To me, the VOG is a casual activity.

You're making a pretty big assumption, and one that isn't correct. Not everyone's gaming friends are all on the same console, and not everyone has built up a reserve of rando's to message for raids. You, as an individual, can be completely dedicated to the game without knowing 5 other people with similar dedication. In fact, I'd wager that most people don't have 5 friends who are all high level Destiny players and are playing on the same console. This means that Bungie has eschewed a function in favor of their players doing it for themselves, when technologically, there's really no need to displace the chore. One thing computers do reasonably well is gather items (players), assess them, and then organize them. I've heard stories of players looking for a raid team for about as long as it takes to complete the raid, and I've literally never heard of a single person who just said "hey guys, let's do this raid", and then went and did the raid. So, if your argument is "Players should be required to complete this unpleasant, arduous, and unnecessary task in order to even begin the end game content, unless they are one of a lucky few who are (essentially accidentally) already part of a large group." then I say your opinion is unworthy of debate, as it is so without merit that it disqualifies you altogether.