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Abraham Lincoln's religious beliefs are a matter of controversy. Lincoln frequently referenced God...

Abraham Lincoln's religious beliefs are a matter of controversy. Lincoln frequently referenced God and quoted the Bible, yet never formally joined any church. He was private about his beliefs and respected the beliefs of others. Since his assassination, many attempts have been made to define his beliefs as either religious or secular. He was said to be an admirer of the deist author Thomas Paine, and it has been reported that he wrote a manuscript essay challenging orthodox Christianity modelled on Paine's book The Age of Reason, which a friend burned to protect him from ridicule. According to biographer Rev. William Barton, Lincoln likely had written an essay something of this character, but it was not likely that it was burned in such a manner. While Lincoln never joined any church, there is disagreement about whether he experienced a conversion to Christianity later in life, particularly during his tenure as president. His close personal friend, bodyguard, and biographer Ward Hill Lamon said: However another close individual, Lincoln's wife and widow, wrote exactly the opposite opinion of her husband's faith: Lincoln's parents were fundamentalist Hard-shell Baptists. However,