Thoughts on this quote by Abe Lincoln on religion?
Abraham Lincoln: “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.”
Answer by Lord Resarf
That’s not a religion.
Answer by 13Fst
Sounds like a rational humanist to me.
Answer by Chris
Basically christianity
Answer by Ray J
Works for me. I try to live by it. The hard part is defining “good” and “bad”. But as I am one of those amoral atheists I get to define them any way I choose.
Could Abraham Lincoln have been the first Agnostic President?
I was curious to see if any U.S Presidents were non-Christian, and, if there were any, who was first.
I strolled through President by President till I got to #16. Abraham Lincoln listed no religion at all and in fact bashed orthodox religion.
Abraham Lincoln’s parents were Baptist, but he never joined any church even though he made references.
It’s not just interesting that his references are vague and rare, but that he bashed orthodox Christian in his essays.
I took a look at his quotes and he seems to use the term “God” almost as slang like we do. (Athiests saying “God damn”.)
Also, his beliefs seem to reflect that of an intellectual Agnostic, not a Christian.
My question is:
Was Honest Abe an unorthodox Christian or an Agnostic?
Could his assassination been due to someone finding out he wasn’t Christian? Politics don’t usually drive assassination attempts. Religion, on the other hand can.
Best answer will include reliable sources.
Answer by Chelski
Jefferson.
Answer by RicardoF
Politics dont drive assassination attempts? Have u ever heard of Julius Caesar?
Lincoln Quote Interpretations?
“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion.” -Abraham Lincoln
What is your personal take on this quote? Explain your reasoning.
Answer by Run Wild
I believe he lived his life by this principle, and that is why he called it his ‘religion.’ To me what it means is that he gets a sense of worth out of doing good things, but when he does something bad, perhaps a sinful act, he feels bad and doesn’t like it. Makes him feel ashamed.. So he bases his life on this and lives by them religiously. If he didn’t he would consider himself immoral; perhaps a hypocrite.
Answer by jimbeau
Lincoln really didn’t have a religion. He was replacing religion with a moral stance. Even then, it was hard to get elected without having some sort of religious belief. I guess it worked.
Answer by Einstein
You don’t need religion to have a sense of personal worth. Religion is a fallback for people with no clue.
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Works for me
My thoughts are that I really, really want to know what Abe did that was bad. And who did he have to kill to keep it quiet?
The best that can be said about it is that it’s a form of Pharisaism; the Pharisees defined one’s duty toward God in terms of the performance of good works, although they did not care whether a person felt good in doing them or not. However, turning religion exclusively into good works presupposes a few things–that one has a firm standard (apart from one’s feelings, which are the response to good deeds and not the standard) of good and evil that one can use, that good resides in the deed itself and not in something internal like the motivation, and that a human being can actually fulfill the standard. Frankly, I find the teaching of both Old and New Testament that God’s standard of good is way out of our reach to be much more profound than the statement you quoted, regardless of who said it.
he has many famous remarks (including one on the memorial in dc) that would seem to contradict that in that they alude to a more organized faith, but knowing what i do about him i suspect that simple statement youve quoted here is probably at the root of any religion he might have had. id suggest that to Abe matters or right and wrong were probably more about help and harm then any religious dogmas or decrees. its part of what made him one of the greatest figures this nation will ever produce.
Lincoln was a complex man who went through several phases of religious belief or unbelief, and he didn’t always share what he was thinking with the public. Through all his phases he was a highly moral man, and I think this quote is an expression of that.
Lincoln has also stated “The Bible is not my book and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long complicated statements of Christian dogma.”
I think he was the last (and possibly the only) good President you guys have ever had.
Good people do good things and feel bad when they know they did bad… some know this as Bible teachings.
Lincoln also said, ” I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”
That was back in the days when Americans knew mixing religion and government was a bad idea.
Sounds like me after a bender.