Dusty-22 years old & Lance-29 years old (part 1)

My friend, Annie, & I headed downtown to the Occupy Calgary protest to do some interviews and to see if we could get into spiritual conversations with some of the folks there.

[On a side note, some friends of mine (thanks Pete & Bruce) sent a link to an article on the very different ways in which the police and city are handling the Occupy protesters over against Christians working / preaching on the same spot. You will find it interesting.]

It was a cold (41F/5C), cloudy day, and when we first arrived, we found the place to be a near ghost-town.  I've never seen this part of downtown Calgary this vacant. Usually the Olympic Plaza is filled with people milling around, people watching, etc. This time was very different.

We did find Dusty & Lance hanging around outside their tents (they later told us they had been a part of the protest for two weeks). [If you look hard at the picture you can see them in the center.] We approached them & told them we were with a group called New City Church & we were asking people 5 brief questions from an informal spiritual questionnaire. They said they'd be glad to participate.

Dusty believes that there is "a god," but most likely there are other spiritual beings greater than God (the "Illuminati," as he called them). He has had no spiritual upbringing or background and came to these beliefs as an adult. He would describe his present spirituality as "strong, powerful, & great."

He would like to ask God, "How did we get here, and what's our purpose?" If he were to face God when he died, he would tell God that the reason he should get into heaven--if it existed--is that he is a kind, spirited guy (which seemed to be true).   He'd also rank himself on a scale of 1-10 at a "7."

His buddy Lance--the more vocal of the two--is a former Jehovah's Witness. It might be more accurate to say that his mother was a JW because they were kicked out of that organization when his mother got divorced. Lance was 10 years old when this happened.

When asked what one question he'd like to ask God, he agreed with the question that Dusty put forward and added, "When is the end of the world going to  #%$&@%  happen?" Annie was quick to ask why this question was significant.  Lance said that he'd wants to prepare for it. Annie sought to clarify, "Does that mean physical preparation or spiritual?"And Lance said, "Both.  I've got to stock up on food and  #%$&@%, but I've also got to get right with God." I'm already drooling.

Lance also went on to tell us about his belief that aliens are already here on the earth, and that there are probably spaceships everywhere in our atmosphere, we just can't see them. He also told us about hearing God's voice one time when he jokingly told a Muslim woman he passed in the streets that he was God.  When he turned the corner, the sky parted and a ray of sun shone down and a loud, audible voice said, "No, you're not God. I am." Which basically freaked him out.

Lance says he has seen the Devil when he was a little high on crystal meth ("not that high") and the Devil & demons were beckoning him to come onto their side. He saw a very visible manifestation of the Grim Reaper passing by. Then a "warrior angel" appeared wearing battle gear and having a huge wingspan.  Lance said that this angel flapped its wings once lifting itself instantly about 20 feet off the ground. The shockwave of the wing-thrust shook the earth and dispelled the vision.  The angel then disappeared, and Lance says he knew right then that God was looking after him.

When asked what he would say when he dies if God were to ask him, "Why should I let you into heaven?", Dusty admitted frankly, "Please forgive me.  I know that I've done a lot of  #%$&@%  in my life and I need  #%$&@%  forgiveness." In spite of this, Lance would rank himself at a 7.5 on the goodness scale. "I've done a lot of good things. I even let Dusty stay at my place once when he needed somewhere to stay."

I thanked them for their answers to their questions and asked if I could ask them one more. They readily agreed.

"What do you think happens when you die?"

Dusty said, "I don't know. I think we go on to some kind of existence. I definitely believe in reincarnation."

"Maybe you could help me out on this, Dusty," I said. "Who gets to decide how we come back? I mean, who or what determines if we come back as a roach or a human or an angel? Is it God, or one of these other beings you say exists? Is it the outworking of an impersonal force?"

"Wow, that's a good question. I never thought about that."

"Doesn't that also imply some sort of standard by which you will be judged?"

"Yes," Dusty said, his eyes seemingly searching for a possible answer.

"Do you know what that standard will be by which you will be judged?" I probed.

"No, I don't," he admitted.

"That must be pretty scary," I said. Dusty nodded in sober agreement.

"Can I tell you guys what I think will happen when we die?  I'd be curious what you'd think."

"Sure," they both said eagerly.

See part 2.