What are the important questions surrounding Lincoln?

[Thomas Thorne]

I have a confession to make. I read the Wiki entry on "Lincoln and Religion" to refresh my memory and get more details on the subject.

I have wondered if there was a part of the younger Lincoln who was agnostic about religion after wrestling with the issue as an interesting intellectual exercise. But the ambitious young politician knew it would be political suicide to kick sand in the faces of the electorate by mocking their most cherished beliefs.

If true,the joke was on Lincoln. Many a politician has dreamed of what he would do as president but no one has ever imagined themselves as president waging war against a portion of his own people.

Facing the catastrophe of such a war seems to have made Lincoln a much more conventional 19th century Christian. His rhetoric in the 2nd inaugural about submission to the will of God would be profoundly offensive to modern secularists if uttered by a modern president. It is fascinating to see the influence of the King James Bible on Lincoln's prose style.
Tom