Abraham Lincoln Quotes - Lincoln's Thoughts on Religion

I recently learned a few details about Lincoln’s view on religion.

It was helpful to see the transition of his religion and how he responded to each tragic event in his life. Each time, he grew closer to God.

The spiritual growth of this great leader of peace over his short lifetime fascinates me.

It was during a time when print was not readily available yet alone the knowledge on the internet.

It was a time where learned men were rare. Money and time were an extreme luxury. And candlelight was the only option!

A house divided against itself cannot stand.
Abraham Lincoln

All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind.
Abraham Lincoln

Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure.
Abraham Lincoln

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.
Abraham Lincoln

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
Abraham Lincoln

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln

Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world.
Abraham Lincoln

As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.
Abraham Lincoln

As our case is new, we must think and act anew.
Abraham Lincoln

Avoid popularity if you would have peace.
Abraham Lincoln

Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors to bullets.
Abraham Lincoln

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.
Abraham Lincoln

Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all.
Abraham Lincoln

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Abraham Lincoln

If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln is often touted as a man driven to learn with the example given of his reading by candlelight. Imagine limited print, no electricity, no Internet, yet Lincoln head with great courage and conviction.

Lincoln Defeated in Eight Elections

Lincoln was defeated in eight elections! Including two unsuccessful attempt at the Senate.

Imagine a country lawyer from the backwoods of Illinois training himself to become an attorney.

Then through his own will and determined and defeated in his short lifetime eight times in elections! He was successful in 1834, 1836 and 1938 for the Illinois legislature.

He would later go on to become the 16^th President of the United States of America.

Most importantly, Lincoln would unify a divided young and emerging country - the United States of America.

The 1860 Presidential election was during a time of national crisis. The issue of secession was raging and literally erupted into the bloodiest American war - a war between states.

Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, the Civil War also known as the war between the states or the fight of secession began the next month.

Wikipedia listed the Civil War as the deadliness war in American history with 620,000 death and the war served to speed the abolishment of slavery.

Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865.

Lincoln's Children - 4 Sons,

As if the trauma in Lincoln's political life wasn't filled with enough strife. Of his four sons, only one would live beyond adulthood. Willie died at age 11, Eddie 3 years and 10 months, Thomas commonly known as Tad for "Tadpole" died at age 18, 6 years after his father's assassination. Robert Todd served in the Civil War briefly and later was ambassador to Great Britain.

After the Death of Lincoln’s Son

After the death of Lincoln’s son, Lincoln started attending church. He stated the only religion he would prescribe to would be one that followed Jesus Christ’s guidance of 1.) Love God with all your heart and soul and 2.) Love your neighbor as yourself.

Wish to Travel to the Holy Land

Lincoln was said to have wanted to travel to the holy lands. Sadly that wish was quickly extinguished when he was gunned down in the middle of his natural life; Lincoln was killed at age 56.

I never thought about Lincoln not achieving something he wanted in his life. I never thought about what the world would have been like IF he had a chance to implement more changes.

I am grateful, forever grateful that he united the south and north. Obviously, it was this unification that someone disagreed with. History is replete with gunning down pilgrims of peace from Lincoln to Kennedy to John Lennon. Men who seek peace are sadly hated and oftentimes murdered.

Lincoln’s Role as a Pilgrim of Peace

Lincoln lived during a very tumultuous time in the history of the Untied States. With the north and south fighting over the unity of blacks and white and the unity of the United States. At that time in history, black slaves were the norm. Changing the culture of people to set slaves free was a moment mental task.

Lincoln enacted legislation for ending the strife but the culture of the United States would continue to segregate blacks and white in all public places until Kennedy enacted both legislation to end the segregation. Kennedy’s contribution was beyond legislation, Kennedy wanted the paradigm of segregation to change to end the culture of America what sanctioned and encouraged blacks to be separate from white.

To manage to unite, to manage the heightened emotions of a young rough country lacking the civil try of Great Britain, this raw new frontier was what Lincoln had to manage and unite. As a pilgrim of peace, Lincoln transcended the cultural barriers and brought together two distinct segments of the United States.

A Call for Unity

Lincoln forged unity among the American people. Lincoln forever changed the United States. And hopefully Lincoln showcased to the world that peace and unity are possible. Oftentimes difficult, oftentimes seemingly unbelievable but a realistic goals that all of us should seek daily, even hourly in our daily lives. 9 Pilgrims of peace have walked this earth. 5 have been assassinated, one exiled, one crucified, one died a natural life and one remains living.

Foundation for World Peace

The Lincolns of the world exist today!

The future for humankind with the access to the Internet is an exciting opportunity for the millions of men and women throughout the world.

Even more exciting is the possibility of their contribution to world peace.

The leaders of the Internet, each and every one of us, need to clearly set the foundation for 1.) Access to the education and 2.) Clarity of the source of the information. Learning must be facilities through a carefully constructed medium so that opinion is clearly segregated from fact.

Exciting New World & Exciting New Leaders

We live in an exciting age. The Lincolns of the world from backwoods areas from around the world now have a new world of possibility with the advent of the Internet.

Spread the Word of Peace

Many tools have been created for hatred. From bombs to tanks to machine guns to gases to submarines. The Internet was created for the military communications in the early 1970s.

But it is in the power of the Internet users how we choose to use this new and very powerful global tool - will we choose to use it for good? Will we see the good in others? Can we see the similarities more than differences?

We as participants in this new technology called the Internet have the possibility of connecting with others from around the world and joining together in unity.

We as humanity can choose to use this tool to spread the love of our neighbors, we as God’s children can choose to love one another.