The Lincoln Hypothesis

The Lincoln Hypothesis by Timothy Ballard has been one of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time, and I highly recommend it to anybody, but especially to latter-day saints. The book is advertised as an exploration of the possible connection between Abraham Lincoln and the Book of Mormon. It is fact that Abraham Lincoln had checked out the Book of Mormon from the Library of Congress and had it for eight months. The question is, did he read it and if so, did it have any effect on him?

While the author makes very convincing arguments that the Book of Mormon might have influenced Lincoln (I'll let you read the book to learn them for yourself), I was most impressed with what I learned about the American Covenant. When George Washington took the oath of office, he also put America under a covenant with God. That same covenant was broken just a generation later. One of Joseph Smith's responsibilities was to warn the American people to repent and return to that covenant. The author shows places in the Doctrine and Covenants where we can see this.

Unfortunately, the American people did not listen, the Lord's prophet was killed, and the decreed judgement occurred. Yes, the Civil War was a foretold consequence of rejecting God's word and prophet. Fortunately, Abraham Lincoln gained a testimony of the American Covenant for himself and helped the American people repent. Lincoln learned that God was in the Civil War and that the North could never win until the people returned to their God. There is documented evidence of the national repentance.

The research done by Ballard is first class. I learned so much from this book, especially about my role as a citizen under the American Covenant. This book increased my admiration for Abraham Lincoln, who stood by what he did because he felt strongly he was doing the Lord's will. I suggest you read it also. You may find your admiration grow just as mine did.