Lincoln's Christianity by Michael Burkhimer

[maharba]

Was the Illinois election about religion?
Yes, yes it was. When Abraham Lincoln first lost to Reverend
Peter Cartwright, he understood that one reason he lost was because of his non-Christianity. I believe in that election though Lincoln had lied about his position on Christianity and claimed that he really never had denigrated folks' religion. But, in fact, he was known as an infidel, had written out a antiChristian tractate expliciting deny Christ. This tract had been snatched from his hands and burned up. Lincoln lost his
first election because of his atheism. After that, he dissembled and concealed his atheism. Worse, he continually couched phrases in Biblical terms when convenient, so as to make it appear that his familiarity with Scripture actually meant that he was a follower of Christ. While I do not condemn folks for being atheists, I do believe there are consequences, in this time frame and beyond. As for 'playing devils advocate', or taking an intentionally contrary view, let me be clear and consistent as I can and with no equivocation.
To my mind, the evidence is certain: Abraham Lincoln was an
atheist from middle childhood all the way until this death. And,
as the War got worse and so many endured horrifying death and carnage, it is clear to me that Abraham Lincoln concealed his atheism with ever more frequent resort to pious verbiage and biblical phrases in his speeches. After his death, the claims of Lincoln's 'great Christianity' were piled on relentlessly with homilies and fables multiplying. The survivors of the War would likely not have been able to handle the truth of what had taken place, or that 'an infidel' had directed it.