Lincoln and religion

[Jim Garrett]

Regarding the Dr. Rev. Gurley, I believe that he delivered the sermon and servive for Willie's funeral. Dr. Rev Gurley's sermon was very well recieved by AL and was a great influence. If I remember correctly, the Lincolns were not regular church attendees anywhere in Washington. After Willie's death they were very regular in their attendence.

The loss of a child is an event that all consuming event that can very easily take over a parents life. It will shake your faith to it's very core and make you question the very existence of God. It usually when make someone question their faith, but usually you fall back and accept the circumstances and that often you cannot explain or understand HIS plan. Too completely lose your believe in God, under the circumstance of losing a child will put the parent into a much deeper depression.

It could be that after the death of a second young child, Mary may have lost faith and Abraham may have gained it. Not unusual circumstances given the enormity of the loss(es),