AI Is A Gateway To The Welfare State
October 6, 2026 |
Keith Giles
For those of us who have spent a lot of time in rigid religious environments, the journey of deconstruction can be both incredibly challenging and profoundly liberating. Fundamentalist religious communities often emphasize conformity of thought, making the process of questioning deeply ingrained beliefs a formidable task. Accessing cognitive flexibility, however, allows us to break free from rigid boundaries and embrace a more nuanced understanding of the world.
One of the first, and perhaps most difficult, aspects of cognitive flexibility is accepting uncertainty. Many of us were taught that faith is synonymous with absolute certainty, but this is a misconception. No matter how strong our faith is, our beliefs, by definition, will always contain an element of the unknown.
While it might be uncomfortable, embracing this truth can be incredibly freeing when it relieves us of the immense pressure to pinpoint the “absolute truth.” In the face of diverse experiences, new information, and the complexity of nuance, we can’t afford to have unwavering certainty. By accepting that we can never have complete certainty, we open ourselves up to genuine learning, growth, and change.
Another crucial component of cognitive flexibility is actively listening to diverse viewpoints. It’s easy to fall into the trap of an echo chamber, where everyone around us simply reinforces our existing beliefs. The danger here is that we begin to mistake this small, homogenous sample as a reflection of reality in its entirety.
A faith that can’t incorporate diverse information isn’t faith at all; it’s delusion. Instead, cognitive flexibility demands that we genuinely consider information from all sides, rather than prematurely dismissing anything that contradicts our current understanding. When we choose to truly be open to diverse perspectives and adapt our views, the beliefs we ultimately hold become far more meaningful.
Drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Theory, thinking errors are unhelpful or unrealistic assumptions and mental filters that create unnecessary stress and dysfunction. They often escalate anxiety, trap us in unhealthy cycles, and drive unhelpful behaviors. These errors can frequently be identified by absolute words like “always,” “never,” “right,” “wrong,” “good,” and “bad.”
In an unquestioned religious worldview, spiritual thinking errors are common. Recognizing these patterns isn’t about discrediting faith but about fostering healthier ways of thinking, whether or not you choose to change your religious beliefs. Here are some prevalent spiritual thinking errors to be aware of:
Moralizing involves making overly simplistic moral judgments, classifying things, people, or ideas as “good” or “bad” when they aren’t inherently so. This creates a false dichotomy that leaves no room for nuance or gray areas. Anything not labeled “good” and “right” automatically becomes “bad” and “wrong.”
Consider the example of judging diverse sexualities as “wrong” based on a belief that heterosexuality is the “right” kind of sexuality. This moralization leads to condemnation and hostility towards LGBTQ+ individuals by misinterpreting human diversity through a rigid, moralistic lens.
This thinking error leads us to assume our opinions are undeniably correct simply because we feel strongly about them. False certainty stifles our curiosity, preventing us from questioning our premises or the accuracy of our information. In fact, many high-control religious communities celebrate false certainty as a virtue, suggesting it’s a testament to belief in an absolute, unshakeable truth.
This pattern is also known as confirmation bias, a logical fallacy where we reject any information that contradicts our pre-existing opinions. For example, someone might dismiss constructive criticism as “persecution” rather than considering if their actions are negatively impacting others. This mindset leaves very little room for self-correction or growth.
Spiritualization involves a default assumption that events around us have spiritual causes or explanations rather than natural ones. In psychology, this is sometimes referred to as “magical thinking.” It can look like attributing positive events solely to divine intervention (i.e. miracles) and negative events to divine punishment or spiritual warfare. Some belief systems even teach that all life events are divinely predetermined, suggesting that every mundane human experience has supernatural significance.
This thought pattern becomes problematic for several reasons. It bypasses logical, physical, and natural explanations, disconnecting us from concrete reality as we look for spiritual meaning. When suffering happens, spiritualizing can inadvertently place blame on a hurting person by suggesting it’s a spiritual consequence. Furthermore, it can encourage us to rely on superstitions and rituals in an attempt to control life through spiritual means (ex. Compulsively praying for God’s protection instead of taking practical precautions.)
Viewing life from an eternal perspective is a common religious thought pattern that becomes problematic when it leads us to neglect current-day concerns while fixating on the afterlife. When we filter out anything unrelated to eternity, we start making daily decisions based on fear or anticipation of end-times events and afterlife consequences.
This thought pattern quickly leads to dysfunction in our earthly lives. An eternal filter can make it easy to dismiss authentic human emotions like grief, sadness, or anger, contributing to emotional suppression and even abuse. When we believe that earthly pain is insignificant in the grand scheme of eternity, it becomes easier for us to dismiss complaints and justify continued mistreatment of others.
Do any of these thinking errors particularly resonate with you? How can you continue to find meaning in your beliefs while also practicing cognitive flexibility?
