The Kingdom of God is Within You

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CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Jan 26, 2011 - Religion - 240 pages
LEO TOLSTOY was a Russian writer who many consider to be the world's greatest novelist.

His masterpieces WAR AND PEACE and ANNA KARENINA represent, in their scope, breadth and vivid depiction of life and attitudes, the peak of realist fiction.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU is the nonfiction masterpiece of Leo Tolstoy. It is the culmination of thirty years, and lays out a new organization for society based on the Bible's teachings.

In the book Tolstoy speaks of the principle of non-violent resistance when confronted by violence, as taught by Jesus. Tolstoy sought what was the true message of Jesus Christ, as contained in the Gospels.

Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his autobiography that this book "overwhelmed" him and "left an abiding impression." Gandhi listed Tolstoy's book as one of the most important modern influences in his life. Reading this book directly inspired his fight for social justice. Martin Luther King, too, was deeply influenced by this book.

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About the author (2011)

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828 in Russia. He is usually referred to as Leo Tolstoy. He was a Russian author who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. Leo Tolstoy is best known for his novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). Tolstoy's fiction includes dozens of short stories and several novellas such as The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Family Happiness, and Hadji Murad. He also wrote plays and numerous philosophical essays. Tolstoy had a profound moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870's which he outlined in his work, A Confession. His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His ideas of nonviolent resistance which he shared in his works The Kingdom of God is Within You, had a profund impact on figures such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. On September 23, 1862 Tolstoy married Sophia Andreevna Behrs. She was the daughter of a court physician. They had 13 children, eight of whom survived childhood. Their early married life allowed Tolstoy much freedom to compose War and Peace and Anna Karenina with his wife acting as his secretary and proofreader. The Tolstoy family left Russia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent establishment of the Soviet Union. Leo Tolstoy's relatives and descendants moved to Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the United States. Tolstoy died of pneumonia at Astapovo train station, after a day's rail journey south on November 20, 1910 at the age of 82.

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