In 1884 I wrote a book entitled "My Religion," wherein I
formulated my creed.
While affirming my faith in the doctrine taught by Christ, I
could not refrain from manifesting at the same time the reason why
I look upon the ecclesiastical doctrine commonly called
Christianity as erroneous, and to me incredible.
Among the many deviations of the latter from the doctrine of
Christ, I called attention to the principal one; namely—the evasion
of the commandment that forbids man to resist evil by violence, as
a striking example of the perversion of the doctrine of Christ by
ecclesiastical interpretation.
I knew but little, no more than other men, of what had been
taught or written on the subject of non-resistance in former times.
I was familiar with the opinions of the Fathers of the Church,
Origen, Tertullian, and others; and I also knew of the existence of
certain sects called Mennonites, Herrnhuters, and Quakers, all of
which forbid Christians the use of arms, and will not submit to
conscription, but I never knew the arguments by which these sects
sought to maintain their views.
My book, as I had anticipated, was prohibited by the Russian
censors, but partly in consequence of my reputation as a writer,
partly because it excited curiosity, it had a circulation in
manuscript, and while, on the one hand, it called forth from those
persons who sympathized with my ideas, information concerning works
written on the same subject, on the other, it excited criticisms on
the opinions therein maintained.
These two results, together with the historical events of
recent years, made many things clear to me, and led me to many new
deductions and conclusions which I now desire to set
forth.
I shall speak in the first place of the information I
received in regard to the history of this matter of non-resistance
to evil; and in the second place, of the arguments upon the subject
offered by religious critics, that is, by critics who profess the
religion of Christ, as well as those of secular critics, that is to
say, of men who make no such profession; and finally, the
conclusions which I drew from the arguments of both parties, as
well as from the historical events of later years.