A great deal was made clear to me by both hostile and sympathetic criticism, and also by the historical events of late years; and I was led to fresh results and conclusions, which I wish now to expound.
First I will speak of the information I received on the history of the question of non-resistance to evil; then of the views of this question maintained by spiritual critics, that is, by professed believers in the Christian religion, and also by temporal ones, that is, those who do not profess the Christian religion; and lastly I will speak of the conclusions to which I have been brought by all this in the light of the historical events of late years.
L. TOLSTOY. YASNAÏA POLIANA, _May 14/26, 1893_.
I. THE DOCTRINE OF NON-RESISTANCE TO EVIL BY FORCE HAS BEEN PROFESSED BY A MINORITY OF MEN FROM THE VERY FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY, 1
II. CRITICISMS OF THE DOCTRINE OF NON-RESISTANCE TO EVIL BY FORCE ON THE PART OF BELIEVERS AND OF UNBELIEVERS, 29
III. CHRISTIANITY MISUNDERSTOOD BY BELIEVERS, 48
IV. CHRISTIANITY MISUNDERSTOOD BY MEN OF SCIENCE, 85
V. CONTRADICTION BETWEEN OUR LIFE AND OUR CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE, 109
VI. ATTITUDE OF MEN OF THE PRESENT DAY TO WAR, 133
VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF COMPULSORY SERVICE, 164
VIII. DOCTRINE OF NON-RESISTANCE TO EVIL BY FORCE MUST INEVITABLY BE ACCEPTED BY MEN OF THE PRESENT DAY, 184
IX. THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPTION OF LIFE WILL EMANCIPATE MEN FROM THE MISERIES OF OUR PAGAN LIFE, 208
X. EVIL CANNOT BE SUPPRESSED BY THE PHYSICAL FORCE OF THE GOVERNMENT--THE MORAL PROGRESS OF HUMANITY IS BROUGHT ABOUT NOT ONLY BY INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION OF THE TRUTH, BUT ALSO THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PUBLIC OPINION, 235
XI. THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPTION OF LIFE HAS ALREADY ARISEN IN OUR SOCIETY, AND WILL INFALLIBLY PUT AN END TO THE PRESENT ORGANIZATION OF OUR LIFE BASED ON FORCE--WHEN THAT WILL BE, 264
XII. CONCLUSION--REPENT YE, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND, 278
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."--JOHN viii. 32.
"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."--MATT. x. 28.
"Ye have been bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."--1 COR. vii. 23.