Well, that'll make your faith "stronger," in the sense that you will find confirmation bias within the bubble.
The better way to strengthen your faith is to examine your beliefs and how you arrived at them from an objective standpoint. If your beliefs are true, they will withstand scrutiny. If they're not true, you're better off without them.
What religion does exceedingly well is promote tribalism: "us" vs. "them," "insiders" vs. "outsiders."
It seems to me as if you're looking for community more than faith-strengthening. Nothing wrong with community; but a community based on sharing the same supernatural beliefs is one to be wary of, IMO.
Before you jump into another Christian group, may I suggest you read Sam Harris's "Letter To a Christian Nation."
[And what's the deal with Christians mangling the English language? "Fellowship" as a verb? Yuk!]
If nothing will change that, then good luck to you. Sorry to hear about your health issues.
I wish I could save you from your fruitless wish to be "closer to" a being that most likely doesn't exist, and persuade you to rely on your own strength and the help of fellow humans.
Take care. ☮️
I don't mean to pry, but can you give your best example of an experience you had that affirms a god's existence?
"I know I wouldn't have thought of that on my own." Yet you did, unless you can demonstrate that the thought came from something outside of yourself. There's no *reason* to believe it did, outside of your feeling that you couldn't have come up with the thought on your own.
"something told me things would be better for me after that surgery" Yes, the Christian songs you were listening to that you said were telling you things were going to be better.
We can have a separate discussion about an "intelligent designer" if you like, but your story appears to me to be using an informal logical fallacy called the Argument from Incredulity: I don't understand how this thing could've been possible, therefore a god did it.
There is nothing there that can't be accounted for by medical science without any divine input.
I'm not trying to push anything off on you; merely showing another way to interpret events.
For example, you "believe there was a reason those particular songs were playing." That's one way to interpret it. Another way is that coincidences happen all the time.
Do you keep track of times you prayed and an answer *didn't* come?
Okay, I'll leave you alone now. You appear to be so closed-minded that nothing will penetrate what is probably a lifelong indoctrination.
Good luck to you.
I think we all have our beliefs and reasons for such. Some people believe there is no God, and I can understand that. Similarly, some people believe you should/should not be honest when no one is looking. I can't imagine someone saying, "Let me save you from your honesty."
People have different reasons for believing in God. Some of them really do blindly and unquestioningly believe, because their parents said so.
Doesn't sound like Lanie's one.
Lanie Carmelo
Tom Capuder
Chocalit Manor