Politics - We're not supposed to write about this stuff.

 

The best way to alienate one’s audience would be to write about politics yet oddly, this is what I am doing. I thought it would be interesting to consider what it would be like if Abraham Lincoln was running, after all, he did face one of the greatest moral dilemmas. It is curious to ponder whether he would be elected now as the debates over spending, abortion and same-sex marriage continue.

Interestingly, Lincoln was elected because he had not publicly taken extreme views even though he clearly delineated his beliefs for the audience. He did not defend slavery but understood that taking on the issue at the wrong time would likely exacerbate the problem. Earlier in his career he had been defeated because as a Whig, he championed spending projects on roads and infrastructure that came crashing down when the nation subsequently faced recession.

As if that were not enough, he did not express an interest in any religion and his wife Mary very often consulted with “spiritists,” especially after the deaths of their two sons. It is said that the Lincolns did not believe in an afterlife although my personal opinion is that he came to understand the existence of God through great trial.

Many love to quote Lincoln because truly, his character was so stellar. He was the savior to the union not because he defended or fought against slavery or because he subscribed to any type of faith whatsoever. Conservatives tend to overlook this factor while some liberals wish to pretend       that personal values play no part in government. Lincoln understood that they do and this is why he had so much compassion for the South. Old customs die hard.

Acknowledging my own bias, I believe that Lincoln saved the Union because God used him to do so no matter what belief system he held. In my estimation, God chooses the candidate who will best refine the nation’s character and to me, His choice is never merely Democrat or Republican.