Religion/ Spirituality

Julian Edelman doesn't play for Pittsburgh ... but he's got the city's back regardless -- wearing a Jewish star hat Sunday, and saying last month's synagogue shootings were "uncalled for."

After the Patriots beat the Packers last night, the WR -- who is of Jewish heritage -- wore a Team Israel hat from the World Baseball Classic.

He told reporters he wanted to show the people affected by the anti-Semitic shootings inside the Tree of Life synagogue that they're in his thoughts.

"Just letting the people out in Pittsburgh know I'm thinking about them," Edelman said ... "I'm sending vibes and they're in our prayers. It was a big hit to the community, and it's uncalled for."

"So, I just let them know, 'Hey, I'm behind you and I'm supporting.'"

The Pittsburgh Steelers -- who played in Baltimore on Sunday -- held a moment of a silence for the victims before their win over the Ravens ... while star QB Ben Roethlisberger wore "Stronger Than Hate" cleats.

Members of the team also attended funeral services last week for two brothers, Cecil and David Rosenthal, killed in the tragedy.

Ilana Glazer was forced to cancel a political event Thursday night when cops revealed vandals had left anti-Semitic slurs all over the walls of the synagogue where her event was being held.

The "Broad City" star was about to host a panel discussion with 2 NY State Senate candidates when NYPD let her know they'd found the words, "Kill all Jews" scrawled on a wall inside the Brooklyn synagogue. Cops say they found other slurs as well.

Ilana decided to pull the plug out of caution ... especially on the heels of last weekend's horrific mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Audience members had waited for about an hour in Brooklyn, and Ilana herself came out to address the crowd. She seemed unshaken as she promised there would be other events planned soon, and thanked everyone for coming.

The haunted box that seemed to curse Post Malone is about to see the light of day on Halloween, 'cause its new owner wants to take a peek inside ... but on one condition.

"Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans tells TMZ he plans on opening the dybbuk box in his Haunted Museum Wednesday night, and he'll be doing it live on his show. As crazy as that sounds, it's even worse when you hear what Zak's been going through lately.

He tells us he's been getting ominous signs left and right leading up to the event that would make even Damien Thorn shake. It's pretty freaky sh*t -- stuff like dreams about people and animals being killed, calls from an unknown number telling him people will die ... and illness plaguing him for the past few weeks.

Remember ... this is the same box that supposedly put Post Malone's life in danger these past few months after he was in the same room with Zak, who ended up touching the thing. Post didn't touch it himself, but he did touch Zak's shoulder ... and Zak says that's enough to trigger a curse.

There is an upside, though, that hopefully keeps Zak from prying this devil box open. He tells us he'll only do it if he does NOT feel the same supernatural sensation he and Post felt in the room this summer.

Considering this box has made people pass out on sight -- like this poor woman here -- we're guessing he'll feel something. BTW ... we're told this lady collapsed after coming into the same room with the box just a week after Post visited. She had to be taken to the ER.

Kate Hudson's catching some flak for dressing up as a follower of Bhagwan Rajneesh -- the cult leader in the Netflix docuseries, "Wild Wild Country" -- but one of his former disciples LOVES it.

We talked to Philip Toelkes -- who used to go by Swami Prem Niren when he served as the top attorney for the controversial Rajneeshpuram in the '80s -- and he tells us Kate and her friends were well within their rights to celebrate the group.

Kate faced backlash online after posting the pic, apparently at a Halloween party, because some people felt she was glorifying the "cult."

Let's face it ... Rajneeshees will be a hit Halloween costume this year -- with the popularity of the Netflix series -- and Phil says he's totally on board with that. He also thinks Bhagwan -- aka Osho -- would be too, as long as it's respectful.

Phil also took aim at the haters, who say the Rajneeshees almost ruined a way of life for many Oregonians, saying they never understood their movement.

On the other hand, the mayor of Antelope, OR -- which had been overrun by the Rajneeshees -- tells us, "They plotted to assassinate someone. How friendly would others be if [someone] dressed up as a terrorist for Halloween?"

Tyler Perry thinks houses of worship should remain holy and sacrosanct, but the sad reality is that armed guards may be necessary.

The "Nobody's Fool" director was in NYC Tuesday, where he said Trump's call to arms in houses of worship is not the solution.

A rabbi in the deep South says he and his congregation are seriously considering taking President Trump's advice -- in the wake of the mass shooting in Pittsburgh -- and arm themselves during worship.

Rabbi Moshe Rube -- who heads up the Knesseth Israel Congregation in Birmingham, AL -- tells TMZ ... he's already spoken to temple members about having someone armed on-site after a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

You'll recall, President Trump caught some flak for suggesting the killing might've been avoided if people inside were armed -- but the idea's clearly gained support from some Jewish leaders.

Rabbi Rube says he's considering several options, including having members carry concealed weapons during services, as long as they're licensed.

Considering Alabama's history of racially-motivated church bombings and anti-Semitic attacks ... the rabbi says it's a difficult subject that simply couldn't be avoided.

Sarah Palin has an answer for stopping mass shootings in America ... and it has nothing to do with restricting gun sales or getting more weapons in the hands of law enforcement.

We got Sarah Monday at LAX and asked about the deadly attack at a Pittsburgh synagogue, and what can be done to prevent domestic terrorism ... and Sarah tells us it's all about religion -- or lack thereof.

Check out the clip ... Sarah preaches about driving out evil by worshiping God, telling us why religion will be way more effective than protesting or screaming into the Twittersphere.

President Trump's call for arming synagogues after the mass shooting in Pittsburgh really is NOT a crazy idea ... so says Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, one of the country's most prominent Jewish leaders.

Shmuley -- who's been dubbed "America's Rabbi" and a rabbi to the stars -- tells us he completely agrees with DT's suggestion that armed security should be in place at places of worship after a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue Saturday.

There's a catch though, according to Shmuley. He says beefing up security at synagogues across the U.S.A. ain't gonna be cheap, and Uncle Sam's gotta chip in to make it happen.

Even more troubling ... he tells us synagogues everywhere are already considering moves to protect themselves in the wake of the anti-Semitic attack. He goes on to condemn social media posts made by the suspected shooter, Robert Bowers, illustrating his hatred of Jews.

3:35 PM PT -- The Anti-Defamation League says the shooting is believed to be the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

2:40 PM PT -- U.S. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, issued a statement, saying in part: "Hatred and violence on the basis of religion can have no place in our society. These alleged crimes are reprehensible and utterly repugnant to the values of this nation. Accordingly, the Department of Justice will file hate crimes and other criminal charges against the defendant, including charges that could lead to the death penalty."

2:20 PM PT -- Officials say 3 handguns and an assault rifle were found at the scene, and the suspect, Robert Bowers, is in fair condition with multiple gunshot wounds.

1:10 PM PT -- Press conference with the Allegheny Director of Public Safety ... 11 fatalities and 6 injuries, 4 of the injuries were officers shot. There weren't any children injured or killed.

12:30 PM PT -- At least 10 dead, according to officials.

12:05 PM PT -- Pittsburgh public safety director Wendell Hissrich says there are 6 injuries, and 4 of them are officers. He described the crime scene as "horrific" and said the synagogue shooting is being considered a hate crime and will fall under federal investigation.

10:45 AM PT -- The suspected gunman has been identified by law enforcement officials as 46-year-old Robert Bowers.

9:15 AM PT -- We've seen what looks like the shooter's social media page, and it says "Jews are the children of Satan." His last post reads, "I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in."

The shooter is reportedly a member of Gab, an alternative social media site frequented by white supremacists.

10:00 AM PT -- Donald Trump just said the shooting could have been prevented if someone inside the temple had a gun. He then weirdly talks about the death penalty, as if that might have prevented the shooting.

A gunman opened fire at a Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh during a prayer service, 4 people are confirmed dead, and this was clearly an anti-Semitic attack.

The shooter entered the Tree of Life Congregation and began spraying bullets. According to cops, the shooter came with an AR-15 and said, "All Jews need to die."

When cops arrived, the shooter began firing at them. According to CNN, at least 3 cops have been shot.

Authorities believe as many as 8 people from the synagogue might be dead, and at least 12 have been shot.

Carnegie Mellon University, which is near the temple, is on lockdown.

Authorities have the shooter in custody.

Justin Bieber needed a hug and some love on his way out of church, clearly impacted by our story about Selena Gomez's mental health crisis.

The first signs Justin wasn't his normal self came when he showed up alone to his usual Wednesday night service ... this only hours after we broke the story of Selena's emotional breakdown.

Justin's been attending church with new wife Hailey Baldwin -- just as he did when he was dating Selena -- but Wednesday, the Biebs was flying solo and he needed to be comforted by friends as he was leaving.

It's interesting ... Justin and Hailey typically do their own thing coming in and out of services, but last night he was surrounded by his church buddies. Justin, messy hair and all, clearly looks like he could use the support.

Justin Bieber and his friends went on a Jesus-laced hike Friday, and ended up in a rap battle of sorts with a photog.

It's pretty awesome ... JB and crew were in the bushes in the Lake Hollywood area of L.A., rapping about Jesus and The King. As they praised the Lord and walked down the hill, they challenged a photog to drop some bars.

Justin eyeballs the photog and labels him part of the Biggie/Tupac era, and then listens as the guy raps his owns verses.

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin might be married under the eyes of the law -- but they don't think they'll truly be until they proclaim it under the eyes of God.

Our Bieber/Baldwin sources tell us Justin and Hailey don't consider themselves "officially" married ... because they haven't cemented their vows with the man upstairs. We're told they believe a church ceremony is necessary to make the marriage meaningful in the eyes of God.

We broke the story ... Justin and Hailey walked into a marriage license courthouse in NYC last month where, as it turns out, they also got the document that made them man and wife ... despite denying -- both publicly and behind the scenes -- they were hitched.

What's unclear ... if they don't really feel "married" until they have a church wedding, why did they even bother to do it at the courthouse?

As we reported, Justin and Hailey inquired about a prenup and even contacted lawyers, but they never followed through. They could get a postnup -- which is like a prenup only after they're married -- but our sources say at this point it's the furthest thing from Justin's mind.

We're told the plan is to have a big ceremony early next year ... either in upstate NY or Ontario, Canada.

Ben Affleck is taking frequent breaks from his rehab facility for the things that matter most to him -- the latest being Sunday worship with his kids and ex-wife.

Ben and Jennifer Garner walked out of church Sunday morning in Pacific Palisades with their son, Samuel ... their daughters, Violet and Seraphina, were there too. We've seen Ben leave rehab almost weekly now -- sometimes for a workout session, sometimes for studio meetings.

It's a different approach for sure. Typically, rehab facilities want to remove patients from their day-to-day patterns and focus on treatment. It's been about 5 weeks since Jen staged an intervention and drove Ben to rehab -- but it's unclear if he's still a patient.

Rev. Jesse Jackson has a message for all the Colin Kaepernick haters -- Tim Tebow took a knee too ... and nobody had a problem with that!

We got Jesse leaving Reagan International Airport this week when he used the ex-Heisman Trophy winner to explain what he believes is the hypocrisy surrounding the outrage directed at Kaepernick.

"It's interesting that when Tim Tebow took a knee, it was accepted," Jesse tells TMZ Sports.

"Kaepernick takes a knee and he's rejected. Both of them took a knee in protest of what they believed in. One was religion. One was for justice. Okay."

Remember ... Tim used to take knees prior to every game -- albeit not DURING the national anthem -- and it was so widely praised, a social media meme came of it.

Post Malone got a THIRD lease on life in the early hours of Friday morning ... after walking away unscathed after a scary car crash.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rapper was a passenger in his Rolls-Royce Friday in WeHo at 2:40 AM when a Kia T-boned the Rolls on the driver's side.

Moments after the crash, Post told us the Kia hit them out of nowhere ... causing the Rolls-Royce to spin out of control. Photos back up his version.

We're told no drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. There were no injuries ... unless you count Post's psyche. After the crash, the rapper said (and later tweeted), "God must hate me."

The crash, of course, comes a mere 17 days after his private jet blew 2 tires after takeoff from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and seemingly circled for hours to burn fuel before making an emergency landing. Post said afterward he was thrilled to be alive.

TMZ shot Post hours before the car crash at Petit restaurant celebrating the birthday of his manager, Dre London.

Post's seemed physically fine post-crash ... he hit up a house party with rapper Trippie Redd. Surviving a brush with death -- twice -- is reason to party.

BTW ... special moment after the crash between Post and a pap, who made the rapper happy as hell when he recovered the Rolls-Royce hood ornament that flew off after the crash.

Roseanne Barr is throwing in the towel and leaving the U.S.

Barr appeared on Rabbi Shmuley's podcast and said she's headed for Israel ... first she says for a few months to study, but then she talks about a full-on move -- "I have an opportunity to go to Israel for a few months and study with my favorite teachers over there, and that's where I'm going to go and probably move somewhere there and study with my favorite teachers."

Barr says she made a "fatal mistake" -- apologizing for her racist comment about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. She says when the left gets hold of an apology from someone on the other side of the political spectrum they don't let it go and eventually destroy their adversary.

Barr, who is a deeply religious Jew, goes on to say, "I have some mental health issues and depression and stuff. I got to stay in the middle or I'll go dark and I don't want to go dark again."

John Goodman just said Roseanne's gonna be killed off at the beginning of the reboot, "The Conners."