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The Kingdom of God Is Within You
A Signature on a Portrait: Highlights of Tolstoys Thought. Product images are for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual product. Due to differences in monitors, colors of products may also appear different to those shown on the site. The book cover, binding and edition may vary from the one shown. Like New An apparently unread copy in perfect condition.
We take pride in serving you. The picture may not reflect the books condition or specific edition. Hackett Publishing Co, Inc. It describes his search for 'a practical religion not promising future bliss but giving bliss on earth'. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. If there's a problem, just let us know and we fix it.
This work describes his search for 'a practical religion not promising future bliss but giving bliss on earth'. It's hard to claim that resistance is wrong because it doesn't work; there are those who will always argue that it does. The bigger issue, perhaps, is that it makes you similar to what you're resisting. He departs from the Gospel message in at least one key regard. He relies on evidence for some assertions but also makes plenty of unsupported allegations and blanket generalizations.
Some of these do seem oddly timeless and apropos of our current age, as for instance when he says that scientists see Christianity "as a religion which has outlived its age" and that "[t]he significance of the Gospel is hidden from believers by the Church, from unbelievers by Science. Aug 13, Jeske rated it it was amazing Shelves: It's been almost a month since i finished this book, and i still think about it every day. It has greatly impressed and inspired me. I am not good at writing reviews, especially about great books, that's why i have been putting it off.
But it deserves some praise from my side, since it's the best book i've read this year. I love Tolstoy's honest and raw way of writing and arguing. His vision on non-resistence to evil which is present throughout the whole book, is wonderfully radical and inspiring It's been almost a month since i finished this book, and i still think about it every day.
His vision on non-resistence to evil which is present throughout the whole book, is wonderfully radical and inspiring. He saw and clearly argued that the church got Jesus' message all wrong. I did not agree with everything. For example, he claims that believing the things of the bible that go against science is merely supersition and a way of the church leaders to gain power over people.
I think there are things in life that cannot be explained by science, but whose existence we cannot deny. Not agreeing with everything, for me, is not a hindrance in learning from and being changed for the better by a book and this is a great example of that. I particularly loved this part: The essence of religion lies in the property of men prophetically to foresee and point out the path of life, over which humanity must travel, in a new definition of the meaning of life, from which also results a new, the whole future activity of humanity.
This property of foreseeing the path on which humanity must travel is in a greater or lesser degree common to all men, but there have always, at all times, been men, in whom this quality has been manifested with particular force, and these men expressed clearly and precisely what was dimly felt by all men, and established a new comprehension of life, from which resulted an entirely new activity, for hundreds and thousands of years.
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We know three such conceptions of life: There are three, and only three, such conceptions, not because we have arbitrarily united all kinds of life-conceptions into these three, but because the acts of men always have for their base one of these three life-conceptions, because we cannot understand life in any other way than by one of these three means. The three life-conceptions are these: These three life-conceptions serve as the foundation of all past and present religions.
The savage recognizes life only in himself, in his personal desires. The good of his life is centred in himself alone. The highest good for him is the greatest gratification of his lust. The prime mover of his life is his personal enjoyment. His religion consists in appeasing the divinity in his favor, and in the worship of imaginary personalities of gods, who live only for personal ends.
The prime mover of his life is glory. All these various forms of life are based on the same concept that the life of the personality is not a sufficient aim of life and that the meaning of life can be found only in the aggregate of personalities. The prime mover of his religion is love. And his religion is the worship in deed and in truth of the beginning of everything, of God. The whole historical life of humanity is nothing but a gradual transition from the personal, the animal life-conception, to the social, and from the social to the divine.
The whole history of the ancient nations, which lasted for thousands of years and which came to a conclusion with the history of Rome, is the history of the substitution of the social and the political life-conception for the animal, the personal. The whole history since the time of imperial Rome and the appearance of Christianity has been the history of the substitution of the divine life-conception for the political, and we are passing through it even now.
He believes we as humanity are at a turning point; things will gradually change for the better, society will pass into a state where there are no ruling powers, violence and force no longer exist, a society based on mutual aid, and all our actions will spring from love and the realization we are all brothers and sisters. It's a beautiful idea. But i can't help wondering if he would have written the same thing after the two world wars. And if his argument for non-resistence to evil would still stand when he learned of the demonic ISIS.
It doesn't mean i disagree or think him naieve. I just wish i could find a version of his philosophy that could actually be realized in a world like this. I strongly agree that violence is never the answer. But turning the other cheek would never have worked to stop Hitler. Jun 01, Stas Sajin rated it it was amazing. We are all brothers, but every morning I must have a cigar, a sweetmeat, an ice, and such things, which my brothers and sisters have been wasting their health in manufacturing, and I enjoy these things and demand them.
We are all brothers, yet I live by working in a bank, or mercantile house, or shop at making all goods you will feel yourself better and more truth-loving after having read this. We are all brothers, yet I live by working in a bank, or mercantile house, or shop at making all goods dearer for my brothers. We are all brothers, but I live on a salary paid me for prosecuting, judging, and condemning the thief or the prostitute whose existence the whole tenor of my life tends to bring about, and who I know ought not to be punished but reformed.
We are all brothers, but I live on the salary I gain by collecting taxes from needy laborers to be spent on the luxuries of the rich and idle. We are all brothers, but I take a stipend for preaching a false Christian religion, which I do not myself believe in, and which only serve's to hinder men from understanding true Christianity. I take a stipend as priest or bishop for deceiving men in the matter of the greatest importance to them. We are all brothers, but I will not give the poor the benefit of my educational, medical, or literary labors except for money.
The Kingdom of God Is Within You
We are all brothers, yet I take a salary for being ready to commit murder, for teaching men to murder, or making firearms, gunpowder, or fortifications. Sep 09, mic boshans rated it it was amazing.
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Never mind the cover. This book is amazing! One of the most important books I've ever read Read the description; I think it's pretty right on. If you've ever called yourself a Christian, this is a must read. If you think Christians are misguided or even dangerous, you should read this book.
If you like certain aspects of Christianity but think that organized religion is a crock, you should read this book. If you think war is a necessary evil, read this book. If you think Gandhi was on to somet Never mind the cover. If you think Gandhi was on to something, you should read this book. If you consider yourself an anarchist, you should read this book. If you think anarchists are ridiculous, you should read this book. If you haven't read this book, you should read this book.
Oct 15, Ellen Matheson rated it really liked it. Beautiful, challenging philosophy from Tolstoy in his final years. His central premise is the importance of aspiring to be truly Christian even as we live in a world controlled by corrupt governments and religions. In Tolstoy's perfect world, nations would disband all governments, courts, militaries, and even the concept of nationhood itself, as all of these entities contribute to division and conflict - inherently un-Christian realities. But it is not the concept of this perfect world that diff Beautiful, challenging philosophy from Tolstoy in his final years.
But it is not the concept of this perfect world that differentiates Tolstoy from other great philosophers. It is his claim about how to build such a world: Every individual must recognize for herself what is true [i. Christian] and what is false. This act of recognition presents the greatest challenge to Christians living in the modern world as governments and religions effectively obscure our understanding of Christ's teaching.
Mar 28, Moon Rose rated it it was amazing Shelves: If Dostoevsky triggered the awakening of my consciousness Somehow Tolstoy put words into it with this sublime book. Dostoevsky's philosophies enabled my mind to plunge deeper into the depths of my soul, the wisdom was attained yet it was difficult to articulate it into words, not until I came across this book, The Kingdom Of God Is Within You by Tolstoy.
It reflects Tolstoy's belief that a society of peace, harmony and love is possible and only in our midst, if only we could learn to live in J If Dostoevsky triggered the awakening of my consciousness In reality, it looks like Tolstoy fails to convey this simple and yet profound message during his time and up until now. Most people will perhaps just shrug their shoulders and move on upon reading the book and fail to see the penetrating light that the book gives. Not knowing fully that this book will enable them to awaken their consciousness thereby allowing them to see the way to life's true purpose.
Nonresistance, non judgment are in simple word.. Often associated with weakness yet it is a true sign of strength. Through this, you open yourself to the Divine and instead of separating yourself from HIM, you include yourself to the Divine Whole and align yourself to the true universal destiny Perhaps, resistance and violence that result to more sufferings, are also part of the Great Design since it is only through suffering, when we are on the brink of precipice, that we learn to change Nov 22, Rick rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: It's easier to go along with the flow of life than it is to stand firm on eternal truths and thus to oppose political and religious paradigms.
Sure enough Tolstoy can find dozens of ways to state his case that Christianity is good and organized religion is not. And every way is relevent and true. Church complicity with worldly authorities, ready to support the violence of war and the oppression of the weak is quite at odds with the messages of Jesus Christ himself. And indeed it is difficult to imagine a position more wretched than that of the Christian world today, with its nations armed against one another, with its constantly increasing taxation to maintain its armies, with the hatred of the working class for the rich ever growing more intense, with Damocles sword of war hanging over the heads of all, ready every instant to fall sooner or later.
And this was written in ! I have considered this since I read it probably 6 years ago to be my favorite book, or at least the book that has challenged me the most. It's as powerful of a testament to Christian nonviolence as I imagine has ever been written. Probably it's most well-known claim to fame is that Gandhi cites it as the book that influenced him most in his life, even though he was a devout Hindu.
Mar 29, Ryan rated it really liked it. Tolstoy's radical take on Christianity may not sound so radical at first: The sermon on the mount, in particular, is afforded special emphasis as a sort of new set of commandments. This is, notably, the sermon in which Jesus instructs us to turn the other cheek and be forgiving and loving of one another.
The Kingdom Of God Is Within You
These teachings, he writes, constitute the body of Christianity- they define what it mea Tolstoy's radical take on Christianity may not sound so radical at first: These teachings, he writes, constitute the body of Christianity- they define what it means to be a follower of Christ. If we are to love one another universally, how can we reconcile this with state obligations that would have us go to war? What are we to do about the imprisoning, torture and killing of evildoers?
Is it truly a Christian society that relies on the widespread exploitation and deprivation of lower classes? Jesus's vision is a radical one that aims to unite all peoples in love as equals- so how close are we to this, after two millennia of rule of so-called "christian nations? His doctrine also calls into question the focus on superstition and supernatural dogma of the established churches. Nothing like the church, he argues, appears in Jesus's direct teachings, with all its earthly powers and authority. Living at the turn of the 20th century in Russia, Tolstoy saw the writing on the walls: He foresaw at least World War One, and makes other prescient remarks essentially about mutually assured destruction.
This is the real focus of his work, to ask why as a species we seem hellbent on self-destruction and why we all willingly work together to enact the hateful, mad schemes of our imposed rulers, to the deprivation of ourselves and our neighbors. The way out of this blood-soaked labyrinth is his "Christian conception of life. Rational self-interest, the latest holy cow of enshrined state philosophy, is in Tolstoy's argument both the mode of the state conception of life "I will do what's best for me and my family" and the critical link in the chains that keep us fettered to mass suffering.
As long as we look out for number one, we can never mount a meaningful resistance to this maltreatment, for to step out of line as a solitary soul risks much while accomplishing little for the self, that is. Directing all of us to focus on ourselves rather than our collective interest is the ultimate "divide and conquer" that drives a wedge between everyone. Tolstoy's "Christian conception of life", by contrast, places adherence to a Godly ideal above all else: Now if this is our deepest motive, above all petty self-interest, we should have no problem suffering and even dying in order to serve this higher spiritual vision of human potential.
Tolstoy means total radical non-compliance with the state, especially forced conscription, while maintaining nonviolence and accepting the punishments that the rulers of this earthly realm may dish out. Sounds an awful lot like the early Christians who were persecuted by the Romans- even Jesus himself, killed for challenging the authorities of his time. I believe that Tolstoy is onto something very important here. Rational self-interest has been studied extensively in game theory and economics. It can be mathematically and experimentally shown in the "prisoner's dilemma" that it doesn't always lead to the best possible outcome- and in fact causes us to figuratively shoot ourselves in the foot.
Hofstadter's notion of "hyperrationality" was one attempt to get out of this self-imposed trap; I think Tolstoy is dealing with exactly the same questions. Altogether, this was a very interesting and powerful polemic, and I was extremely excited to finally find an author who seems to take the same understanding of Christianity as I have. Tolstoy lacks economic theory, and as a result seems to see wars as a result of the petty vanities and disagreements between our rules. Perhaps true in his time, but I am inclined to think war has always been an economic device.
Nevertheless, he was a remarkably visionary author and reads as a voice of sanity crying out in the wilderness, as his era slipped inexorably toward the yawning pit of global catastrophe. In this book, Tolstoy uses Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to makes a brave, impassioned argument for pacifism and the abolishment of all governments. He makes some great points, but his argument is utterly lacking in nuance. For example, the Bible commands us not to lie, but polite society would undoubtedly break down if, every time we said "nice to see you" to someone, we had to stop a moment and ascertain whether such was indeed actually the case.
We can also reasonably assume that "turning the ot In this book, Tolstoy uses Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to makes a brave, impassioned argument for pacifism and the abolishment of all governments. We can also reasonably assume that "turning the other cheek" wasn't meant to apply in the event you come face-to-face with a serial killer who wants to make you his next victim; and we can suppose that "Thou shalt not kill" goes out the window if you have a chance to take out a terrorist about to detonate a nuclear weapon. However, for Tolstoy, every Biblical imperative is rendered in complete black and white, and there is no such thing as mitigating circumstances regarding their implementation.
Jesus' words were certainly the ideal by which to live, but, in the case of the terrorist, who do you apply the golden rule to--the murderer or the potential victims? Because, obviously, if you were the terrorist, you would want something completely different than if you were the victim.
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Tolstoy would say that, in such case, "do unto others" applies to the terrorist, and we, as a society, would best try to just absorb the damage as best we could. Tolstoy believes that there should be no government, no prisons, and no law enforcement of any kind, because such would violate Christ's call for us to be forgiving. But the idea of forgiveness doesn't always necessitate freedom from punishment, and forgiveness was never put forth as a licence to act with impunity. I think you can forgive someone for crashing into your car and yet still expect them to pay for the damages.
Tolstoy argues that, through non-violent resistance, we can bring about heaven on earth thus the title of the book, "The Kingdom of Heaven is Within You". But Tolstoy is taking this verse out of context, and, in reality, humanity has little hope for true world peace until Christ returns.
That's not to say we shouldn't try, and Tolstoy's book best serves as a wake-up call to remind us of our duty to our fellow man. Then there's the presentation of the book itself, which is badly in need of a good editor as noted in the introduction by the translator, who states that Tolstoy was much more careful about structuring his novels than his non-fiction works and, in the case of my copy, a much better proofreader. It's fatally repetitive and a complete slog to get through, but parts of it are rewarding enough to make it worthwhile--though just barely so. Ghandi My experiments with the truth.
A great and terrible book, from Tolstoy the man who bought you War and Peace and Christian Anarchism. This was the book that directly inspired Gandhi to begin his non violent resistance movement, and for that reason alone it is worth reading. It is very inspiring, if anything it suffers from being too impassioned. It is a direct call for individuals to take personal responsibility for their actions.
A very simple idea, but Tolstoy illustrates the power of it exceedingly well, his call centres on A great and terrible book, from Tolstoy the man who bought you War and Peace and Christian Anarchism. A very simple idea, but Tolstoy illustrates the power of it exceedingly well, his call centres on it being a Christian moral imperative, but I think it's easy to follow his arguments as an atheist.
His arguments are very perhaps too well illustrated, and become tragic in light of latter communist developments in Russia. Despite coming for an imperialist extremity the arguments are still uncomfortably appropriate for today's society, we have exported the peasant class, but we all have the unpleasant knowledge that families are enslaved across the world in growing us bananas and coffee, and in making our clothes and knick knacks. It is a knowledge we would rather not have. It is a responsibility we would rather not possess, but as Tolstoy beautifully argues the most damaging evil we can perpetrate is a hypocritical defence of these atrocities.
It can be read on-line here: Dec 12, Joshua Lawson rated it it was amazing Shelves: Leo Tolstoy is no joke. The Kingdom of God is Within You is a scathing critique of the present evil age, just as applicable now as it was when Tolstoy wrote in the late 's. This is hard, cold argument, the kind you might expect if you were listening to Tolstoy lecture and persuade a disobedient child, only the child in view here is hu Reader beware: This is hard, cold argument, the kind you might expect if you were listening to Tolstoy lecture and persuade a disobedient child, only the child in view here is humanity and our disobedience is the blind allegiance we give to the temporal powers who enslave and rule people by violence and threat of force.
The only hope of a better way, Tolstoy argues, is found in the teaching and spirit of Jesus--in particular the nonviolent resistance to evil he spoke about in the Sermon on the Mount. Tolstoy hammers home this point from almost every imaginable angle, and his arguments leave no room for indifference. Make no mistake about it, this book will leave you reeling long after you put it down. Banned for publication in Russia, this book was first published in Germany in The reason for its banning is for some reason not emphasized by many, which simply is that Tolstoy openly opposed organized religion, including his very own and Russia's official religion, the Greek Orthodox Church.
Tolstoy's perspective is that the true and pure teachings of Christ are found in the bible and in its principles, not by traditions or clergy. In fact, Tolstoy argues that churches have become the chi Banned for publication in Russia, this book was first published in Germany in Churchmen actually oppose Christianity by teaching their infallibility, and they have come to represent pride, violence, stagnation, and death.
The Christian church is hypocritical because it preaches the principles of Jesus but does not follow them. Still less can he claim this for any body of men. Here is his view on the traditions surrounding marriage that I found particularly amusing: He points out that, even though governments may occasionally support for these endeavours, it is executed half-heartedly at best.
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Governments are not at all interested in keeping the peace and when their sovereignty is threatened, all talks of peace are abandoned and replaced with actions of war. In this way the two organizations feed off each other at the expense of the suffrage of the common people. The more talked about part of this work is that it is a key text for Tolstoyan proponents of nonviolence, of nonviolent resistance, and of the Christian anarchist movement. In Tolstoy wrote, and Gandhi read, A Letter to a Hindu, which outlines the notion that only by using love as a weapon through passive resistance could the native Indian people overthrow the colonial British Empire.
This idea ultimately came to fruition through Gandhi's organization of nationwide nonviolent strikes and protests during the years — In , Gandhi wrote to Tolstoy seeking advice and permission to republish A Letter to a Hindu in his native language, Gujarati.
Though I really do appreciate Tolstoy for his criticisms of organized religion and the government of his time, when Christianity is reduced, omitting the churches, priests and other churchmen, traditions and rituals then all your left with is the morality of Christianity. To some this reductionism is too much. To me personally, I feel I can fit right in provided that we do away with non-individual revelations as well. This feels more like a Christian-Deism though. Further, I appreciate Tolstoy for his important influences for non-violent protests that worked rather successfully for Gandhi.
When a population is oppressed by an authority but are not being systematically murdered, this type of protest can be really effective. On the other hand, Tolstoy's pacifism is too naive for the more aggressive of enemies. When a country is being invaded or a people are being killed, one doesn't simply surrender to slaughter and oppression. There are good reasons to fight and engage in war.
Defending the lives and quality of life for those people of whom cannot defend themselves, is a good reason to fight. Tolstoy's philosophy seems to border somewhere between Kantian Moralism and Virtue Ethics. Virtue Ethics because he seems to imply that because a moral law implies a moral lawgiver God , law and obligation are irrelevant in modern secular society. As such Kant's formulation of universalisability seems to apply but are founded in the dictates of the Christian God. The idea of Tolstoy following the first Categorical Imperative is further re-enforced in his book "Youth" where the protagonist, semi-autobiographical, argues that he is striving for morality though his faculties of reason.
Kant believed that morality is the objective law of reason. Interestingly enough, however, Tolstoy criticized Kantian Moralism. In short, though it has striking similarities to other philosophies, Tolstoy's moralism is somewhat of a contradiction and is probably best left in a category of it's own. This work is a great one not only for it's historical significance and influences but also for its thought provoking characteristics.
Jun 26, Tyler rated it liked it Recommends it for: Recommended by a friend. Just started it today. I can't make up my mind whether I am in love with or outraged by Tolstoy's emphatically constructed case for pacifism. It makes me want to strangle the man. I skimmed over a lot of Tolstoy's polemics. I enjoyed his critiques of Christianity more than his case for pacifism.