Astronaut Reid Weiman shares a spiritual experience from outer space.

This article is my opinion based on my personal belief system

The crew of the Artemis II, which recently returned to Earth were Commander Reid Weisman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

They have not shared details of their mission, but Weisman has spoken briefly about an encounter he considered "otherworldly" while watching the sun eclipse behind the moon.

The first thing the commander did when he was back on Earth was ask for a chaplain (a Christian minister who presides at specific locations such as army bases, hospitals, and jails). Weisman says when he saw the cross around the man's neck, he began to cry. 

"I'm not really a religious person, but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything, so I just asked for the Navy chaplain to come visit us for a minute," 

"When that man walked in - I'd never met him before in my life, but I saw the cross on his collar, and I just broke down in tears," 

Weisman said the experience in space was hard to grasp, and more details will come later. As a believer in the God who created the universe and Jesus Christ, His Son, I believe the Lord was letting the astronaut know He is real. Why else would the sight of the cross affect him that way?

I have attended church services where the Presence of the Lord was so strong that some women and men cried, lifted their hands in worship, or fell to the floor. This is something that cannot be explained logically, but is experienced

The Cross is a symbol that reminds believers that Jesus was crucified for our sins and rose from the dead. Christians wear crosses as a sign of faith. The astronaut had a personal encounter, and his life will never be the same.

I believe (and you can disagree) that Weisman experienced something while aboard the spacecraft that left him with questions, and seeing the cross on the chaplain's collar was the answer.

It's my opinion (and you can disagree) that when the commander saw the cross, it was Jesus saying, "Yes, I'm real, and I was crucified for your sins."

Many earthbound people attend church and identify as Christian, but not everyone has a supernatural testimony like the one experienced on the Artemis II.

I once spoke to actor Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer, The Bold and the Beautiful), who is an outspoken atheist. I asked if he ever prayed for God to reveal Himself.

He said he had tried without results. Meanwhile, his B&B castmates, Ashley Jones and Matthew Atkinson, have shared testimonies of their Christian faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Actress Jane Lynch says she grew up attending church, but it was more of a community activity than a religious experience. She now identifies as an atheist.

Faith in Jesus was never intended to be the man-made religion it has become today, which turns many away. Weisman's statement that there was "No other avenue " for an explanation is powerful.

Artemis crew pilot Victor Glover, who identifies as Christian, said: "The only thing I will add is I am a religious person, but everything else is the same."

Each time I have read Weisman's testimony, it brought me to tears because I understand what it's like to have such an encounter. Others, at times, attempt to downplay or discount spiritual experiences as emotions, but those who have them know they are very real.

Personal encounters with the Cross, whether inside a church building or somewhere else, even outer space, are spiritually and emotionally overwhelming, and no one can take that experience away from you.

The world awaits the full testimonies from the Artemis II crew on their adventures in space, especially the rest of the fantastic journey of Reid Weisman. There will no doubt be skeptics who discount his experience as emotionalism, but the astronaut knows it was very real.