Everyone has a story. The woman you pass on the street. A man waiting at a bus stop. The janitor at work. This department features people who were approached at random and asked about their spiritual interests.


Age: 30

Occupation: Barista

Favorite TV show: If I have a chance to watch TV, I guess it would be Myth Busters.

Last book you read: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Hobbies: Besides being hopped up on coffee, I play tennis, I like finding new little restaurants to eat at, I salsa dance, and I used to do a lot of martial arts. And coffee.

Relationship status: Single

Children: No

Time in Des Moines: A little over a year

Hometown: Born and raised in San Diego

Do you believe in God? Why? Yes. It’s something you can’t see, you can’t hear, you can’t smell, but there’s something deep down in you that you know. I have a huge faith in him.

Who is Jesus? The Son of God. The guy who died for my sins. All of our sins.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how spiritually interested are you? I’d say a good 7.

Do you believe in an afterlife? Yes

Do you believe in heaven? Yes

Do you believe in hell? Yes

What’s the criteria for getting to heaven? I guess a scapegoat would be to just repent of your sins.

Are people basically good or basically bad? Basically, people are good. They might be crazy, but they’re good.

Do you pray? How often? Yes. When I hear about something tragic. Once a week, at least.

Do you believe that your truth is the only truth? No, I don’t.

Do you go to church? When I can.

What’s your impression of churches in America? The church could use more youth in it. Some churches have a huge generation gap. Even with priests and nuns you see a generation gap.

If you could ask God one question, what would it be? If you’re a scientist, you do some experiments to get the right formula. What was your process of creating humans?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how afraid of death are you? 2—I’m not afraid, but I don’t want to go.

What’s the purpose of life? Leaving your mark, whether it’s helping one person. Just leaving something behind to help somebody.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? Greed—it would be a better place with less greed.

If you could know truth, would you want to? Yes, I would. If you want to know the truth, you have to be able to handle the truth.