Street Interviews in Haddonfield | Ep. 23

But his people. His people. What were they saying? His people. Kill him. Crucify him. Why did they say that? You know I have nothing to do with them. Why did they say that though? I don't know. It's because he was claiming to be God.

So why he might do that for? Because he was.

Street Interviews on Anti-Semitism and Religion

So we're doing a podcast. We're looking for people to interview. I don't know if you'd like to talk on our podcast. It's called Tearing Down High Places. About what? We're asking people about anti-Semitism and what they're experiencing lately and what they think about it.

Personally? Yeah, sure. I have not experienced anti-Semitism. I mean not personally. Can I record you? Sure. But that's because I hide. I don't go out in public very often.

What do you think about all the stuff on TV? The Palestinian movement. Things like that.

You know, I don't know enough about it. I really don't because there's so much to be angry about in this world going on right now. And that is so terrible. It's happening in Gaza. But I don't have a side.

I don't take a side. I think Netanyahu is a criminal. But, you know, we could stop it. But Hamas is awful as well. Do you have any religious background? I'm Jewish, but I'm not. I'm more of an atheist.

More of an atheist? I don't practice. No?

It's like more of? There's a spectrum? What do you mean?

Of atheism to Jewishness. I don't think they're black and white, I would think.

Well, I mean, I was born Jewish, let's put it that way.

Ethnic Jew.

I was, you know, my parents weren't very religious. The only person in my house that was Bar Mitzvahed was my brother. And he practices, more or less, like the rest of us. Are you Jewish too? No. He's Episcopalian.

You're Episcopalian? My parents were so disappointed.

Do you go to church? No.

He's just brought up Episcopalian? Yeah. His family is from the Episcopalians.

They were weird. I mean, I'm also an atheist.

What do you mean? You might as well be.

Because religion is what's wrong with the whole world, in a way. I know it helps civilize the world, maybe, as the years went on. But it's also the root of a lot of the problems.

A lot of hypocrisy.

Interesting.

Yeah, I mean, like, yeah. So we're both Christians. And this podcast is from our church, just full disclosure. It's called Tearing Down High Places.

That comes from the Old Testament.

And I needed that.

The Jews had problems that were corrected by God. They left high places of compromise in what they were commanded to do.

So are you anti-Semitic?

No, we're very pro-Jewish.

And that's part of the thing we want to talk to people about. That Jesus calls us to say there is only one race. We shouldn't even have any racism. It's always the ism that makes the wicked.

Except I don't believe there's Jesus, and I don't believe there's a God, and I don't believe that there's a higher being, and I don't believe any of that. I think people use that as an excuse to excuse certain behaviors.

How about the Ten Commandments?

Do you believe that that is a good law, a good set of laws that we should live by?

Well, except people don't do it. People who say they believe in the Ten Commandments probably don't even know what the Ten Commandments are.

Like Trump.

Sure.

Like Trump.

The phoniness of that man saying that evangelicals are... I'm sorry. I don't want to insult you.

No, no, no, it's fine. We asked for the interview.

Evangelicals are insane, I have to say. They have a lot of problems accepting the world as it is. They don't accept anybody that isn't evangelical.

Well, we do.

And believe that everybody else who doesn't believe in God is immoral. I pay my taxes. I don't break the law. I'm not immoral. I'm a good human being.

Well, that's the reason I asked you about the Ten Commandments, is because how else would we define law or define good without the law, right? So it's one of the uses of the law is to help us see our morality.

Because there's definitely the difference between right and wrong. I don't need something written by men to tell me that I'm doing something right or wrong.

You can't think of any examples of people who are conflicted over what is right and what is wrong?

You know whether what you're doing is right or wrong, and if you don't know what you're doing is wrong, then why do you need a spiritual priest to tell you what to do?

Well, yeah, actually what's happening in Gaza. Right.

Is that right or wrong?

That's exactly my point.

That's the whole thing right now.

If we don't have a moral standard, and that's not an objective standard, then you may have an opinion about what's moral and good, and I may have an opinion about what's moral and good. There's an example some of the philosophers use about the question they ask, is it always morally wrong to torture babies to death?

Is it?

Yes.

Always?

What kind of question is that?

It's an absurd question on purpose to see what is your standard for that. Your standard is murder. I think we'd all agree murder is wrong.

Are you talking about abortion? Are you talking about war?

I'm not.

I'm just saying that. I'm not talking about that, although we could go that route, obviously, but I think that might take us down a rabbit hole, right? So what I'm trying to get to is how about stealing?

Is stealing always morally wrong?

You mean taking something that doesn't belong to you? Of course it is. So I know that without somebody without a Ten Commandment telling me that.

I would absolutely agree.

So why do we need somebody telling you that?

Because some people argue that it's not.

Some people say it's okay to steal.

Who says it's okay to steal?

The state of California allows you to steal up to $900 worth of value in a retail store.

Without any prosecuting whatsoever.

That doesn't make it okay.

Right. Exactly.

Totally agree. But there are people who would argue that. But we need a standard, is the question.

Yes, but that's a legal thing and not a moral thing.

So you should base your laws off of religion.

Is that what you're saying?

I didn't say that.

He's saying that without something like the Ten Commandments, how do you know what's moral and what isn't?

Right?

Do I understand that?

You need an objective standard. You need an objective standard. So here's one.

To be more direct with your question, I would believe that.

Let me tell you why.

When this country was founded, right, everyone says not all the founders were this religion or that religion. They all wanted religious freedom, but they all did study the Bible and they all did say this is our objective standard that we can have to unify us, even though we might be in different religions.

In fact, then they were worried that Presbyterians couldn't get along with Congregationalists.

Okay, but who's to say that the Christian way of living is wrong?

Let's back up with Christian, right? It doesn't matter because—.

But that's what you're saying.

The Bible.

Is the Bible not Christian?

It's also Jewish and it's also Muslim. The Muslims affirmed the Old and New Testaments as being true in the Quran.

Okay, but that's brainwashing in my mind.

What do you mean?

Because that's what it says in their books.

I don't care.

Who wrote the Bible?

Men.

Well, I can argue that.

We can go that route, too.

Absolutely.

Did it come from God?

No, it came from men.

It was—.

Men who wrote this, who determined that that was—. They also burned women at the stake because—.

Have you studied that?

God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger.

What?

Jewish people believe that, yeah.

Well, that's why I'm an atheist.

There you go.

You know that.

But there is, there's amazing evidence. I mean, the biggest evidence of all we have is that Jesus affirms everything in the Old Testament as being true and He rose from the dead.

Oh, my God.

Oh, yeah.

I've got to go.

Did you believe in carbon dating?

I've got to go.

I'm sorry.

I can't.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, everybody.

I appreciate your time. Appreciate it.

All right.

Sir, we'd love to continue the conversation if you're interested.

I've got to head out.

Okay.

Good one, Jeff. Couldn't really go deep with those people.

Well, you know, you try to avoid the things you know are going to just rub them the wrong way. Not that we don't want to talk about it, but you've got to go in certain order or the conversation ends.

He tried not to trigger them, but they wanted to be triggered.

Please trigger me.

Trigger me.

I wish I knew.

Tell me your name again.

I've got a question for these guys.

What's your name? Say your name again. It's Christian, right? What's your middle name? It starts with an R.

Romans?

Romans.

See you, brother.

See you, buddy.

Romans 1 and the Unspoken Moral Standard

So we asked the guy, after we're done talking to this guy, and I asked him what his name is, and he said his name is Christian. And he doesn't care about who the Christian God is or has no desire to be a Christian.

And God has given him that name, a high name to live up to, and he's just not ready to live up to it. He says he doesn't know, but the truth is he doesn't want to know. Romans 1.

That's right.

Romans 1. We're looking for people to be interviewed on our podcast.

Have any interest?

I charge.

You charge?

I charge.

What do you charge?

Nothing.

Nothing?

All right.

Well, nice to meet you. My name's Joe, and this is Tim.

I'm trying to read a cert.

Play more.

This is basketball league I played.

Non-topic.

Yeah, non-topic.

Okay.

You want my opinion on something?

We do.

I'm a very opinionated guy.

All right.

Have a seat. Have a seat.

Meet into Tim's office.

Come to the table. Is it right here?

You're on.

All right.

And then I'm going to ask you to sign something for me.

Okay.

We'll see.

As long as it's not a check, I can sign it.

Okay.

All right.

So I guess we were asking people what they thought about anti-Semitism.

You were, and you aren't now?

But if that's something you're interested in, we'll ask you that.

Oh.

Do you have any opinions on that?

On?

What kind of stuff going on in the news? You know, hate for the Jewish people, things like that. Do you have any opinions on that? Do you think that some people are valid? Do you think you have a love for the Jews, a hate for the Jews?

What do you?

Well, who's this for?

So it's Tearing Down High Places is the name of the podcast.

Tearing Down High Places.

Yep.

Okay.

And there's a podcast.

Yep.

Is it somebody, is it a podcast of some podcaster that I might know?

We're affiliated with Cornerstone Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Cornerstone Church in Mount Laurel.

Church.

Are you Christian Church?

Yes.

Yes, we are.

Who am I talking to?

Talk to Tim. Talk to Tim.

I'm just the cameraman right now.

Do you personally accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

I'm born again. Have you done that? Been there, done that. Been there, done that. Are you still proclaiming that?

I'm a backslider.

Oh, man.

Uh-oh.

I'm a backslider.

I'm not doubting Thomas, but the bottom line is yes.

Okay.

You know, when I say I'm a backslider, it's because I'm a bad boy.

Okay.

But, yeah, so I had my BA experience.

Okay.

Do the math. Well, 2024 minus 1976.

Okay.

Do the math. So that's when I was first born again.

Okay.

But I'm interested in your church, and I'm interested in...

That was like 48 years ago.

Oh!

Well, that's a lifetime.

Nice.

Well, so are you going to church right now?

Well, no.

Have you read the Bible in a while?

Yes. Okay.

So you do read the Bible still?

Occasionally.

Occasionally? Okay, but not as much as you should. Probably?

Should?

I don't know. Like, because if you're born again Christian, you kind of have this love for God's Word, and that kind of directs your life.

So...

Well, yeah, but if the Word is within me...

That's true, too. What are some words from the Bible that are in you? Do you have a verse that you kind of hold on to, or something that helps you through life?

I got a ton of them.

Do you have a favorite one you want to share?

I can't say I have a favorite one, but I will tell you one of my... The first one that comes to mind, okay? And that is, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.

That's good.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy path.

Amen.

Did you hear that one?

Proverbs 3. That's a famous one. That's a very good one.

And I don't have to go to church to mull that one through my mind.

Yeah, right.

Because, you know, it says so much.

It says,.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Which means, you don't trust anybody else. Just don't trust God.

Trust in the Lord. But the Lord did kind of set up, you know, churches for people to go to. And, you know, He sent out the apostles, and the apostles started churches. And that's kind of how God designed Christians to behave, is go to church.

Absolutely.

So don't you think, like, Christians do kind of have an obligation to go to church because that's how God designed them?

Go ye into all the world and teach all nations.

Yeah, right.

I'm all for proselytizing.

Okay.

You're all for evangelizing, spreading the gospel, going to church, but you don't go to any church.

I'm so busy.

You're so busy. You think that's a good excuse?

But I do go to church sometimes.

Okay.

Are you interested in coming to our church? Is that what you said?

No.

Okay.

Too far.

Too far.

Mount Laurel's too far away.

I'm a local guy.

You're a local guy?

And my horizons are getting closer.

So is there a church somewhere around here you can go to, or everything's too far?

I have, and I do.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

What church is that?

Well, I went for Christmas Eve, I went to the local Episcopal Church.

Okay.

And I've attended a couple of years ago this church. And I just, I know your microphone is in the thing.

No, you're not going to hear anything for a second.

Okay.

We'll wait.

And that's where I hit the money, and I'm not saying it again.

He said, that's where I hit the money, and I'm not saying it again.

All right. Yeah.

But Tim, you wrote that down, didn't you?

Yeah.

I do that to my kids every time they're not paying attention to me.

So you got some kids? Did you raise them to be godly, Christian?

No, I didn't.

Oh, man.

Yeah.

Do you think that maybe you should evangelize to your kids and get them born again? Have a BA, as you say, you know, born again experience?

Yeah.

There you go with that, should born again.

Right.

Don't you feel like any conviction on that? You have kids. Raise them in the Lord, you know what I mean? And you still can. It's not too late. But now they're older and have their own opinions, and it's harder.

But maybe you still feel that obligation. Because when you die, if you, you know, put your faith in Jesus Christ, and you think that He died on the cross for your sins, and forgiven your sins, and given you eternal life, and you think that He rose from the dead.

I thought you were going to interview me.

You're evangelizing.

Sorry.

Well, this is me evangelizing, too, at the same time.

Well, you know the old term. You're preaching to the choir.

Preaching to the choir.

You know that? Yeah.

So that's what I'm saying. You asked me.

Shoot.

So I'm explaining, like, yeah, that's why I think should. Like the Holy Spirit, I think, would be convicting me if I had kids. I don't have any kids. I want kids one day like you. But if I had kids, I have conviction.

Wait, you want kids like me?

I'm saying like you, I want to have kids. You know, and I feel that if I was a father, the Holy Spirit would convict me to raise them to trust the Lord and direct them in a way they should go. You would see.

But, like, what kept you? Here's the question. What kept you from doing that?

Two words.

A woman.

Oh, a woman.

Did you marry a non-Christian?

Yes.

Oh, man. Oh, kids. There's a lesson right there for you. Marry someone in the Lord.

It's tough.

I'll tell you what. If either of my exes is watching this, she's going to kill me all the more.

Oh.

Because, well, one would consider herself not to be a Christian, and the other one certainly would consider herself to be a Christian. I would take her to task on that notion. So, but, you know, it gets complicated.

So, it's one of those things.

Okay.

It's more than you want to interview.

Yeah, no, no, no, I understand.

But I feel like you want to get to the question of anti-Semitism and all that stuff.

Yeah, so what is your, yeah, that was the opening question, but then you brought up Jesus.

I didn't.

Well, that's all your fault.

That's what you said.

Where you were coming from, which is from church.

Right.

But you asked that.

Okay, I know.

I'm provocative. We'll bring it back to anti-Semitism. Like, what do you think about.

I'll let you do it now.

Okay, so what do you think about what's going on in Israel or any, like, do you have any opinions that you think that people should know out there about?

I do.

Okay, let's hear those.

Okay.

And I'll tell you first, I'm speaking as a biased person because in my heart of hearts, I am a Jew. In my heart of hearts, and that's due to their religion. And I'll remind you, Jesus was a Jew.

That's right.

So, my bias is for Israel. And in terms of the local situation, I mean, the current situation, I'm so self-conscious.

That's okay. You're doing great, and we're having a great time.

Thank you.

So, Israel. So, I'm a great believer in the state of Israel and in the modern incarnation of the state of Israel. And on the political scene, I think that the United Nations formed and endorsed and made possible the modern state of Israel in 1948.

Yeah.

I was there.

Were you there?

Well, I was never there.

For World War II?

They weren't asking me any questions at the time.

Was it because of World War II, though?

Because of Adolf Hitler, yes.

Oh, okay, okay.

And that's what... It was Adolf Hitler, you know, who essentially effected the modern state of Israel.

Right, yeah.

So, because that was like the final straw and that was like the ticket that the Jews needed to feel that they had a claim to that land.

So, where were you? Like, were you in America? Oh, no, no.

I'm sorry.

I was there time-wise. I was living in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Oh, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Okay.

So, how old were you when that happened in 1948?

I was nine years old.

Nine years old, okay.

That's why they didn't ask me about it.

That's okay. That's pretty cool that...

Anyway, I'm just... You know, my point is that I think that the United Nations owes it to Israel to stand behind Israel because Israel is the United Nations' baby. They gave birth to the modern state of Israel.

And God also gave them that land biblically. That's the Jewish people's land.

So, they say. Not everybody agrees with that.

Not everyone agrees.

So, I believe it, yeah.

Okay.

But, right, we know what's going on right now isn't, you know,.

A question of...

Everything has to do with what God says. But the argument doesn't have to do with what God said because some people, you know, have a God...

You think even if you take God out of the equation, logically, Israel should be backed by the United Nations and the rest of the world.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

Okay, that's good.

So, I don't think it's right to let one state or one non-state destroy a state that was established by common consent.

Okay.

I got an easy question for you. What's your name? Unless you don't want to share on the camera.

No, everybody knows me. I'm Walter Weidenbacher.

Oh, Walter Weidenbacher. Okay, Walter. We won't take up any more of your time.

No, I want to talk about Netanyahu.

What do you want to talk about?

I want to talk about Netanyahu.

What is that?

Netanyahu.

Go ahead. Yeah, talk about it. Talk about it.

You don't know who Netanyahu is?

I don't know. Who is it, Joe?

He's the president of Israel.

Oh, president of Israel.

Prime minister, actually.

Prime minister. Tell us about that.

Okay, well, he's being pilloried by half the world for all of his genocide and everything, but he's doing what I believe he should be doing as the prime minister of Israel, which is defending Israel against the October 8th attack.

Right. And so I'm just saying, I don't side at all, and this is the big controversial thing politically and everything, and this is what all the demonstrations are about, and this is probably somebody who came by car because it's in this republic.