Jim Lovell & Apollo 8: Christmas Eve Heard Round the World

[rdeEKINS]

we went to discover the moon, but instead discovered the Earth.

[Doctor699]

We gotta go back to the moon. Out into the solar system.

[nholt]

5:00 gives me goosebumps.

[NuclearKid]

Check out "Discovering Deerpath" on DVD. They cover the whole Genesis broadcast to magical effect. Lovell is featured throughout the documentary, which is about the town of Lake Forest. He lives there now and amazingly both Charles Lindbergh and Cal Rodgers (first man to fly across a continent) have significant ties to the town. Lovell even talks about his meeting with Lindbergh on the night before Apollo 8 left for the moon. Great stuff!

[IonSpringfield]

Absolutely amazing!

This touches many of the same points I made in a video on the same topic back in August 2007.

I posted it in response, but if it doesn't appear seach for Christmas 1968: A Reflection For Our Time in YouTube.

[toddsmitts]

Actually, after the flight, a noted atheist named Madelyn Murray O'Hare sued them because, as government employees, they were making religious statements in public.

The case was eventually thrown out due to "lack of jurisdiction", but astronauts were advised not to make religious statements in public anymore. Buzz Aldrin would take communion shortly after landing on the moon, but kept it to himself.

[kargaroc386]

he needed to be shot.

[chuggachuggawoowoo]

Who needed to be shot?

[MrPunnoosej]

Obama?

[Nautilus1972]

Yet it says in legislatures in many states across the U.S. that atheists not be allowed hold civil office. No separation of church and state there.

[toddsmitts]

Any such laws were probably written decades ago, if not more, and wouldn't hold up if challenged in court.

[helljumpr5150]

@Nautilus1972 How is that possible? States that can decide whether or not to follow the constitution?

[mhirtes12]

O'Hair was a foul-tempered old hag and an attention whore. An Atheist version of Fred Phelps, imo. I'm glad she's dead. All she was doing was trying to milk atheism for her own financial gain, and in the end that's what got her killed.

(And I am an atheist myself, BTW)

[generalbullmoose]

@toddsmitts I bet Madelyn Murray O'Hair believes in God now....

[PinkOld]

Yes, absolutely.

Truly inspired reading from a truly inspired chapter of the Bible.

Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe wrote a column about this event this Sunday that bears reading.

Quite a moving account from a very intelligent columnist.

[paulsummers1980]

Im not an american, i really enjoyed that broadcast. I think maybe they read from the bible because if you belive in God you will apresiate all his glory from there for sure.