Lincoln and Spirutalism

[L Verge]

My immediate response (and I have only basic knowledge of the Lincolns' belief in spiritualism) is that Abraham would have had a curiosity for such things, just as the American public did at that time. Our tendency to dismiss spiritualism's influence on him and others is another example of us judging our 19th-century ancestors with 21st-century eyes. I also believe that many in the religious field pooh-poohed the practice, thus making it a side-show to many people.