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Title: The Kingdom of God is within you

 

Author: Leo Tolstoy

 

Edition: 10

 

Language: English

 

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

 

Release Date: November, 2003 [Etext #4602]

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Project Gutenberg’s The Kingdom of God is within you, by Leo Tolstoy

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“THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU”

CHRISTIANITY NOT AS A MYSTIC RELIGION

BUT AS A NEW THEORY OF LIFE

 

TRANSLATED FROM THE RUSSIAN OF COUNT LEO TOLSTOI

BY CONSTANCE GARNETT

New York, 1894

 

TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE.

 

The book I have had the privilege of translating is, undoubtedly,

one of the most remarkable studies of the social and psychological

condition of the modern world which has appeared in Europe for

many years, and its influence is sure to be lasting and far

reaching. Tolstoi’s genius is beyond dispute. The verdict of the

civilized world has pronounced him as perhaps the greatest

novelist of our generation. But the philosophical and religious

works of his later years have met with a somewhat indifferent

reception. They have been much talked about, simply because they

were his work, but, as Tolstoi himself complains, they have never

been seriously discussed. I hardly think that he will have to

repeat the complaint in regard to the present volume. One may

disagree with his views, but no one can seriously deny the

originality, boldness, and depth of the social conception which he

develops with such powerful logic. The novelist has shown in this

book the religious fervor and spiritual insight of the prophet;

yet one is pleased to recognize that the artist is not wholly lost

in the thinker. The subtle intuitive perception of the

psychological basis of the social position, the analysis of the

frame of mind of oppressors and oppressed, and of the intoxication

of Authority and Servility, as well as the purely descriptive

passages in the last chapter—these could only have come from the

author of “War and Peace.”

 

The book will surely give all classes of readers much to think of,

and must call forth much criticism. It must be refuted by those

who disapprove of its teaching, if they do not want it to have

great influence.

 

One cannot of course anticipate that English people, slow as they

are to be influenced by ideas, and instinctively distrustful of

all that is logical, will take a leap in the dark and attempt to

put Tolstoi’s theory of life into practice. But one may at least

be sure that his destructive criticism of the present social and

political R�GIME will become a powerful force in the work of

disintegration and social reconstruction which is going on around

us. Many earnest thinkers who, like Tolstoi, are struggling to

find their way out of the contradictions of our social order will

hail him as their spiritual guide. The individuality of the

author is felt in every line of his work, and even the most

prejudiced cannot resist the fascination of his genuineness,

sincerity, and profound earnestness. Whatever comes from a heart

such as his, swelling with anger and pity at the sufferings of

humanity, cannot fail to reach the hearts of others. No reader

can put down the book without feeling himself better and more

truth-loving for having read it.

 

Many readers may be disappointed with the opening chapters of the

book. Tolstoi disdains all attempt to captivate the reader. He

begins by laying what he considers to be the logical foundation of

his doctrines, stringing together quotations from little-known

theological writers, and he keeps his own incisive logic for the

later part of the book.

 

One word as to the translation. Tolstoi’s style in his religious

and philosophical works differs considerably from that of his

novels. He no longer cares about the form of his work, and his

style is often slipshod, involved, and diffuse. It has been my

aim to give a faithful reproduction of the original.

 

CONSTANCE GARNETT.

January,1894

 

PREFACE.

 

In the year 1884 I wrote a book under the title “What I Believe,”

in which I did in fact make a sincere statement of my beliefs.

 

In affirming my belief in Christ’s teaching, I could not help

explaining why I do not believe, and consider as mistaken, the

Church’s doctrine, which is usually called Christianity.

 

Among the many points in which this doctrine falls short of the

doctrine of Christ I pointed out as the principal one the absence

of any commandment of nonresistance to evil by force. The

perversion of Christ’s teaching by the teaching of the Church is

more clearly apparent in this than in any other point of

difference.

 

I know—as we all do—very little of the practice and the spoken

and written doctrine of former times on the subject of nonresistance to evil. I knew what had been said on the subject by

the fathers of the Church—Origen, Tertullian, and others—I knew

too of the existence of some so-called sects of Mennonites,

Herrnhuters, and Quakers, who do not allow a Christian the use of

weapons, and do not eater military service; but I knew little of

what had been done. by these so-called sects toward expounding the

question.

 

My book was, as I had anticipated, suppressed by the Russian

censorship; but partly owing to my literary reputation, partly

because the book had excited people’s curiosity, it circulated in

manuscript and in lithographed copies in Russia and through

translations abroad, and it evolved, on one side, from those who

shared my convictions, a series of essays with a great deal of

information on the subject, on the other side a series of

criticisms on the principles laid down in my book.

 

A great deal was made clear to me by both hostile and sympathetic

criticism, and also by the historical events of late years; and I

was led to fresh results and conclusions, which I wish now to

expound.

 

First I will speak of the information I received on the history of

the question of nonresistance to evil; then of the views of this

question maintained by spiritual critics, that is, by professed

believers in the Christian religion, and also by temporal ones,

that is, those who do not profess the Christian religion; and

lastly I will speak of the conclusions to which I have been

brought by all this in the light of the historical events of late

years.

 

L. TOLSTOI.

YASNA�A POLIANA,

May 14/26, 1893.

 

CONTENTS.

 

I. THE DOCTRINE OF NONRESISTANCE TO EVIL BY FORCE

HAS BEEN PROFESSED BY A MINORITY OF MEN FROM

THE VERY FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY

 

II. CRITICISMS OF THE DOCTRINE OF NONRESISTANCE TO

EVIL BY FORCE ON THE PART OF BELIEVERS AND OF UNBELIEVERS

 

III. CHRISTIANITY MISUNDERSTOOD BY BELIEVERS

 

IV. CHRISTIANITY MISUNDERSTOOD BY MEN OF SCIENCE

 

V. CONTRADICTION BETWEEN OUR LIFE AND OUR CHRISTIAN

CONSCIENCE

 

VI. ATTITUDE OF MEN OF THE PRESENT DAY TO WAR

 

VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF COMPULSORY SERVICE

 

VIII. DOCTRINE OF NONRESISTANCE TO EVIL BY FORCE MUST

INEVITABLY BE ACCEPTED BY MEN OF THE PRESENT DAY

 

IX. THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPTION OF

LIFE WILL EMANCIPATE MEN FROM THE MISERIES OF OUR PAGAN

LIFE

 

X. EVIL CANNOT BE SUPRESSED BY THE PHYSICAL FORCE OF THE

GOVERNMENT—THE MORAL PROGRESS OF HUMANITY IS BROUGHT ABOUT

NOT ONLY BY INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION OF THE TRUTH BUT ALSO

THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PUBLIC OPINION

 

XI. THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPTION OF LIFE HAS ALREADY

ARISEN IN OUR SOCIETY, AND WILL INFALLIBLY PUT

AN END TO THE PRESENT ORGANIZATION OP OUR LIFE

BASED ON FORCE—WHEN THAT WILL BE

 

XII. CONCLUSION—REPENT YE, FOR THE KINGDOM OF

HEAVEN IS AT HAND

 

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you

free. “—John viii. 32.

 

“Fear not them which hill the body, but are not able to

kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to

destroy both soul and body in hell.”—MATT. x. 28.

 

“Ye have been bought with a price; be not ye the servants

of men.”—I COR. vii. 23.

 

“THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU.”

 

CHAPTER I.

 

THE DOCTRINE OF NONRESISTANCE TO EVIL BY FORCE HAS BEEN PROFESSED

BY A MINORITY OF MEN FROM THE VERY FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY.

 

Of the Book “What I Believe”—The Correspondence Evoked by it—

Letters from Quakers—Garrison’s Declaration—Adin Ballou, his

Works, his Catechism—Helchitsky’s “Net of Faith”—The Attitude

of the World to Works Elucidating Christ’s Teaching—Dymond’s

Book “On War”—Musser’s “Nonresistance Asserted”—Attitude of

the Government in 1818 to Men who Refused to Serve in the Army

—Hostile Attitude of Governments Generally and of Liberals to

Those who Refuse to Assist in Acts of State Violence, and their

Conscious Efforts to Silence and Suppress these Manifestations

of Christian Nonresistance.

 

Among the first responses some letters called forth by my book

were some letters from American Quakers. In these letters,

expressing their sympathy with my views on the unlawfulness for a

Christian of war and the use of force of any kind, the Quakers

gave me details of their own so-called