Background on Lincoln's Religion
In 2003, Richard Carwardine published "Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power" for which he won the Lincoln Prize. Abraham Lincoln's rise to power has been the source of numerous studies, but this book crafts the many narratives surrounding his rise into a succinct look at the various nuances that shaped his political life. This page will take a portion of Carwardine’s book to determine his views on Lincoln’s religion and provide a critique of these assertions.
Carwardine began his work on Lincoln’s religion with the assertion that deciphering his religious beliefs is “a question more easily put than answered” (33). There is no direct assertion of faith made by Lincoln and he attended several different congregations over the course of his life. After his death, there would be recollections of those who knew Lincoln that asserted he was a true Christian, those who claimed him an atheist, and a great many more somewhere in between. As Lincoln never claimed a faith, one way his beliefs can be determined is through his writings.
Lincoln’s earliest exposure to religion was from his parents as a child. His parents were Baptists with a strong foundation in predestination (34). This idea of predestination did not leave Lincoln as he drifted from church to church over the course of his life and led to a strong tendency towards fatalism. Predestination is the belief that God has a plan in which cannot be altered; in this case, a person has been predestined either for heaven or hell at birth. While Lincoln attended church with his family, he never took an oath of faith, nor became a full member (34). As Lincoln grew up and moved onto his own, he never lost notions of predestination heavily steeped in Calvinist thought. This fatalistic idea that everything was predetermined never left Lincoln (34-35).
Despite this early exposure to religion, as Lincoln entered his adult life he left the impression that religion and/or the Bible were useful tools, but not something in which he needed to devote much energy or time. Lincoln was even known to read books and pamphlets that openly questioned religion (35). Carwardine here makes the argument that Lincoln was not an atheist, but believed in a God who was “not a quixotic God” (36). Lincoln, true to his fatalistic beliefs, saw God as passive, not angry or seeking retribution.
After marrying Mary Todd, Lincoln attended first the Episcopal church and then the Presbyterian church (36). At this time, Lincoln begins using religious language in his writings. He also began to meet with members and leaders of numerous different congregations. His ability to converse with any and all of them regarding Christianity and the bible often amazed many of them. He also had many conversations with those around him who were less than devout in their own faiths. The one aspect of Lincoln that never changed, however, was that he never lost his fatalism and concept of “providence” (40).
As Lincoln moved into national politics and took stands such as against slavery, he invoked more and more messages of faith, providence, and God. When he became President and was faced with the Civil War, he continued his reliance on fatalism. Carwardine wrote, Lincoln “trusted deeply in God’s purpose to save the Union” (44).
This was designed to be a brief introduction to Lincoln’s religion based on Carwardine’s book. It was not designed to tackle Lincoln’s views on slavery or the Civil War. As one works his or her way through this website, there are four documents which have close readings associated with them. Each document was chosen in accordance with the theme of fatalism that ran through Lincoln’s life. He placed great faith in the concept of providence and that was shown to different degrees in each document. Other arguments of Carwardine will be used in the close readings provided for each of the chosen documents.
Carwardine began his work on Lincoln’s religion with the assertion that deciphering his religious beliefs is “a question more easily put than answered” (33). There is no direct assertion of faith made by Lincoln and he attended several different congregations over the course of his life. After his death, there would be recollections of those who knew Lincoln that asserted he was a true Christian, those who claimed him an atheist, and a great many more somewhere in between. As Lincoln never claimed a faith, one way his beliefs can be determined is through his writings.
Lincoln’s earliest exposure to religion was from his parents as a child. His parents were Baptists with a strong foundation in predestination (34). This idea of predestination did not leave Lincoln as he drifted from church to church over the course of his life and led to a strong tendency towards fatalism. Predestination is the belief that God has a plan in which cannot be altered; in this case, a person has been predestined either for heaven or hell at birth. While Lincoln attended church with his family, he never took an oath of faith, nor became a full member (34). As Lincoln grew up and moved onto his own, he never lost notions of predestination heavily steeped in Calvinist thought. This fatalistic idea that everything was predetermined never left Lincoln (34-35).
Despite this early exposure to religion, as Lincoln entered his adult life he left the impression that religion and/or the Bible were useful tools, but not something in which he needed to devote much energy or time. Lincoln was even known to read books and pamphlets that openly questioned religion (35). Carwardine here makes the argument that Lincoln was not an atheist, but believed in a God who was “not a quixotic God” (36). Lincoln, true to his fatalistic beliefs, saw God as passive, not angry or seeking retribution.
After marrying Mary Todd, Lincoln attended first the Episcopal church and then the Presbyterian church (36). At this time, Lincoln begins using religious language in his writings. He also began to meet with members and leaders of numerous different congregations. His ability to converse with any and all of them regarding Christianity and the bible often amazed many of them. He also had many conversations with those around him who were less than devout in their own faiths. The one aspect of Lincoln that never changed, however, was that he never lost his fatalism and concept of “providence” (40).
As Lincoln moved into national politics and took stands such as against slavery, he invoked more and more messages of faith, providence, and God. When he became President and was faced with the Civil War, he continued his reliance on fatalism. Carwardine wrote, Lincoln “trusted deeply in God’s purpose to save the Union” (44).
This was designed to be a brief introduction to Lincoln’s religion based on Carwardine’s book. It was not designed to tackle Lincoln’s views on slavery or the Civil War. As one works his or her way through this website, there are four documents which have close readings associated with them. Each document was chosen in accordance with the theme of fatalism that ran through Lincoln’s life. He placed great faith in the concept of providence and that was shown to different degrees in each document. Other arguments of Carwardine will be used in the close readings provided for each of the chosen documents.
Critique
The reader must keep one thing in mind while navigating this site. There is a single problem with Carwardine’s work. Much of Carwardine’s work on Lincoln’s religion was based on the recollections of those who knew him. However, they were collected and organized after Lincoln’s death. Some things to keep in mind about recollections such as these are: are memories accurate over long periods of time, does a person’s death alter how his or her story is told, and can these recollections be taken at face value?
Bibliography
Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 20
Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln's Religion. Gilder Lehrman. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/21656339
Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln's Religion. Gilder Lehrman. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/21656339