Although parts of the Bible may have been used to calm the masses in the past, it's becoming more of a touchy subject for political figures to use today.
"The way Martin Luther King [Jr.] and Abraham Lincoln used the Bible shows how much good can be done when using the Bible in public life," said Mark Noll, history professor at the University of Notre Dame, to a crowd of about 300 students and faculty at the University Auditorium Tuesday night.
Noll went on to discuss Lincoln's use of the Bible in his second inaugural address and King's use of the Bible during his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
The effectiveness of King's and Lincoln's speeches was not necessarily because the audience was uniformly Christian but because of the moral persuasion behind the words of Scripture, Noll said.
UF's Department of History brought in a series of lecturers to discuss how public demonstrations of faith are increasing in society while the general understanding of religion is decreasing, said Andrea Sterk, associate professor in the department.
The lectures focus on Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Noll said the Bible has decreased in its persuasiveness over the years partly because of the number of versions there are. He said that years ago the King James Bible was universally recognizable.
He said the Bible should be employed humbly and wisely.
"The Bible is definitely a force to be reckoned with that is ingrained in society," said Brandon Blake, a UF graduate.
Nina Caputo, an associate professor in the Department of History, said the lectures were funded by outside grants, adding the overall cost for each lecture was about $3,000.
