Religion was a catalyst in shaping and sustaining peoples’ mindsets and behaviors. President Lincoln said in his Second Inaugural Address, referring to people of the North and the South: “Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.” Lincoln summarized how religious beliefs infused attitudes and actions. This course will examine why these rituals and ideologies were pivotal in shaping the feelings and behaviors of people; and how these theological tenets affected the course of the Civil War.