Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke, now 91, says he believes UFOs are demonic and meant to turn people away from God, though he never saw one during his time in space.
The youngest person to walk on the moon shared his view in an interview with CBN News.
Duke says UFO sightings are real in the sense that people are seeing something, but he does not think they are extraterrestrial beings. "The devil can appear as an angel of light, the Bible says," he said, adding that he believes the phenomenon pulls people toward "alien beings" who are "demonic."
Duke said he once prayed about UFOs and asked God for a sign: that a businessman friend who never talks about science would bring up UFOs at breakfast the next morning. He says his friend did exactly that, and he took it as his answer. He acknowledged that people have laughed at his view, saying, "I'm sticking to it."
Did he ever see a UFO in space? No. Duke said the only unusual things he saw were streaks of light caused by cosmic particles passing through astronauts' eyes on the way to the moon.
What about moon landing doubters? He pointed to photos taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of the landing sites, and to the experiments left behind, as strong evidence the landings were real.
Duke said he was a Christian in name when he flew, but Jesus was "in my mind and not my heart." Around 1976 or 1977, he committed his life to Christ after a weekend Bible study. Asked about his legacy, he said he'd like his tombstone to read, "Here lies a man who walked with God."
The interview was shared alongside CBN's documentary Investigating the Supernatural: Angels and Demons.
Duke's comments reflect his personal beliefs, and Christians hold a range of views on the subject.
