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What I Believe
by
Leo Tolstoy
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than ...more
Paperback, 66 pages
Published
by General Books
(first published 1976)
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Here we get the real germ of the Count's way of life- explanations. Dismissed by one of my twenties-era friends who didn't know any better than to say so as "some pacifist watching a battle someplace" (i.e; War and Peace, Tolstoy himself actually began as a military man, & received his title for his efforts on behalf of the czar. To say he was a pacifist before he actually became one is disingenuous. But anyway...
Like Leo, I believe swearing an oath on behalf of Any government is...more
Like Leo, I believe swearing an oath on behalf of Any government is...more
A different side of Tolstoy. He did deep research into the Bible and the basic tenets of Christianity to write this very thought-provoking book. He is convincing when you first read it, but the arguments tend to erode over time, especially considered in the light of Tolstoy's own life choices.
This is some difficult stuff that he requires of us - but when one really steps back and looks at it, it is honestly the doctrine of Jesus of Nazareth that has long been forgotten. This book is idealistic and impractical - but so was Jesus - it is scripture and should be treated as such.
This book is nothing but the Truth.
This book straight up blew my mind. It's a major reworking of the message of Christianity, and although I find it generally dismissive of a lot of scripture, the challenging re-presentation of the doctrine of Christ is certainly an interesting and insightful reading of the gospels.
Do not resist evil or the evil person; that is the gist of it, the gist, that is, of the entire book.
so you think u r a xtian? mmmmmhhhh.......
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also: Lew Tolstoj, Lew Tolstoi, Leon Tolstoi, Leo Tolstoi
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Никола́евич Толсто́й), commonly referred to in English as Leo (Lyof, Lyoff) Tolstoy, was a Russian writer – novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher – as well as pacifist Christian anarchist and educational reformer. He was the most influential member of the aristocratic Tolstoy f...more
More about Leo Tolstoy...
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Никола́евич Толсто́й), commonly referred to in English as Leo (Lyof, Lyoff) Tolstoy, was a Russian writer – novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher – as well as pacifist Christian anarchist and educational reformer. He was the most influential member of the aristocratic Tolstoy f...more
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“The doctrine of Christ, which teaches love, humility, and self-denial, had always attracted me. But I
found a contrary law, both in the history of the past and in the present organization of our lives – a law
repugnant to my heart, my conscience, and my reason, but one that flattered my animal instincts. I knew
that if I accepted the doctrine of Christ, I should be forsaken, miserable, persecuted, and sorrowing, as
Christ tells us His followers will be. I knew that if I accepted that law of man, I should have the
approbation of my fellow-men; I should be at peace and in safety; all possible sophisms would be at
hand to quiet my conscience and I should ‘laugh and be merry,’ as Christ says. I felt this, and therefore I
avoided a closer examination of the law of Christ, and tried to comprehend it in a way that should not
prevent my still leading my animal life. But, finding that impossible, I desisted from all attempts at
comprehension.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
found a contrary law, both in the history of the past and in the present organization of our lives – a law
repugnant to my heart, my conscience, and my reason, but one that flattered my animal instincts. I knew
that if I accepted the doctrine of Christ, I should be forsaken, miserable, persecuted, and sorrowing, as
Christ tells us His followers will be. I knew that if I accepted that law of man, I should have the
approbation of my fellow-men; I should be at peace and in safety; all possible sophisms would be at
hand to quiet my conscience and I should ‘laugh and be merry,’ as Christ says. I felt this, and therefore I
avoided a closer examination of the law of Christ, and tried to comprehend it in a way that should not
prevent my still leading my animal life. But, finding that impossible, I desisted from all attempts at
comprehension.”
