The Kingdom of God Is Within You

By Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God Is Within You is a fascinating work, from both a religious and a historical perspective. In the book he outlines a radical reorganization of society based on a literal translation of Christianity. Not in a Holy Roller sort of way but in an actual "What would Jesus do?" sort of way, banning war and murder and following the teachings of Christ to a 'T'.

This book would have a profound effect on Gandhi, who after reading it was turned on to the idea of liberating his people from British rule. Tolstoy wrote to Gandhi in a letter titled "A letter to a Hindu," in which he details the notion that only by using love as a weapon through passive resistance would his people be set free. Eventually this would come true as Gandhi applied the teachings of non-violence to his revolution. The two had an ongoing correspondence, and just before his death Tolstoy wrote again to the Hindu - which was the last letter the Russian literary master ever wrote.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sheba Blake Publishing
• Release date: Jun 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9789635274161

Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy grew up in Russia, raised by a elderly aunt and educated by French tutors while studying at Kazen University before giving up on his education and volunteering for military duty. When writing his greatest works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy drew upon his diaries for material. At eighty-two, while away from home, he suffered from declining health and died in Astapovo, Riazan in 1910.

Reviews for The Kingdom of God Is Within You

[william1tucker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

a great book that made me think about my life a great deal. However his conclusions regarding Christian morality changing the hearts of violent men, especially those who engage in religious violence such as in the Middle East seems highly naive

[wishanem · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tolstoy has some ideas which still stand more than a century later. Other ideas, not so much. For instance, he claims that honor will always require that men duel to the death, and only an increase in the practice of Christian morality will solve the problem.

[billt568-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

a great book that made me think about my life a great deal. However his conclusions regarding Christian morality changing the hearts of violent men, especially those who engage in religious violence such as in the Middle East seems highly naive

[johnkuypers_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thought provoking and radical. A man far ahead of his time as this was written in 1890's. He saw the truth of Jesus message and found war incompatible. Apparently, this book inspired Mahatma Gandhi.