Challenging irrational beliefs and magical thinking in adults is a tricky process. However, dealing with cognitive distortions is vital for a healthy mindset. In today’s world, you’re likely to meet those who hold irrational values and beliefs. We’ve put together an article that includes tools designed to help you engage with them in a thoughtful manner.
Let’s clear something up right away. We’re not referring to a New Jersey theme park with fairy-tale castles and talking animals. We are discussing a mindset we call the dangers of Storybook Land. It’s a mindset where magical thinking and religious fantasy shape how adults see the world.
In a storybook-like land, life is supposed to be controlled by God, who grants special favors to those who follow him. Good people are rewarded, bad people are punished, and everything happens for a reason.
This mindset often starts in childhood. It is common in Western cultures shaped by organized religion. It teaches that there is a divine plan. Suffering holds spiritual meaning. However, questioning this narrative can be perilous. Those who believe in this tale protect it with violence. Over time, these cognitive distortions shape the cultural narrative and determine values and laws.
The Dangers of Storybook Land
The problem? The storybook fiction we have been sold isn’t real; it is simply mythology in a spiritual package. Clinging to it as an adult can have serious consequences. When adults mistake make-believe and pretending for reality, it leads to distorted thinking. Letting go of these unhealthy, distorted beliefs helps us face reality with clarity and a healthier mind.
But people who are indoctrinated don’t want to give up their conspiracy theories, racist, and backward ideologies. They love them and keep returning for more reinforcement of these magical ideas through social media like Fox News.
Storybook land is a mindset based on irrational beliefs and magical thinking in adults. (1) It is a dangerous, slippery slope that leads to more unhealthy thinking and behaviors. While comforting, this mindset creates unrealistic expectations. It sets people up for deep disappointment when real life doesn’t follow the script.
Sadly, it can prevent adults from following the advice provided by scientific advancements. It sidetracks people from facing challenges head-on, taking responsibility, or growing through struggle. Living in storybook land means escaping reality. This escape can cause frustration and unhealthy thoughts. These thoughts may lead to poor judgment and even violence.
Make-Believe and Pretending
Pretending by itself isn’t a bad thing. Magical thinking has its place. Children spend a lot of time in their imaginary worlds of play. They experiment with different scenarios and develop communication and social skills through roleplaying. Adults need to play, too, but there are differences between them. Children do not create rules or values that run a society; adults do. (2)
We encourage children to use their imagination during playtime. It’s okay to have imaginary friends and enemies. When a child plays and says a monster is chasing them, we know it is just a game. They know it is just pretending. However, we don’t want them to use their imagination to put themselves in jeopardy. You don’t want them to run into a busy street because their imaginary enemy is chasing them.
Most children understand the line between irrational and rational thinking. They know the difference between make-believe and reality. Sadly, some adults miss these distinctions.
For instance, religion teaches adults to fall on the floor at the wave of the preacher’s hand. They pretend an invisible force from God made them fall. That’s social conditioning. This is how make-believe and pretending become accepted in our culture. Irrational beliefs and magical thinking in adults is dangerous. It is the slippery slope to extremism. How does this craziness happen?
Many People Grew Up Believing the Script
Many people in today’s society undergo indoctrination techniques throughout their lives. People are told from a young age what to believe. They are told that if they followed the rules, did the right things, and had faith, God would take care of the rest. That belief sets people up for disappointment when life doesn’t go according to plan.
When people suffer and injustice goes unpunished, people don’t know how to process it. Make-believe and pretending are a distraction from reality. The dangers of Storybook Land create a conflict between those who hold on to this mass hallucination and those who do not.
Some realize they have been duped and begin challenging irrational beliefs. However, many others cling to deeply ingrained beliefs and never dream of questioning them.
The Religious Roots of Magical Thinking in Adults
Christianity and other Western religions often support magical and mystical thinking. We’re taught to believe in divine justice, heaven and hell, miracles, and the ultimate authority of sacred texts. There’s comfort in that. But there’s also danger.
These belief systems train us to accept things without evidence, to obey authority without question, and to label doubt as weakness or sin. They reward conformity and punish curiosity. And they install a rigid framework that doesn’t always hold up in the real world.
The distortion of reality begins when adults substitute legitimate science for mythology. It becomes a bigger problem when people use myths to create laws that govern others. These are the negative consequences and dangers of Storybook Land. It puts us on a slippery slope, leading toward a religious monarchy in charge of a government.
Dealing with Cognitive Distortions
Religion is the primary source of magical thinking in adults. When you can substitute myth for reality, you can believe anything. You can justify the denial of basic human rights.
You can see the adverse effects in the US with the overturning of Row vs. Wade. All rights begin with personal autonomy. When this discretion is taken away from one gender, it also sets the stage for other rights to be taken away. Challenging irrational beliefs like this is only way to maintain a democracy.
It substantiates the right to commit acts of violence in the name of religion. It’s like a return to the Dark Ages. This kind of thinking promotes ethnic, racial, gender, and religious discrimination. You can trace most of the wars and conflicts to those who hold fundamentalist or extremist religious views.
From Magical Thinking to Extremist Ideology
It might seem like a big jump from believing in divine justice to embracing extremist ideology. But it isn’t. When you grow up thinking your belief system is the only true one, it’s easy to slide into “us vs. them” thinking.
Extremist ideologies love magical thinkers. They offer certainty in a chaotic world and promise rewards for loyalty while painting outsiders as threats. The leap from spiritual obedience to political dogma is often just a matter of language. This makes dealing with cognitive distortions more difficult. It blends religious and political ideologies.
The Political Hijacking of Storybook Belief
Unethical political groups have long known how to manipulate religious beliefs for power. By using the language of faith, they turn voters into political believers.
They hijack the storybook narratives: We are the chosen nation. God is on our side. And our enemies are evil. These messages turn politics into a spiritual war.
They make questioning leadership feel like heresy. And they lead people to support policies that directly harm others, all in the name of righteousness. These are the real dangers of Storybook Land.
The problem begins when adults accept religious beliefs, which confuse myths with facts. It sets a dangerous precedent. These distortions tend to get worse. Studies link this thinking to mental illnesses. People with irrational beliefs suffer disproportionately from depression, dysphoria, and anxiety disorders. When the mind is unhealthy, it is easier for others to manipulate our thinking.
Imaginary beliefs are the tools of manipulation. Religious beliefs can be harmful. They do not want you dealing with cognitive distortions that are the foundation of magical thinking in adults. This kind of thinking can become a dangerous slope, leading to violence.
People submit to programming, which distorts their thinking. It all starts with pretending. The greater the exposure, the more susceptible you become to greater distortions.
“n every state of the Union, Fundamentalists still fight to ban all the science they dislike and prosecute all who teach it. To them, ‘traditional family values’ denote their right to keep their children as ignorant as their grandparents (and to hate the same folks grand-dad hated.) ― Robert Anton Wilson, Sex, and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parson
How to Recognize the Danger of Storybook Land Thinking
Discussing this phenomenon isn’t about shaming anyone. We all grow up believing things we didn’t choose. But awareness is the first step. Ask yourself these simple questions: Do I believe my group or faith has all the answers? Do I fear questioning what I was taught? Do I see people outside my belief system as lost or dangerous?
If you answer yes to any of these, you are likely under the spell of storybook land.
Challenging Irrational Beliefs and Magical Thinking
Leaving this mindset is hard. It can feel like losing your identity, purpose, and community. But it’s also liberating. When you let go of magical and mystical thinking, you make room for growth, truth, and more meaningful connections.
Here’s a recommended process to identify, remove, and repair irrational beliefs and harmful values:
1. Preparing to Repair Your Mind
Many people inherit their religious beliefs from their families. Children are easy to brainwash; they are trusting. So, they accept the belief in mythology. They have no choice but to obey.
It is not surprising if this situation sounds familiar. Most religious converts occur before the age of six. Some people think this amounts to child abuse, and they may be right. If this fits your situation, it is not your fault. But now that you are an adult, it is your personal and social responsibility to fix your programming. You must take responsibility and begin dealing with cognitive distortions in your beliefs and values.
Perhaps you joined one of the main religions in crisis because you were in need. People in any crisis are also vulnerable to groupthink manipulation tactics. They promise to make you healthy or wealthy, but ultimately, these promises are empty. Make-believe and pretending only waste your time and cause harm.
Now, more than ever, you must learn to become a freethinker and not a follower. So, even before you do inner work to find the harmful thought scripts, do these things:
1. Turn off the religious programming on TV and radio.
2. Stop going to religious services.
3. Stop supporting the machine of organized religion.
4. Start questioning the cultural narrative.
5. Practice critical thinking skills.
2. Identify and Repair the Harmful Programming
1. Use the Repetitive Question Exercise. Ask where your beliefs come from. Make a list and determine which are irrational and which are rational. Here are examples:
Irrational beliefs:
1. Questioning my faith means I’m a terrible person.
2. If I suffer, it must be because God is punishing me.
3. People who don’t believe in the God I believe in are evil or lost.
4. Everything happens for a divine reason.
Rational Beliefs:
1. Asking questions is part of growing and deepening my understanding.
2. Suffering is part of life
3. People can have different beliefs and be good, kind, and thoughtful.
4. Some things just happen. I can still choose how to respond with purpose.
2. Complete the Enneagram Personality profile. Learn your main personality type, wing, and instinctual stack.
We all like to think we are too smart to be manipulated, but intelligence is not a safeguard against the power of religious indoctrination. The membership of organized religion is full of intelligent, college-educated professionals. Most of them are lifelong members because they were indoctrinated as children.
3. Conduct research using the Compared Comparison Method of structured comparative religious study. Start with five of your essential beliefs. Find at least five religions that use an exact or similar version of your beliefs. An example might be Jesus is God, or What is the origin of the Devil.
3. Speak Up and Speak Out
Organized religions want us to be tolerant of their beliefs. They want to be free to teach their doctrines and pray in public schools. But religious freedom begins with being free from religion. So, it is time to confront those who want to use religion as an excuse to promote inherently destructive ideologies. It is time to speak up and speak out. Being tolerant is what allows their extremist ideas to become accepted.
Speak out, but learn to be pro-facts and not anti-religion. Learn how religion uses the cultural narrative to protect its customer base. It all depends on where you live. Three major faiths shape half of the world’s population. These are the Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. (3)
Hypocrisy and distortion are passing currents under the name of religion. — Mahatma Gandhi
Religious traditions can be reinterpreted in a manner that assists healing, corrects distortions, and expands vision. — Larry Graham
Be careful when speaking up and confronting those who hold their belief more sacred than human life. Challenging irrational beliefs in their worldview threatens their identity. In many places, the laws of the land protect religious mythology.
In the land of make-believe and pretending, human rights are secondary to myth and superstition. So, pointing out errors and making fun of their imaginary friends and enemies is an “infringement of their rights.” Their beliefs give them the right to protect the dangers of storybook land.
Realize it is acceptable for them to discriminate against you for promoting unacceptable points of view. For instance, if you try to practice Wicca openly across the street from a church, you will subject yourself to violence. So, be safe and measured when confronting the dominant religious mythology.
It is dangerous enough for people to have their religion. It becomes a social problem when people use it as a smokescreen to deny others their rights. Nor should you allow them to use it to create laws that govern society. Don’t ignore the use of religion to promote discrimination and prejudice.
If people want to live in storybook land, they need to know that their beliefs have negative consequences. If they are open-minded enough to engage in independent research, we point them to the comparative analysis process. It’s a scientific method of comparative religious study. Again, be careful. Those with “deeply held” religious beliefs will protect them using violence if necessary.
4. Don’t Confuse Religion with Spirituality
We are all part of a great spiritual experiment. We are consciousness in a biodegradable container; it is what ancient cultures call the soul or spirit. Religion has nothing to do with consciousness or spirit. It is a mind game designed to make you a lifelong paying customer. Religion tries to assimilate all things spiritual to legitimize their con job. Don’t confuse religion with spiritual things.
Joseph Campbell was a teacher of comparative religious studies. He talked a lot about the authentic spiritual quest. It is the Hero’s Journey (4) found in many ancient cultures. Be a freethinker and walk your spiritual journey. Don’t settle for counterfeit imaginary friends.
Why It Matters More Than Ever
We live in a time when religious and political extremism are on the rise. If you don’t examine your irrational beliefs and magical thinking, others can use them to manipulate you. They could use those thoughts to control you. Dealing with cognitive distortions is the only way to regain control of your mind.
Escaping the dangers of storybook land doesn’t mean giving up hope or values. It means trading fantasy for reality, obedience for agency, and fear for freedom. The world may not be simple, but it is real. And that’s where real strength begins.
References
(1) Magical thinking in obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. National Library of Medicine
(2) Thinking about fantasy: Are children fundamentally different thinkers and believers from adults? National Library of Medicine
(3) Abrahamic Religions. Wikipedia
(4) Joseph Campbell & Joseph Campbell’s book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Wikipedia