Which traditional Christian beliefs did Leo Tolstoy reject?

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Portrait of Leo Tolstoy with a long white beard, wearing a dark shirt and looking slightly to the side. — Leo Tolstoy Russian writer Leo Tolstoy is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest novelists. His masterpieces are *War and Peace* (1865–69) and *Anna Karenina* (1875–77).

After experiencing a profound existential crisis, Leo Tolstoy concluded that the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian institutions had corrupted the true message of Christianity. Consequently, he rejected many fundamental tenets of traditional faith, viewing them as obfuscations of the teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount.1

Specifically, Tolstoy rejected the following traditional beliefs and practices:

Sacraments and Rituals: He dismissed all sacraments and religious rituals.1
Theological Dogma: He rejected the Holy Trinity and the immortality of the soul.1
Miracles: He denied the occurrence of all miracles.1
Scriptural Authority: He rejected the Old Testament and significant portions of the New Testament, opting instead to write his own version of the Gospels.1
Divinity of Christ: He viewed Jesus not as the son of God, but as a wise man who provided a true account of life.1

Tolstoy’s own faith focused instead on moral imperatives, such as nonresistance to evil, pacifism, and the rejection of oaths.1