Lincoln as secular saint

[LincolnToddFan]

That makes sense, thanks Eva. We are discussing nuances, but in English veneration is not exactly the same as worship, which is to honor a person or thing as part of the Godhead.

Worshipping any saint as a God would be equal to idolatry, as the very excellent article you provided points out.....

[Some people ask “why say prayers to saints? Shouldn’t all our prayers be to God?” Praying to the saints is praying to God, in a fundamental way. We're praying to those who can ask God to help us in our various needs in accordance with His will.

When you ask someone to pray for you are you worshiping that person? Of course not! It’s the same when we ask the saints to pray for us! In our prayers to saints we ask them to “put in a good word” for us with God in Heaven. They are not the focus of our worship, God is.]// quote