Russian Cosmonaut Gagarin,who was the first man in space, never Mocked Faith, Friend Says

Moscow, Apr. 13 (CWNews.com) - Yuri Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut who was the first man in space, never made a comment that was attributed to him, mocking religious belief, according to an old friend. In April 12, 1961, after making the first manned flight outside the earth's atmosphere, Gagarin was quoted as saying that he "flew into space, but I did not see God there." But Colonel Valentin Petrov has told the Interfax news agency that the quote actually came from the Russian President Nikita Khrushchev. At the time Khrushchev was leading a propaganda campaign to discourage religious faith.