It seems that every suggestion that Lincoln was an atheist is second hand and/or contrived. One article shows that because Lincoln tried to change the word "God" in one speech to "maker", he didn't believe in God. That seems a stretch to me.
He does NOT have set, fixed beliefs; that much is apparent. He never joined a church or aligned himself with a particular mode of thought. That leaves him free to think, to wander, and to wonder. But he still seems to believe that SOMETHING is out there. The decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation hints at this as well.
Barring something more concrete, I'm inclined to say that if Lincoln worked so hard to get Americans to think he believed in God, we should believe him.
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