{"id":116375,"date":"2023-10-28T14:43:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-28T18:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=116375"},"modified":"2023-10-30T14:35:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T18:35:54","slug":"abraham-lincolns-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/abraham-lincolns-christianity\/","title":{"rendered":"Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Christianity: His Guiding Light of Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What role did religion play in Abraham Lincoln&#8217;s life? What did he believe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>And There Was Light<\/em>, Jon Meacham writes about America&#8217;s 16th president. Meacham emphasizes Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Christianity, and he frequently refers to Lincoln&#8217;s religious beliefs to explain how they helped guide Lincoln\u2019s thoughts and actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading for an inspiring discussion of Lincoln\u2019s Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-abraham-lincoln-s-christianity\">Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Christianity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Abraham Lincoln was raised as a Baptist, an offshoot of Protestantism. Meacham says there was a strong connection between Lincoln\u2019s Christianity and his morality. Specifically,<strong> Lincoln believed that his conscience was God speaking to him; therefore, doing the right thing was synonymous with doing God\u2019s will. <\/strong>He also believed that God called upon all humans to be fair, merciful, and loving to one another. That conviction would guide many of Lincoln\u2019s actions, both in politics and in his private life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: How did Lincoln\u2019s upbringing and early religious beliefs shape his religious beliefs later in life? Sources vary on exactly what Lincoln personally believed as an adult\u2014even his wife, Mary Todd, gave <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/abraham-lincoln-religion-christian-atheist#:~:text=Mary%20Todd%20Lincoln%20defended%20her%20late%20husband%20from%20questions%20about%20his%20faith%20while%20also%20giving%20conflicting%20accounts%20of%20what%20he%20actually%20believed%2C%20or%20when%20he%20started%20to%20believe%20it.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conflicting stories about his religious beliefs<\/a>. What most historians <em>do <\/em>agree on is that Lincoln devoutly believed in God but took issue with religious dogma; as an adult, he never formally joined a church because he didn\u2019t find one whose teachings he fully agreed with. Lincoln also believed that the endless arguments over the \u201ccorrect\u201d ways to worship distracted people from what he still believed to be the true <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/purpose-of-religion\/\">purpose of religion<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org\/abraham-lincoln-in-depth\/abraham-lincolns-faith\/#:~:text=%E2%80%98Thou%20shalt%20love%20the%20Lord%20thy%20God%20with%20all%20thy%20heart%2C%20and%20with%20all%20thy%20soul%2C%20and%20with%20all%20thy%20mind%2C%20and%20thy%20neighbor%20as%20thyself%2C%E2%80%99%20that%20church%20will%20I%20join%20will%20all%20my%20heart%20and%20all%20my%20soul.%E2%80%9D5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">revering God and loving one another<\/a>.)&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to shaping his morality, Lincoln\u2019s religious upbringing influenced his political views: <strong>Many Baptists opposed slavery, and abolition was a common topic in conversations and sermons<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Though laypeople often use the terms interchangeably, abolition and emancipation are <a href=\"https:\/\/humaneherald.org\/2018\/07\/30\/abolition-emancipation-and-manumission-distinguished\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">not the same thing<\/a>. Abolition means outlawing the entire practice of slavery, while emancipation specifically means freeing enslaved <em>people<\/em>. To highlight the difference between the two, consider a hypothetical situation where enslaved people are emancipated but slavery isn\u2019t abolished: Enslavers would have to free the people they currently enslave, but it would still be legal for them to buy or enslave new people.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, the Lincolns belonged to a religious organization called the Baptist Licking-Locust Association Friends of Humanity, which was dedicated to <em>emancipation<\/em>\u2014in other words, freeing all enslaved people in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: There wasn\u2019t an official Baptist stance on slavery during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/abraham-lincolns-early-life\/\">Lincoln\u2019s childhood<\/a>. However, there was a strong anti-slavery sentiment among many Baptists, as evidenced by organizations like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wayoflife.org\/reports\/american_whites_who_were_friends_of_blacks.php#:~:text=1807%20%2D%20Abolitionist%20Baptist%20churches%20in%20Kentucky%20formed%20the%20Baptized%20Licking%2DLocust%20Association%20and%20refused%20to%20receive%20slave%20owners%20as%20church%20members.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Friends of Humanity<\/a>, which would not accept enslavers as members. In 1845, the growing schism between Baptists who supported slavery and those who favored emancipation led to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Southern-Baptist-Convention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Southern Baptist Convention<\/a> breaking away from the main body of Baptists. However, the Southern Baptist Convention officially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/1995\/06\/21\/an-apology-for-racism\/25ce442e-8733-47de-85b1-0dd7c7fd62ec\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denounced and apologized for its racist history<\/a> in 1995.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lincoln\u2019s Christianity During His Early Political Career<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Lincoln not only shared his viewpoints orally but also in writing\u2014some of which stirred up controversy. Meacham says that\u2014despite his Baptist upbringing\u2014Lincoln at times openly questioned his faith. For instance, in the early 1830s, he wrote an essay exploring the contradictions within Christianity\u2019s teachings. That essay was widely read and talked about until a friend of Lincoln\u2019s took the manuscript and destroyed it, saying it was unwise for someone with Lincoln\u2019s political ambitions to be associated with such unpopular and radical ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The exact contents of Lincoln\u2019s essay about Christianity\u2014or whether such an essay even existed\u2014is an issue of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org\/abraham-lincoln-in-depth\/abraham-lincolns-faith\/#:~:text=Mr.%20Lincoln%E2%80%99s%20early%20religious%20thinking%20is%20clouded%20by%20faulty%20and%20contradictory%20memories%20of%20his%20contemporaries.%20William%20Wolf%20wrote%3A%20%E2%80%9CNo%20one%20ever%20offered%20direct%20evidence%20that%20he%20had%20himself%20read%20or%20heard%20read%20this%20supposed%20essay%20on%20%E2%80%98infidelity.%E2%80%99\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">some debate among historians<\/a>. Some Lincoln scholars point out that there are no firsthand accounts of anyone reading that essay or listening to someone else read it. An alternate theory is that Lincoln wrote an essay defending his personal view of Christianity, but not attacking the religion itself. However, there <em>is <\/em>firsthand evidence of people using Lincoln\u2019s supposed lack of devotion to hurt his reputation: For instance, in 1846, one of Lincoln\u2019s political opponents spread rumors that Lincoln openly scorned Christianity and the Bible\u2019s teachings. Lincoln <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abrahamlincolnonline.org\/lincoln\/speeches\/handbill.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote a letter specifically to refute that rumor<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lincoln\u2019s Christianity During the Civil War<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Meacham says that, during the Civil War, Lincoln wondered whether God would favor the Union or the Confederacy. In other words, <strong>Lincoln came to view the war as a religious and moral struggle, not just a military one; <\/strong>he believed God would ensure victory for whichever side was morally right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This heightened interest in religion came after Lincoln\u2019s son Willie died of typhoid fever in February of 1862. Lincoln sought comfort in attending church and in the idea that every event in the world\u2014even Willie\u2019s death\u2014was part of God\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Finding Religion During Hard Times<\/strong>?<br><br>Meacham portrays Lincoln as a deeply religious man, even if he had some concerns about Christianity. However, some historians question whether Lincoln was a Christian at all. For example, a letter from a former business partner of Lincoln describes him as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/wbna42610598#:~:text=went%20to%20Washington.-,%22Mr.%20Lincoln%27s%20religion%20is%20too%20well%20known%20to%20me%20to%20allow%20of%20even%20a%20shadow%20of%20a%20doubt%3B%20he%20is%20or%20was%20a%20Theist%20%26%20a%20Rationalist%2C%20denying%20all%20extraordinary%20%E2%80%94%20supernatural%20inspiration%20or%20revelation%2C%22,-Herndon%20wrote%20in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Theist and Rationalist<\/a>\u2014in other words, someone who believes that God exists, but sees no evidence that God interferes in earthly affairs.<br><br>Notably, though, that letter was from an earlier period in Lincoln\u2019s life. It wouldn\u2019t be surprising if the combined stresses of his presidency, the Civil War, and Willie\u2019s death pushed Lincoln to more fully embrace Christianity. In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/mind-and-mood\/easing-grief-through-religion-and-spirituality\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">people commonly turn to organized religion<\/a> to find comfort or look for meaning in a loved one\u2019s death. Some studies show that strong religious beliefs can help people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC116607\/#:~:text=People%20who%20profess%20stronger%20spiritual%20beliefs%20seem%20to%20resolve%20their%20grief%20more%20rapidly%20and%20completely%20after%20the%20death%20of%20a%20close%20person%20than%20do%20people%20with%20no%20spiritual%20beliefs.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overcome grief more quickly<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What role did religion play in Abraham Lincoln&#8217;s life? What did he believe? In And There Was Light, Jon Meacham writes about America&#8217;s 16th president. Meacham emphasizes Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Christianity, and he frequently refers to Lincoln&#8217;s religious beliefs to explain how they helped guide Lincoln\u2019s thoughts and actions. Keep reading for an inspiring discussion of Lincoln\u2019s Christianity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":32352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,33,6],"tags":[1309],"class_list":["post-116375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-people","category-spiritual","tag-and-there-was-light","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Christianity: His Guiding Light of Faith - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Biographer Jon Meacham shares insights into Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Christianity. 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