Retired Brig. Gen. Charles Duke Jr, an Apollo astronaut and the 10th man to walk on the moon, was invited to speak at the US Air Force Academy prayer luncheon on February 9th.  He spoke on “America’s Godly Heritage,” and noted that he and his wife redirected their energy “toward God.”  He is now president of the Duke Ministry for Christ.

In his remarks, General Duke also highlighted the nation’s religious heritage:

“From the beginning, we were a Godly nation. We were conceived as a religious nation with freedom of religion but not free from God,” he said.

He cited the Mayflower Compact written in the 1600s with references to God, the Declaration of Independence with “certain inalienable rights by our Creator,” the Pledge of Allegiance with reference to “one nation under God” and the inscription “In God we Trust” on U.S. coins. He added that founding fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison attended worship services in the quarters of the House of Representatives and received Communion in the Supreme Court and Treasury.

General Duke also noted references to God inscribed in such Washington, D. C., institutions as the Supreme Court.

“We are a nation to worship as we see fit, and we should live as we are called to live,” he said.

Read more of the USAFA article.