Email 1: What Most People Miss About Religion
Subject: What Most People Miss About Religion—and Why It Still Matters,
From kdm. . . .I’ll be honest: as I started into what follows, I quickly realized the writing style from Leo Tolstoy’s time—when The Kingdom of God Is Within You was written in 1893—feels so different that it’s almost distracting. The all-male language of the era doesn’t help either. So I’ve adapted his original message for today’s audience—without changing the meaning—so the core insight shines through.
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy, 1893
There are two major obstacles to understanding true Christianity: one is the church’s version of it, and the other is the scientific dismissal of it.
Churches replace Christianity with dogma. Scientists reject it entirely because they only look at the rigid, outdated teachings of religious institutions and conclude that religion has outlived its purpose. But Tolstoy warns that if we only judge Christianity based on its outward forms—rituals, doctrines, sacraments—we’re missing the point entirely.
To see what Christianity really is, we must understand how human life evolves. Just as an individual moves from childhood to maturity and shifts their worldview, humanity as a whole goes through stages of development. And just like individuals need guidance at every stage, so too do nations and civilizations. That guidance has always come in the form of religion.
“Religion is not a relic of the past—it is the ever-present, future-looking compass of humanity.”
We misunderstand religion when we treat it as a fossil—something to study, critique, and discard. True religion doesn’t look backward. It looks forward. It helps us navigate new realities, new complexities, and new moral choices that have never existed before.
That’s why Tolstoy says religion is not some emotional superstition or tradition—it’s the soul’s deep intuition of what lies ahead. It is our shared human capacity to foresee and shape a more meaningful life.
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Barnes & Noble, 1893), pp. 64–66
Let me know if you’d like part 2—it goes deeper into the three worldviews that shape how we live.
Warmly,
[Your Name]
Email 2: The Three Ways to See Life
Subject: The Three Ways People View Life (And Which One Leads to Freedom)
Dear [Name],
Continuing from Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God Is Within You, here’s a powerful concept: all of humanity’s moral choices stem from one of three worldviews. Understanding these, Tolstoy says, is key to grasping the purpose and power of Christianity.
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy, 1893
Tolstoy lays out three overarching worldviews, or “philosophies of life,” that shape everything we do:
- The Animal View (Self-Centered Life)
This is where life is about personal gratification. The goal is pleasure, wealth, power. The individual is the center of existence. Religion, in this case, is about appeasing personal gods who serve the individual’s will. - The Social View (Tribal/National Life)
This worldview expands focus beyond the self to one’s tribe, nation, or society. Personal sacrifice is made for the glory of the group. Religion here serves ancestors, rulers, or national heroes—gods who protect “us” but not “them.” - The Divine View (Universal Life)
In this view, life’s meaning extends beyond the individual or social groups. It is grounded in our relationship to God, the universal source of life. This is the Christian ideal. Here, we act out of love, not duty. We serve not family or nation alone, but all of humanity—and beyond that, the will of God.
“The man who holds the divine theory of life… is ready to sacrifice his individual, his family, and social welfare to fulfill the will of God.”
Tolstoy says that history itself is the gradual evolution from the animal view to the divine view. Ancient societies lived primarily for self or state. Christianity introduced a third path—one that teaches us to live for something eternal.
Still, modern thinkers misunderstand this. They either discard Christianity entirely or try to reshape it into their own philosophies. They reject or revise Christ’s teachings—such as nonresistance to evil or love for enemies—because they don’t see how those could be lived out. But that’s the mistake.
“To reject the principle of nonresistance is like rejecting the definition of a circle because it requires all radii to be equal. It’s not exaggerated—it’s essential.”
Tolstoy’s point is: we cannot understand a higher truth by standing on a lower level. To judge Christianity from a selfish or political perspective is like trying to judge the beauty of a cathedral while standing in its basement.
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Barnes & Noble, 1893), pp. 66–69
The final part reveals how Christ’s vision of perfection isn’t a rulebook—it’s an ideal that calls us forward. I’ll send it next.
Warmly,
[Your Name]
Email 3: The Asymptote of Christian Life
Subject: Why Christ’s Teachings Seem Impossible—But Aren’t
Dear [Name],
We’ve arrived at what might be Tolstoy’s most liberating idea in The Kingdom of God Is Within You: Christ’s teachings are not impossible rules—they are guiding ideals.
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy, 1893
Many modern thinkers reject Christian morality—especially teachings like “do not resist evil,” “love your enemies,” or “take no thought for tomorrow”—because they seem impractical. “If we lived this way,” they say, “society would collapse.”
Tolstoy argues this is a misunderstanding.
Christ never intended his teachings as legal mandates to be fulfilled perfectly. Instead, they are like an asymptote—a line that a curve approaches but never quite reaches. Perfection is not the expectation; movement toward it is the point.
“Christ’s teachings don’t lay down rules. They point to the infinite perfection of our Heavenly Parent, which we are called to strive toward—forever.”
Life, according to earlier religions, meant following laws. But in Christianity, life is about moving steadily—imperfectly but sincerely—toward divine goodness. The five commandments of the Sermon on the Mount aren’t laws but mile markers.
Here’s how Tolstoy frames them:
- The ideal is to love everyone. The minimum precept is: don’t speak evil of others.
- The ideal is pure thoughts and pure heart. The minimum: honor marital fidelity.
- The ideal is complete trust in God. The minimum: don’t make oaths.
- The ideal is never to use force. The minimum: don’t retaliate.
- The ideal is loving your enemies. The minimum: don’t hate or speak against them.
These are not checklists for salvation. They are signposts on an eternal path. As Tolstoy says, “Letting go of the ideal not only weakens it—it destroys its power altogether.”
The point of Christian life is not perfection. It’s transformation.
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Barnes & Noble, 1893), pp. 70–76
This idea, that life is a striving toward infinite good, is what gives Christianity its enduring power.
Warmly, kdm
