I think Joseph Sobran has made a decent case that Lincoln was a religious cynic possibly approaching agnosticism Certainly Loncolns fauxreligious imagery in many of his speeches indicates what in modern times would be recognized as a cynical use of God for political purposes It also seems like the unnecessary killing of a halfmillion American men and the making of war on a distinctly Christian Confederacy could be construed as unChristian If Lincoln had any sincere relious beliefs I would argue that his statement that God basically willed the Civil War reflects a selfinflated messianic view of himself as the savior of the Union