The Kingdom of God is within You

I have read quite a few books over the course of this year, but the most view-changing among them was The Kingdom of God is within You, by Leo Tolstoy. Apart from influencing Nelson Mandela, it is an important text to Christian anarchists.

The central premise of his work is that when God commands us, “Thou Shall not Murder”, how can we kill anybody for any reason? He asks, why is it wrong when one man kills another, but acceptable when nations destroy each other? In addition, he believes that we cannot judge our fellow man, and so should not send people to jail or administer the death penalty for crimes. We must ‘turn the other cheek’ as Jesus told us to. Because of those ideas, he believes that no government is justified, because their purposes are contrary to the Bible.

His book questions the answers that people have given in response to arguments like his, people who claim war is unavoidable, or that some people are simply savage and would destroy cultured civilization. Meticulously, he points out the flaws in their arguments.

Tolstoy explains the development of mans’ love. He shows how man first loved only himself, and then his family, then his heathen ‘religion’, and now his country. Jesus signaled the coming of last phase, the phase when man loved all, like his father in heaven.

Later in his book, he shows how this change is not already come about. The blame is shuttled all about for these transgressions of God’s law, so no man can stop himself from doing what he knows is wrong.

Tolstoy created a unique idea of Christianity later in life, but he was not proud of himself as a young man.

"I cannot recall those years without horror, loathing, and heart-rending pain. I killed people in war, challenged men to duels with the purpose of killing them, and lost at cards; I squandered the fruits of the peasants' toil and then had them executed; I was a fornicator and a cheat. Lying, stealing, promiscuity of every kind, drunkenness, violence, murder - there was not a crime I did not commit...Thus I lived for ten years."

Tolstoy was also know for writing War and Peace, as well as Anna Karenina. After Mahatma Gandhi read The Kingdom of God is within You, they started a correspondence and became friends.

I believe this book should be at the top of everybody’s reading list. Even if you disagree with the author's opinion, it is tremendously helpful to understand this alternate viewpoint towards the world.