Lincoln's Battle With God: A President's Struggle With Faith And What It Meant For America (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Mr. Mansfield's argument in this very well written book can be summed up using his own words found on page 186 "...He had hated God, had felt tortured and rejected by him, like Job of old. Utimately and through a process of years, Lincoln came to see God as good and just. He learned to rely on his comfort, trust in his guidance, and stand in awe of his perfect judgments. He may even have learned to love God as a heavenly Father far beyond any earthly father he had known."In my opinion Mr. Mansfield made his case using what has been accepted as true by most Lincoln scholars of the events in Lincoln's life and comparing those events with Lincoln's own words. I didn't give the 5 stars (but would rate it 4.5) because at times I felt that Mr. Mansfield was perhaps reaching a bit too far in his statements of what Lincoln "believed." Having said that though I would highly recommend this book to anyone studying Lincoln because his religious journey from non-believer to the man placing his faith in the judgment of God cannot and must not be excluded in any understanding of America's greatest president. I see that Lincoln was a very complex individual who.sought logic and reason as his guiding principles. It is hard to believe the claim that he changed into a Christian over time. It seems more reasonable that he remained an atheist but sought logically to walk a line that appeared to embrace the religious beliefs of the day and still retain his own inner thoughts and beliefs that would make his political ambitions viable. I think that Lincoln far outsmarted the world and kept to a line that all could believe as they wished while retaining his principles of logic and reason.
What do You think about Lincoln's Battle With God: A President's Struggle With Faith And What It Meant For America (2012)?
Interesting read. I learned things that I didn't know before. I thought it was well written.
—Nicoleposney
Somewhat interesting, but a bit repetetive and slow in parts.
—Lexi
