When I left Springfield I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ. Yes, I do love Jesus.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Lincoln describes how seeing war casualties at Gettysburg led him to commit personally to Christianity despite earlier non-belief.
- In plain terms
- Seeing dead soldiers at Gettysburg made him believe in and love Jesus.
- What can you take from it?
- Tragic events can deeply change personal spiritual beliefs.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does suffering always deepen faith?
- How do we reconcile loss with belief?
Another view
It assumes war trauma is a valid path to faith conversion for everyone.
More from Abraham Lincoln
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.
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