The movie reviews are actually written by Rick McGinnis, not Mark Steyn. From what I’ve read, Lincoln was a believer, although he maybe came to it late. A quick search with AI...
Yes, Abraham Lincoln believed in God, though his faith evolved from youthful skepticism to a deep, personal spirituality. While he frequently read the Bible and often expressed reliance on Divine providence, he never formally joined a church, and historians still debate whether he was an orthodox Christian.
Lincoln avoided dogma and sectarian arguments. Instead, he embraced a concept of Providence and Divine justice, particularly evident in later speeches like his Second Inaugural Address, where he profoundly wrestled with the will of God in the context of American slavery and the Civil War.
Lincoln’s religious transformation, assuming that there was one, didn’t show up until passing the buck for Civil War slaughter was convenient. “Divine judgment” gets to take the fall.
William Herndon worked beside Lincoln in their two man law office for 17 years. Herndon hero worshipped him. Herndon wasn’t shy about speaking up about Lincoln’s religious belief, or rather lack of it. And he did it repeatedly.
Ward Hill Lamon, Lincoln’s White House bodyguard, had been a close friend of Lincoln since 1852. He voiced the same things regarding Lincoln’s view of religion that Herndon said. He didn’t correct Herndon, he didn’t contradict Herndon, he endorsed what he was saying.
Herndon and Lamon weren’t criticizing Lincoln. They were “defending his reputation”. They were skeptics and rationalists cut from the same cloth as Lincoln. They weren’t Christian believers and they resented him being hijacked by those who were.