America’s sixteenth president, who died on a Good Friday, was a devoted Bible reader but never joined a church. In a youth of near poverty, the Bible was one of the few books Lincoln owned. When he became president, its words and phrases found their way into many of his speeches.
Earlier, a broken engagement had caused him much pain, and Lincoln declared that his Bible was “the best cure for the blues.” Lincoln also said that “this Great Book is the best gift God has given to man.” When his wife, Mary, urged harsh measures for the defeated Confederacy, Lincoln quoted Jesus’ words to her, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
