Lincoln and religion

[Steve]

(07-30-2017 03:55 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Gene, I feel he did change. I think his faith grew during his time as President. I think this is seen in the Second Inaugural. I am surprised also that Nicolay said this. If Nicolay did not talk to the President about the topic then how would he know if his beliefs changed or not? Actually, I think Lincoln was changing by 1862 as evidenced by his Meditation on the Divine Will.
Maybe Nicolay was just saying what he thought Herndon wanted to hear?

If Nicolay never really talked to Lincoln about religion, maybe he never noticed a subtle shift in his writings and speeches. It's not as if Lincoln didn't mention religion at all before he took office. It's one thing to read his writings today to try to see how his thoughts on religion evolved but it would've been quite a different perspective to have lived it day to day. Also, the letter to Herndon was just over a month after the assassination; Nicolay may not have had enough time to fully reflect on the issue besides his own experience.