspired bill proposals.
This struggle for power also makes religion in US more romantic and feeds christian persecution complex,  while in Europe religion is seen more as part of the establishment - just another layer of bureaucracy, boring and only appealing to old people.

I think you have something there .... So strange that with what you state above it has evolved in the UK into a situation where an MP or Prime minister quoting "God", for any action of the state, would be in office for a very short time in the UK, whereas it is the norm in the USA 

I don't know the answer, but for some reason shoving the church in a back cupboard of the state virtually castrates them, whereas separating the church from state causes them to be powerful, in the actual running of the state, to the point that to actually to be voted to become part of the state you must profess strong religious beliefs