Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-04-27
A Religious
Revolution Is
Impending
BY COUNT LEO ToLsTOI

N the gospel is said that during the transition from one age to
another ALL KINDS OF CALAMITIES shall take place
treacheries, frauds, cruelties and wars-and that owing
-1-s to lawlessness love will sacken. understand these words,
not a.. a supernatural prophecy, but as an indication that
when the faith in the form of life in which men lived is being replaced
by another, when THAT WHICH is OUTLINED AND OLD
IS FALLING OFF AND BEING REPLACED BY TIE NEW,
then great disturbances, cruelties, frauds, treacheries and every kind
of lawlessness must unavoidably take place, and, in consequence of this
lawlessne#, LOVE, THE MOST IMPORTANT AND NECEs-
SARY QUALITY FOR THE SOCIAL LIFE OF MEN, mnst
sacken.
THIS IS WHAT IS NOW TAKING PLACE, NOT ONLY IN RUS.
STA, BUT IN ALL THE CHRISTIAN WORLD. IN RUSSIA 1T HAS
ONLY MANIFESTED ITSELF MORE WILDLY AND OPENLY, BUT IN
ALL cHRlSTENDoM THE SAME is GOING ON. ONLY IN A CON-
cEALED OR LATENT STATE.
think that at present the life of the Christian nations is close to
the limit dividing THE OLD EPOCH, WHICH is ENDING,
FROM THE NEW, WHICH is BEGINNING. | think that the
great revolution has begun which for almost two thousand years has
been preparing in all C~hristendom, A REVOLUTION Consist
ING IN THE TRIUMPH OF TRUE CHRISTIANITY, and
founded upon it the recognition of the E alIy Of all and OF that
TRUE LIBERTY natural to all rational beings, dsphcmg a dis
torted Christianity and the power Of n portion Of mankind and the
slavery of another founded upon it. The external symptoms of this |
SEE in the strenuous struggle between classes in all nations, IN THE
COLD CRUELTY OF THE WEALTHY, the evaporation and
despair of the poor, the insane, senseless, ever increasing ornaments
of all governments against each other, the spread of the mreaizable
teachings of Socialism, in the futilty and stupidity of the idle discus
sions and examinations upheld as the most important mental activity
called science, IN THE MORBID EMPTINESS OF ART in all
its manifestations, and, above all, not only the absence of any religion
in the leading spheres, but in the deliberate negation of all religion,
and by the substitution of THE LEGALITY OF THE OPPIES-
SION OF THE WEAK BY THE STRONG, and therefore in the
complete absence of any rational guiding principles in life.
That which has brought Christian nations in he position in which
they now are began long ago. 1t began when Christianity was first
recognized as a state reigion-A STATE FOUNDED UPON
COERCION, demanding for its existence complete obedience to its
laws in preference to the religious law; a state unable to exist without
executives, armies and wars; a state attributng almost divine author
iv to its rulers; A STATE EXTOIIING WEALTH AND
POWER. And such an institution, in the persons of its rulers and
subjects, processes to accept the Christian religion, which procaims
COMPLETE EQUALITY AND FREEDOM AMONG MEN, rec
ognizes one law of God az higher than all other laws-a religion which
not only repudiates all coercion, all retribuion, executions and wars,
but also ENJOINS LOVE TO ONES ENEMIES; which extols
not power and wealth, but meekness and poverty-such an institution
in the persons of it's heather rulers accepted this Christian religion not
in its true sense, but in that distorted form according to which the
pagan organization of life continues to be possible.
THE GREATEST DAM IN THE WORLD CANNOT RETAIN A
FIND A WAY TO ESCAPE, EITHER THROUGH THE DAM OR BY
WASHING 1T AWAY OR ClRcUMVENTiNG IT. IT is ONLY A CUES
TON OF TIME. so 1T HAS BEEN WITH TRUE CHRISTIANITY
HIDDEN BY STATE POWER. FOR LONG THE STATE KEPT BACK
THE LIVING WATERS, But The TIME HAS NOW COME AND
CHRISTIANITY is DESTROYING THE DAM WHICH RESTRAINED
1T AND is CARRYING ITS WRECKAGE AWAY WITH IT.