The Lincoln Hypothesis

[Mordecai]

On 3/7/2018 at 9:59 AM, clarkgoble said:

Anyway it's always funny to me to see these books making Lincoln a proto-saint to a crypto-saint when the contemporary views of him were so opposite.

No one here called him a proto nor a crypto saint. The book (and I) are suggesting it may be logical to infer that he was influenced by a quote of the Bible in the BoMormon, and that he became humble after the death of his son and turned to Christianity. After that, the book suggests, he was inspired to carry out God's plan to free the slaves.

Edited June 4, 2018 by Mordecai

[nuclearfuels]

On 9/24/2017 at 5:12 PM, Mordecai said:

I haven't been on this board for a long time, but I just finished reading _The Lincoln Hypothesis_, and I was wondering how many others had and how many others were persuaded of the truth of the author's inferences. Just a few claims from the book: Abraham Lincoln checked out the Book of Mormon and read it, leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln's son died, and he began carrying around a pocket New Testament. He used a term from the BoMormon: "instrument in the hands of God," on at least five different occasions, to describe himself after having read the BoMormon. Lincoln returned the BoMormon to the Library of Congress only a week after he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln's first name, Abraham, was not a coincidence, just as Joseph Smith's name was not a coincidence. Lincoln had his own Hyrum, who was a target of an assassination attempt along with Lincoln. A miracle occurred after Lincoln covenanted with God that he would commit the United States to liberty, giving the North its first major victory. One Congressman said Lincoln's face "shined like a prophet," as he spoke of the North and South's need to repent and how God's will was that we have a land of liberty. Multiple dog ears were found on Lincoln's BoMormon, marking a passage in Isaiah that suggested that God would heal the land after repentance. Lincoln, when he was sworn in for his second term, had his hand on that verse in Isaiah. Lastly, Joseph Smith specifically said we needed new Amendments to control mobs and end slavery, which is what Lincoln brought about. I think I got much of what I found persuasive listed. Anyone else read it? Should the Church be jumping on board this "hypothesis" and support that Lincoln was doing the work Joseph Smith failed at when he was running for President, i.e. bringing the U.S. to repentance via a covenant with God and special amendments to the Constitution? For a used copy: https://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9781609078638

Several states that left the Union did so because the North attacked states that had earlier left the Union.

These earlier states refused to sign the Constitution without a state provision for leaving should it become necessary.

Lincoln did free Southern POW's after they promised/covenanted to no longer fight against the Union like Moroni freeing Lamanite warriors who promised to no longer attack the Nephites.

Joseph Smith, when campaigning for POTUS, proposed purchasing the slaves from their owners.

Lincoln, when campaigning for POTUS, emphatically proposed to not touch the issue of slavery.

 

 

[USU78]

On 9/28/2017 at 12:25 PM, Alan said:

However, my father, who is an American Civil War expert, was totally unimpressed by it.

Now that there's an interesting tidbit.

With so much British history, and so many civil and similar wars on the island just over the last 4-500 years or so, how did he land on the US Civil War as an area of interest?

[Alan]

On 6/8/2018 at 6:02 PM, USU78 said:

Now that there's an interesting tidbit.

With so much British history, and so many civil and similar wars on the island just over the last 4-500 years or so, how did he land on the US Civil War as an area of interest?

I don't know really, it's just always fascinated him.

He knows more about the US civil war than he does about the English civil war, the war of the roses, the Norman conquest etc, combined.

Maybe he's a bit of a weirdo... ☺️

[Stargazer]

On 6/8/2018 at 5:55 PM, nuclearfuels said:

Lincoln did free Southern POW's after they promised/covenanted to no longer fight against the Union like Moroni freeing Lamanite warriors who promised to no longer attack the Nephites.

 

This was not Lincoln's invention, or an innovation of Moroni. The concept is called "parole", and it has been practiced for thousands of years. 

Edited June 15, 2018 by Stargazer

[Walden]

This post reminds me of that famous Lincoln-Kennedy list of unusual coincidences that has been passed around for the past half-century

Sometimes a coincidence is just that, a coincidence, no need for divine explanation....

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.

Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

Both were shot in the head.

Lincoln’s secretary, Kennedy, warned him not to go to the theatre.
Kennedy’s secretary, Lincoln, warned him not to go to Dallas.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.

Both were succeeded by Southerners.

Both successors were named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are comprised of fifteen letters.

Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

[Stargazer]

3 hours ago, Walden said:

This post reminds me of that famous Lincoln-Kennedy list of unusual coincidences that has been passed around for the past half-century

Sometimes a coincidence is just that, a coincidence, no need for divine explanation....

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.

Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

Both were shot in the head.

Lincoln’s secretary, Kennedy, warned him not to go to the theatre.
Kennedy’s secretary, Lincoln, warned him not to go to Dallas.

 

Not quite. "John Kennedy did have a secretary named Evelyn Lincoln (who may or may not have warned him about going to Dallas), but one searches in vain to find a Lincoln secretary named Kennedy. (Lincoln’s White House secretaries were John G. Nicolay and John Hay.)"

3 hours ago, Walden said:

 

Both were assassinated by Southerners.

Both were succeeded by Southerners.

Both successors were named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are comprised of fifteen letters.

Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

I suggest a look at Snopes on this.  It is interesting, but as you say, coincidences are just that and usually only just that.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/linkin-kennedy/