In the 4th episode of the British series Red Dwarf, we learn that the cat people have destroyed themselves due to Holy Wars over which color hat is the right one. These creatures were initially the descendants of the main character’s pregnant cat. But after three million years of isolation aboard a spaceship, they evolved into cat-humanoid hybrids with both human levels of intelligence and our appetite for religion. The cat people eventually separated into two factions, one of which believed that their God — the frozen-in-time Dave Lister — wanted them to wear red hats with giant arrows through them, whereas the others believed in the same ridiculous hats, except for one change, that they were blue.
After Lister wakes up, we learn that he actually had intended for the hats to be green.
To religious critics like Richard Dawkins or Sam Harris (the so-called “New Atheists”), this story would serve as the perfect parable about the ills of religious tribalism. For me, I see the seeds of something positive. Sure, the downside of religion is inter-tribal conflict, but the upside is intra-tribal cohesion. Without people agreeing on a single hat color, the decorative value of hats is much less than it would be otherwise. For example, let’s say me and you were to pass each other on the street. If you’re wearing a yellow hat, and I’m wearing a purple hat, it would be up to our…