In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the religion that promotes empathy is Mercerism. Its followers use an “empathy box” to join mentally with Wilbur Mercer, a suffering messianic figure who repeatedly climbs a hill while being struck by stones.
Mercerism reflects the novel's central moral concern: whether empathy, rather than biology or appearance, defines humanity. The shared ritual lets people experience Mercer's pain collectively, creating a temporary bond between individuals in a devastated postwar society. Empathy is also tested through the Voigt-Kampff procedure, which authorities use to distinguish humans from androids.
The religion is more complicated than a simple system of unquestioned faith. Television personality Buster Friendly exposes Mercer as an aging, alcoholic actor and challenges the movement's apparent authenticity. Yet Mercerism does not simply disappear after the revelation. Its emotional and communal power remains, suggesting that a belief can retain meaning even when its public myth is shown to be manufactured.
The 1968 novel is the source text for Blade Runner, but the film changes or omits much of Mercerism's religious structure.