The Kingdom of God is Within You

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

The Kingdom of God is Within You

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Leo Tolstoy's landmark treatise challenges the Church and state to abandon violence, arguing that true Christianity demands non-resistance to evil. A prophetic call for spiritual renewal and social reform, it inspires modern movements for peaceful resistance by urging individuals to live by conscience rather than coercion.

Summary up to 500 words

In *The Kingdom of God is Within You*, Leo Tolstoy delivers a profound critique of the established Church and state, arguing that they have fundamentally perverted Christ's true teachings by sanctioning war and capital punishment. Tolstoy asserts that the doctrine of non-resistance to evil by force has been professed by a minority of Christians since the religion's foundation, yet the majority have succumbed to corruption. He contends that resisting evil with force is irrational, as no external authority can define evil for all humanity; what one set of men commits for profit or caprice, another set submits to not out of necessity, but because they cannot help themselves. Tolstoy exposes the hypocrisy of those who claim to serve God while engaging in violence, noting that the corruption of Christianity was as necessary as a seed remaining hidden in the earth before germination. He illustrates that the majority of Christians have only been brought to recognize the truth of non-resistance through a long course of mistakes, experiments, and suffering. The book serves as a powerful indictment of state violence, arguing that the organization of society based on force is doomed to destruction. Tolstoy urges readers to recognize the truth of non-resistance, even if they cannot immediately abandon their social roles as landowners, capitalists, or soldiers. He emphasizes that the sole duty of life is to serve humanity by establishing the Kingdom of God within oneself through the recognition and profession of truth. By refusing to lie about the truth, individuals can begin to purify their existence, contributing to the inevitable emancipation of humanity from the miseries of a pagan life based on force. Ultimately, Tolstoy presents Christianity not as a legal system imposed by violence, but as a new and higher conception of life that must be freely assimilated by every individual conscience.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks/leo-tolstoy_kingdom-of-god-is-within-you.epub

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Categories

• Religion
• Philosophy