Tolstoyan Religion As Vocation

Steeped in Kant and Kant's most creative philosophical heirs (Fichte and Schopenhauer), Tolstoy reconceptualized religion as a "pre-conscious" inward call to a life lived in service to others and the conscious response of obedience to that call. He termed this "pre-conscious" inward call the promptings of conscience--what, in the Islamic tradition, would appear to correspond to fitra or the "inner compass" that makes one long for (re-)union with the Divine Reality.

Precursors to this view can be found in St. Augustine's confession that "Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until they find their repose in Thee" and the cry of Rumi's reed flute, cut from the reed-bed. Tolstoy argued that the unsettling nature of this call prompted people to "stupefy themselves" with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, in an effort to drown it out.

For the Tolstoyan, there is no genuine religion absent this "call-and-response." Vocation is the foundation of authentic living.

"Our Lord! We have indeed heard one who calls us to faith [trust], saying 'Trust your Lord!' And so we have trusted" (Qur'an 3:193)