Lincoln speech on the Bible?

[Rob Wick]

So, if Lincoln didn't make this speech, what does that do to the remainder of Smith's story? If one accepts that Smith lied about this, and was not simply confused as to dates, or whether Lincoln wrote an article instead of giving a lecture, then one is forced to ask what else did Smith lie about? I realize to say someone purposefully lied is a strong statement, but what else could one call it? Smith and Lewis alleged that Lincoln was not only asked to give an address but agreed to do so, prepared such a lecture, and presented it to a full house without it ever appearing in any newspaper at the time, or without Lincoln's own law partner mentioning it, or, It should be noted, any member of Lincoln's family (even if Mary wouldn't have said something, Robert, through his father's friends, would not have been as reticent, especially given his reaction to Herndon's lecture on Ann Rutledge) doing so. It seems to me that all we know for sure is that Lincoln and Smith were intimate friends, stemming from the comfort that Lincoln and Mary got after Eddie's death, that Mary joined the church and the Lincolns rented a pew but Lincoln declined to formally join, and that Lincoln appointed Smith consul to Scotland. The rest depends on whether one accepts or rejects Smith's word. So far, it seems to me to be pretty much lacking.

As for the Bible presentation, I doubt the Lincoln of 1852 would have said the same thing. Twelve years, especially after Willie's death, and the death of hundreds of thousands in a religious-soaked nation, can change a man's outlook, which I've always argued did more to explain Lincoln's views on religion than anything else. No war, and no death of Willie, and Lincoln would have died much closer to what Herndon described, save for the change that seems to often come as a man edges closer to death.

Best
Rob