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Ch. 4 - The Belief and Unbelief of Abraham Lincoln

#20: July - Sept. 2005 (Non-Fiction)
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Chris OConnor

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Ch. 4 - The Belief and Unbelief of Abraham Lincoln

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Depster1978

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I found it fascinating that it was so difficult to pin down Lincoln's beliefs. I think it is a sign of a good politician that no one knew his true religous beliefs, but he is still regarded as an upstanding and moral man.
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Re: Ch. 4 - The Belief and Unbelief of Abraham Lincoln

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Just started this chapter. I found it interesting that Lincoln's draft of The Emancipation Proclamation had no reference to god, yet it was inserted by Chase, who also insinuated his beliefs in the Gettysburg Address and saw to it that our money had a reference to god on it as well. It is very upsetting to see how the religious have been and still are trying to infiltrate such a honest and fair system of government. "In God We Trust" appeared on money in 1864, less than 100 years later, the Pledge saw god sneak his way into a secular pledge.No more! No Ten Commandments, no faith based initiatives and no amendments with any religious tone! We must say no and not vote for any who forward such agendas!Ok...I am done...Mr. P. The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart...Scorsese's "Mean Streets"I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper
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Re: Ch. 4 - The Belief and Unbelief of Abraham Lincoln

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Depster,Totally agree. How could he 'get away' with that? Certainly is not possible today. I guess it showed the mood of the country at the time. It's clear that he believed in some sort of god, or at least he believed that it was good to reference one in public speaches! My guess is that he's a role model for the current administration (after all, they are both republicans!): Say lots of different things that contradict each other, so people hear whatever they want. Then go do whatever you want to do.
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Re: Ch. 4 - The Belief and Unbelief of Abraham Lincoln

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My impression, after reading that chapter, was that Lincoln wasn't a churchgoer and didn't subscribe to traditional Christian beliefs, though he was familiar with the Bible and frequently referred to God.However, traditional Christians sought to claim Lincoln as one of them, despite the lack of evidence supporting that claim.
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