The Man Who Did Not See God

50 years ago today the first human was ejected into space, and the Space Age began in earnest.

He was, of course, Yuri Gagarin, a young Soviet (Russian) pilot, whose life was cut short only seven years later, in an airplane crash.

Yuri Gagarin: his life in pictures

Gagarin is famous for his alleged statement that he "didn't see any God up here". In fact, this statement of his is almost as famous as Neil Armstrong's first words on the Moon.

Only - much like Armstrong's words - these words weren't his. What's more, nobody ever heard him say them. There is no record of them in the transcripts of orbit-to-Earth conversations. In fact, the only source appears to be a speech by Khruschev, the then-president of the USSR, who used Gagarin's achievement and popularity for political and ideological purposes, much like the USA astronauts' achievements were used by politicians and propaganda as a source of reflected glory.


Specifically, Khruschev used - or just plain invented - Gagarin's alleged words for anti-religious propaganda during a speech of his: "Gagarin told me he didn't see any God up there!" Maybe it wasn't even a quote; maybe it was just a clumsy joke.

According to a reported recent interview with a high official of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Gagarins used to celebrate Christmas and Easter, and Yuri had his two daughters baptised. (If you think this is purely a formality, think again. In the USSR such "formalities" were strongly frowned upon, and could cost a person their job and all chances of promotion in the future.)

According to Gagarin's friend, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, upon his return to Earth Gagarin was asked by Khruschev did he see God up there, to which Gagarin supposedly replied: "Yes, sir, as a matter of fact, I have." You can read the rest of the anecdote here.

To me, this sounds like one of those "tall tales" that people are prone to spin, especially when they age and look back with nostalgia to their youth, and then gradually start to believe them themselves. But of course, I wasn't there, so I could not possibly tell whether it's the truth or not.

This is what Gagarin did say, according to his friends:

"Someone who never met God on Earth, 
would never meet Him in space"

Whatever anyone may think of the notion of God - amen to that.

***

P.S. Have you noticed how similar Gagarin and Neil Armstrong look? 

It's uncanny.


I will go a step further and venture this question: was perhaps Armstrong chosen - that is,given priority amongst possibly several equaly qualified potential astronauts - BECAUSE of his physical similarity to Gagarin?


It is just a thought; and it is a thought that is not unthinkable if Gagarin's image was a truly iconic image of the time: an icon, the icon of the new space age.


What do you think?