Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Religious Music and Entertainment
Embracing Mercerism: The Futuristic Religion of Philip K. Dick

Embracing Mercerism: The Futuristic Religion of Philip K. Dick

Last updated on: May 25, 2023 at 9:20 pm by Keith Giles

0 Comments

Embracing Mercerism: The Futuristic Religion of Philip K. Dick 2023-05-25T21:20:52+00:00 Keith Giles

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Image: Pexels

In his novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, author Philip K. Dick imagines a futuristic religious movement called “Mercerism.”

This new global faith movement centers around a messianic figure known as Wilbur Mercer.

Not much is known – or explained – about who Mercer really is, but what we do know is that he is someone who endured intense hatred and persecution during his life and who persevered in spite of the violent opposition against him.

Practitioners of Mercerism have direct access to Mercer through the use of something called “The Empathy Box”, which is a large black device with two handles on either side. By gripping those handles, one is instantly transported into a life-like virtual realm where a direct oneness with Mercer is experienced as he struggles to climb a hillside while faceless people throw stones at him from the edges of his [and your] perception. But, those who fuse with Mercer using the empathy box are also fused with everyone else who happens to be using their own empathy boxes all over the world. So, the experience of being one with Mercer is a shared experience with everyone else who fuses with him, no matter where they are around the globe.

This empathy box allows people to feel whatever Mercer feels and to feel what everyone else is feeling as they hold tightly to their own empathy box handles. Everyone feels the stones that pound into Mercer’s body. They all begin to bleed wherever those rocks strike him. They feel the heat of the sun as it beats down on his back. They hear the voices of those faceless people who shout insults and throw stones at him as he continues the climb.

The entire experience is one of shared struggle with thousands – perhaps millions – of other people who feel what Mercer feels in that moment and endure what he endures in solidarity with his struggle to keep going no matter what forces conspire against him – and you, and everyone else in the world.

The point of Mercerism seems to be varied. For some, the empathy box allows them to feel connected with other people, creating an instant community with other Mercerites that is tangible and real. For others, the experience allows them to feel empathy for other human beings who suffer in various ways. For still others, Mercer becomes a heroic figure who teaches them to carry on no matter what obstacles stand in their way. He gives them hope and determination and faith to keep going, even if it hurts.

In many ways I prefer Mercerism to Christianity because at least Mercerism encourages us to recognize how we’re all connected. It reminds us that everyone is suffering in their own way and that empathy and compassion are the best responses to that suffering.

Christians love to dwell on the suffering of Christ on the cross because of our sins. But his suffering is more about our sinfulness and unworthiness. It devalues our humanity rather than celebrating our common struggle to survive this world. Mercer’s suffering is shared suffering. It’s suffering that allows all of us to regain our humanity and to celebrate our connectivity. Everyone is connected to Mercer and Mercer connects us to one another. Together we share in our sufferings and ease one another’s burdens. No one is alone. No one is excluded. No one is unwelcome.

At least with Mercerism the emphasis isn’t on who is worthy and who is not. It’s not about believing the right doctrines or imposing your theology on others. There are no scriptures to follow. No creeds to memorize. No doctrines to affirm. With Mercerism, the only thing you need is an empathy box that allows you to share in the sufferings of others and to connect you to other people around the globe who are just as human, and just as desperate for community as we all are.

Now, of course, Mercerism is totally fake. Not only in terms of existing within a fictional sci-fi universe, but even within the novel itself it’s revealed that Wilbur Mercer is an actor – his real name is Al Jarry – who is climbing up a hill on a soundstage in a television studio sustaining fake injuries created through special effects.

Still, in many ways, the new religion created by Philip K. Dick in his book has many positive aspects to it that I find compelling. It actually makes we wish there really was such a thing as an Empathy Box that we could all hold on to, no matter where we are in the world, so we could immediately feel what others feel and share in the sufferings of one another, and realize just how connected we all are to everyone, everywhere.

In fact, I kind of think this is what Jesus wanted us to understand when he said that “whatever you’ve done for the least of these you’ve done it to me,” or that “…in that day you will realize that I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Try saying that yourself for just a moment: “In that day you will realize that Keith is in the Father, and you are in Keith, and Keith is in you.”

What if this is exactly what Jesus wanted us to understand? What if the whole point was that we should realize what Jesus realized: We are in the Father, and we are in one another, and everyone is in everyone else.

Maybe that’s also what Jesus meant when he prayed that we would be One even as he and the Father were One.

It’s not too far out there to imagine, is it?

Quantum Scientists are already starting to come around to the notion that separation is an illusion because everyone and everything around us is merely an expression of the one, singular Quantum field.

So, while it may appear to us that we are separate individual, the truth according to quantum science is that those perceptions are an illusion. The truth is that we are all the quantum field and the quantum field is all of us.

Perhaps Philip K. Dick was on to something with this whole Mercerism thing after all? Maybe he had an idea that what we lack as a species is an awareness of our oneness and connectivity with one another and that if we could somehow create a device that allowed us to experience that connection, maybe one day we might start to embrace the notion that there is no Us/Them. There is only Us.

Until they invent that empathy box, I’ll be holding tight to the notion that we are all connected to one another by a quantum field that holds everything together.

Learning to love one another is the only religion that makes any sense to me now.

Let’s keep holding one another up as we climb that hill and dodge those stones from the sidelines.

Because God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

Selah.

Image: Quoir

My Foreword for the new collection of Philip K. Dick short stories, Sci-Fi Lullabies Volume 1, is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. Pick up your copy here>

Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” His latest book, SOLA MYSTERIUM: Celebrating the Beautiful Uncertainty of Everything is available now on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.

New Visions

Religious Music and Entertainment

Previous Post

May 19, 2023

INNER CIRCLE: Refuse To Be Divided

Next Post

May 26, 2023 INNER CIRCLE: Finding The Corpse

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Googled: “In psychology and everyday language, intelligence is the capacity to learn, understand, reason, think ..."

Herm

AI Is A Gateway to the ..."

"It's so weird to me how anyone thinks that getting basic income is in any ..."

Scott Santens

AI Is A Gateway to the ..."

"Sounds very much like what Pope Leo wrote in Magnifica Humanitas - a lot of ..."

ffeineandsugar

AI Is A Gateway to the ..."

"As it is written in the canonical Gospels:But as many as received Him, to them ..."

Herm

INNER CIRCLE: God’s Transcending Love

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Biblicism Christian Politics Cosmic Christ Deconstruction Discipleship Dispensationalism Divine Unity Ekklesia End Time Stuff Eschatology Evergreen Following Jesus Gender General Christian Topics Gnostics God's Love Gospel of Judas Gospel of Mary Gospel of Philip Gospel of the Kingdom Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Truth Hell Historical Jesus Inner Circle Investigative Reporting Islam LGBTQ Issues Marriage Mental/Emotional Health Mystery Non-Duality Philosophy Podcast Poetry Politics Poverty Preemptive Love Prophecy Psychology Quantum Theology Racism Reconstruction Satire Sex Technology Theology Uncategorized Universalism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I challenged 450 prophets to call down fire from heaven, and theirs failed while mine consumed everything. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Elisha Elijah Samuel Moses

Books by This Author Books by Keith Giles

See All Titles »