Near the end of the Civil War and the south was losing, the Northern Generals demanded to Lincoln that they invade, killing all the rebels. Saying that is was "god's will" the rebels pay for their actions. And Lincoln said this...
"We don't know what god's will is, we have to use our own judgement."
It's too bad we don't have a Lincoln today. We could use one.
2007-02-20 13:21:34 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I heard this from the doc on Lincoln from the History Channel.
2007-02-20 13:26:28 · update #1
Seems we have the anti-lincoln.
Love and blessings Don
2007-02-20 13:26:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Below are some snipets I got off Google under "Was Lincoln a Christian." From my readings and his actions I believe he was, but either way it is of little importance as his fate is sealed.
I also know from history that he was not nearly the great imancipator that people proclaim, though he was a shrewd man and a great leader.
Modern studies continue the contrast. In G. Frederick Owen's Abraham Lincoln: The Man and His Faith (published in 1976 and reprinted several times), Lincoln appears as a Christian prophet who sustained evangelical convictions throughout his life. By contrast, in Gore Vidal's historical novel Lincoln (1984), Christianity is a superfluous veneer that Lincoln occasionally parades for political purposes
The rumor began to spread that Lincoln mocked Christianity and scoffed at religious practice. This amounted to a vital issue since Lincoln's opponent was a Methodist circuit-riding preacher, Peter Cartwright.
To quiet the alarm, Lincoln published a broadside on his religion that denied any wrongdoing. Significantly, however, it made little claim to anything positive. Here is the key passage of the circular:
"That I am not a member of any Christian Church, is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures; and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect of religion in general, or of any denomination of Christians in particular. … I do not think I could, myself, be brought to support a man for office whom I knew to be an open enemy of, and scoffer at, religion. Leaving the higher matter of eternal consequences between him and his Maker, I still do not think any man has the right thus to insult the feelings, and injure the morals, of the community in which he may live … "
Even as Lincoln recognized the importance of religious propriety for public officials, he made clear that his religion was his own business
2007-02-20 14:21:26 · answer #2 · answered by crimthann69 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wish the world had more Lincolns. I wonder what history would tell if he wasn't killed? Suppose Booth was caught before that fatal gunshot? I bet history would be very different....
"I do the very best I can, and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said AGAINST me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference." -Abe Lincoln, emphasis mine
"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and under a just God cannon long retain it." -Abe Lincoln
2007-02-20 13:42:13 · answer #3 · answered by teeney1116 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, even with the historical exaggeration that creeps in, Lincoln stands above the crowd. Meanwhile, Dubya wallows down with Taft and Coolidge. Poor George is perhaps no worse than the lowest rung, but never in history has such an inept man held the office at such a critical time.
rkirby: why do Christians feel compelled to co-opt anyone who did good for the world, regardless of the evidence. And there is no evidence - NONE - that Lincoln was a Christian.
2007-02-20 13:27:06 · answer #4 · answered by Brendan G 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You misunderstand - Lincoln was a devout believer and would always do his will. There are times when we cannot discern God's will clearly and are left with our own judgment - which he knew was inferior.
If you are unable to discern God's will - you use your own judgment.
Yes - we could use a Lincoln. Although he had a mentally ill wife and had a history of great difficulties and the media would probablt be merciless on him.
2007-02-20 13:27:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think great dogs can come from either way, bred on purpose with a good breeding program, or born to two street mutts. I also think the opposite is true, some dogs are simply not good dogs from the beginning. In those cases, no amount of love, socialization and/or training will cure. A pig in a silk suit is still a pig.
2016-05-24 00:25:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
*Lincoln was not that religious or he would not have crushed the South to preserve the union which was understood when a state joined the Union they had the freedom to leave.
Robert E. Lee was a much more religious man than Licoln.*
2007-02-20 13:28:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I had never heard that. I too wish we could have a Lincoln :)
But in a way we do, we have Jesus!
2007-02-20 13:32:35 · answer #8 · answered by rezany 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Lincoln is definitely up there with my favorite presidents. He was a good man.
2007-02-20 13:24:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybe its too bad that all of our leaders apply exactly this philosophy. Our government does not consider what might be the will of God or the will of the People, they just say, "we have to use our own judgement."
2007-02-20 13:30:14 · answer #10 · answered by NONAME 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, I haven't heard it. Surprisingly there are more countries in the world other than the U.S.A., many of which have or are still having their own Civil Wars.
But I do commend you on your attempt to show that there's nothing new in religion; as in what one religion is doing today was done by another previously. Thanks for trying. :-)
2007-02-20 13:28:33 · answer #11 · answered by J9 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋