(RNS) — Where humans go, faith seems to follow. It’s no less true of NASA’s first manned mission to land on the moon, when astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins made their way farther into the heavens than anyone had gone before.

Here are five faith facts about the moon landing, which half a century later still inspires awe and wonder in people of all faiths and no faith.

1. Aldrin took Communion aboard the Eagle lunar lander.

When Aldrin first floated the idea of celebrating Communion during the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, NASA administrators responded with skepticism. The agency had already fended off a lawsuit filed after astronauts broadcast themselves reading from the Book of Genesis during the Apollo 8 mission, which atheist activist Madalyn Murray O’Hair derided as a violation of the separation of church and state. (Her case was ultimately dismissed.)

But Aldrin, who would later describe the mission as “part of God’s eternal plan for man,” was insistent, and officials eventually granted him permission to hold a service under the condition that he keep it quiet. 

Aldrin then approached the pastor of his church — the Rev. Dean Woodruff of Webster Presbyterian Church near Houston — about the idea, where the questions shifted from legal to theological.

Although Aldrin was an ordained…

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives agreed to kill a resolution presented by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, to impeach President Trump. Although this was his first attempt since the Democrats regained control of the House, he has also tried two other times previously. 

“The president has committed an impeachable offense,” Green said, as reported by Fox News. “Yesterday, we condemned him for that. Today is our opportunity to punish him.”

But the House disagreed with a sweeping 332-95 vote. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, was a strong critic of the impeachment resolution, nervous of what the attempt could do to vulnerable lawmakers before the 2020 election.

The resolution came amid the controversy over Trump’s tweets against four congresswomen of color, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley. He told them to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done.” Three of the four women are American citizens.

Democrats were split on the issue. While 137 Democrats voted to table the measure, 95 wanted to move forward.

Trump tweeted his frustration. “The United States House of Representatives has just overwhelmingly voted to kill the Resolution on Impeachment, 332-95-1. This is perhaps the most ridiculous and time-consuming project I have ever had to work…

Israel’s Minister of Education created a firestorm when he advocated for conversion therapy for gay teenagers. Rafael Peretz, who is also an orthodox rabbi, made the comments in response to a question during an interview with Channel 12’s evening news on Saturday.

The interviewer asked if he believed a gay person’s sexual orientation could be changed and he responded, “I think it is possible. I can tell you I have a very deep familiarity with this type of education and I have done this.” He then told the story of a student he counseled with, saying, “First I hugged him and uttered very warm words – let’s think, let’s learn, let’s contemplate,” the New York Times reports.

Reaction to Peretz’s comments was swift. According to the Jerusalem Post, MK Yair Lapid, a leader in the Blue and White party, said, “I do not know how to explain an education minister who talks about conversion therapy, who opposes joint IDF service for men and women or who honestly says he has no problem with apartheid. For the first time since I can remember, the State of Israel has a government that I am ashamed of.”

Lapid also called for Peretz to be removed from office. He said, “Until Rafi Peretz undergoes conversion therapy for his regressive and wild opinions, he cannot continue to serve as education minister.”

Gay conversion therapy has been…

The Ontario Office of the Chief Coroner recently released updated data and statistics on euthanasia and assisted suicide in the province. Since being legalized on June 17, 2016, there have been 3,302 euthanasia deaths and 1 from assisted suicide.

The data for MAiD (Medical Aid in Dying) showed that the number of deaths from euthanasia and suicide is rising in Ontario. There were 189 assisted deaths in 2016, 841 in 2017, 1,499 in 2018 and 774 in the first six months of 2019. If the trend for 2019 continues, there will be more than 1,500 this year, LifeSite News reports.

Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition reported that assisted deaths in all of Canada rose more than 2018. 2018 saw 4,325 assisted deaths versus 2,704 in 2018.

MAid statistics for Ontario showed the difficult reasons that people choose euthanasia or assisted suicide. 63% of deaths were cancer related, while 16% were related to circular and respiratory conditions and 12% to neurodegenerative disorders. The remaining 9% were listed as others.

The statistics also revealed that 48% of deaths occurred in hospitals while 43% of those choosing euthanasia and assisted suicide died at home.

The youngest reported assisted suicide in Ontario was a 22-year-old and the oldest was 106. The average age for euthanasia and assisted suicide deaths in Ontario is 74.

Schadenberg said that…

President Donald Trump is lauding Republican unity after a House resolution condemning tweets alleged to be racist passed along party lines, while Democrats are quietly claiming the so-called “Squad” of four played right into the President’s hands. One lawmaker went so far as to say defending the squad in light of their own behavior “makes people’s skin crawl.”

Tuesday’s vote was in response to tweets Trump made over the weekend that targeted four minority congresswomen by saying, “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” 

Even before the House vote, Trump was still tweeting, urging his party not to fall prey to what he termed was a “con game,” CBN News reported.

“…I don’t have a racist bone in my body! The so-called vote to be taken is a Democrat con game,” he tweeted.

The resolution declared that the House “Strongly condemns President Donald Trump’s racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.” It passed 240-187 with four Republicans in support and a single Democrat dissenting.

“Every single member of this institution, Democrats and Republicans, should join us and condemn the president’s racist tweets,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on the floor. “To do anything less would be a shameful…