Lincoln's Sacred Effort Author:Lucas E. Morel Lucas Morel examines what the public life of Abraham Lincoln teaches about the role of religion in a self-governing society. Lincoln's understanding of the requirements of republican government led him to accommodate and direct religious sentiment toward responsible self-government. As a successful republic requires a moral or self-controlled pe... more »ople, Lincoln believed, the moral and religious sensibilities of a society should be nurtured.« less