Religion/ Spirituality

Justin Bieber's blood father is back on the scene ... just days after some huge events in his son's life, and word he had been leaning on Pastor Carl Lentz for fatherly guidance.

Bieber's pops, Jeremy, flew to L.A. from Ontario, Canada over the weekend with Justin's younger brother, Jaxon, in tow. Jeremy was seen driving around town in a convertible ... tailing Justin who was in his own vehicle.

Sources connected to Bieber say Jeremy's visit is absolutely a direct response to Justin's tumultuous week -- from pulling the plug on the Purpose tour, to accidentally hitting a pap with his truck.

And there's this -- as we first reported, Lentz has stepped up over the last several months as a father figure ... spending time with Justin on the road, and back home in Los Angeles. He's the one Justin turned to when he wanted to discuss ending the tour.

Our sources say Justin's had little, if any, relationship with Jeremy all year. It appears the last time they were together was around Christmastime. We're told Jeremy's here now because he just wanted to reconnect and hang with his kid.

So far, so good. Justin's been pretty chill during the visit.

Justin Bieber's love of music is fully intact, and his love for his religion won't change that ... which is why he's reassuring close friends he WILL return to performing.

When TMZ broke the story ... Justin was canceling the Purpose tour to rededicate "his life to Christ" ... we're told it sent shockwaves through the industry, and there was genuine concern he would put music on the back burner.

Sources connected to his inner circle say Justin's had multiple convos this week, explaining his faith won't stop him from being an artist. We're told music's always been a major release for Justin and he's constantly in and out of studios working on new tunes.

We're told he has not recorded since pulling the plug on his tour, but he's made it clear he intends to return. He just doesn't have a date in mind yet.

Our sources also say he's adamant he'll return to touring too ... when the time is right, but most likely NOT for 2 consecutive years -- as he attempted to do this time.

We got Justin's frequent writing and producing partners, Poo Bear, Skrillex and John Shahidi at Catch, and they were totally in favor of JB's break ... for his rest and his religion.

Justin Bieber won't complain about one part of his life on the road -- it forced him to grow incredibly close to his pastor, Carl Lentz ... so much so, he now sees him as a 2nd father.

Sources close to Hillsong Church tell TMZ ... Lentz stepped up big-time as a guiding presence in Justin's life, especially while he was on the road and overseas. We're told Justin was lonely during most of the Purpose tour -- he's been estranged from his mother, and likewise, had no relationship with his dad, Jeremy, for some time now.

On the flip side, Lentz flew to visit Justin often -- particularly during his Australia and New Zealand tour stops in March, then they kicked it again during his April break in NYC ... where Pastor Carl primarily preaches.

Interestingly, sources at the church tell us Justin and Carl have spent almost every day together within the last month, and one source described them as "nearly inseparable." As we reported, Justin also views Hillsong as an escape from his celebrity life.

His fondness for Carl, and vice versa, is obvious in a Hillsong Church video posted a few days ago.

Justin Bieber's religious lifestyle is the complete opposite of his life on the road ... and that's why he chose it over the Purpose tour ... TMZ has learned.

Sources at Hillsong Church tell us Justin worships in total peace, and at least feels he's treated like a regular person ... not a superstar while he's there. We're told he enjoys not being the center of attention and the feeling of community. As one source put it ... "Everyone's there to help everyone."

We're told taking photos or video is frowned upon, and that's a big deal for Justin. Remember, Bieber's long complained that fans snapping pics makes him "feel like a zoo animal."

As we first reported ... other church sources say JB canceled Purpose after he "rededicated his life to Christ" -- that's the "unforeseen circumstance" in the official cancellation statement.

Publicly, Justin has said he just needs a break ... but we're told it's much deeper than that.

Justin Bieber's "purpose" in life does not seem to be music anymore -- it's all about his "spiritual awakening" courtesy of the Hillsong Church and its leader, in particular ... sources connected with the church tell TMZ.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell us, Justin's decision to abruptly cancel his Purpose Tour is rooted in his relationship with church pastor Carl Lentz. As we reported, we're told Lentz did not advocate canceling the tour. In fact we're told he recommended the opposite.

That said, our sources say Bieber's relationship with Lentz has been "intense" and the church leader has increasingly influenced the singer in making life decisions.

As one source put it, "The church didn't tell Justin to cancel the tour. He made his decision based on spiritual soul-searching and his own view of the path in life he should be taking."

The way it was put to us, Bieber processed the endless conversations he has had with Lentz and used them to make the decision. It's unclear whether canceling the tour is a one-off or whether Bieber is so down the road with the church that he will close the book on his music career.

Justin and Carl had were spotted having a casual chat Tuesday afternoon behind Mastro's in Bev Hills. As one source put it, "he's becoming the Tom Cruise of that church."

Cavaliers superstar Kyrie Irving arrived at his reported decision to ask out of Cleveland the same way Justin Bieber chose to end his tour -- through long chats with pastor Carl Lentz of Hillsong Church ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Church sources tell us Kyrie, who's been an active member for a long time, met with Lentz earlier this month about his desires to step out of LeBron James' shadow. We're told Lentz didn't tell Kyrie to "leave Cleveland" -- instead he listened to Kyrie's concerns, and encouraged him to make the decision he felt was best.

There's a reason it sounds so similar to Justin's Purpose tour shocker -- Bieber, Lentz and Irving all hung out together in L.A. just over a week ago. You could say they were on Kyrie's turf ... playing pop-a-shot at Dave & Buster's.

We're told Kyrie and Carl have been close for years, but Justin and the NBA star are more like acquaintances.

NBA fans have been baffled as to why Kyrie would want to leave a team that's been to the NBA Finals 3 years straight. Now we know -- it's God-approved.

Justin Bieber is publicly denying religion played a role in him abruptly pulling the plug on his Purpose tour with just 14 shows to go.

Biebs was grabbing lunch Tuesday in Bev Hills when a pap asked about the sudden decision to quit. Justin seemed perplexed at the suggestion it had anything to do with his spirituality.

As TMZ first reported ... multiples sources connected with Hillsong Church, which Justin attends regularly, say he absolutely canceled the tour because he's "rededicated his life to Christ."

Justin claims he already told us what's wrong ... when he said he just needed to rest after 2 years on the road.

Justin Bieber pulled the plug on his Purpose tour because he "rededicated his life to Christ" ... sources connected to Hillsong Church tell TMZ.

Bieber's decision seemed to come out of the blue, but our sources say it was squarely based on what Bieber believes is religious enlightenment. Bieber said he canceled due to exhaustion, but that's simply not true. Plus, his remaining touring schedule was not taxing travel-wise.

We're also told Bieber's crew is "incredibly pissed off at him" because it has impacted their financial well-being without any warning.

Bieber has been virtually joined at the hip with Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz over the last few months -- including at a huge church event in Australia -- but we're told Lentz did not advocate for cancelling the tour.

Blac Youngsta put himself on a cross, and now he's actually getting $10,000 offers ... to delete the damn photo.

The rapper/master s**t stirrer posted the pic Monday of himself fully mocking the crucifixion with Tupac's lyrics, "HAIL MARY COME WITH ME." He also said "R.I.P. TUPAC."

It appears he was shooting a music video, and not necessarily pulling one of his usual attention-grabbing stunts. Still, most of the nearly 15k people who've commented on the pic have called him everything from corny to disrespectful to ... "about the dumbest mf."

Justin Bieber is a believer, hypeman and dance instructor all rolled into one for a group of worshipers in Sydney.

The Biebs is Down Under and got the huge crowd dabbing Friday to some Bruno Mars at the 4 day long Hillsong Conference. Justin's got strong ties to the church -- he does a lot of work with one of its pastors, Carl Lentz.

JB posted video from the event with the caption "SO LIT."

No question here ... the spirit is moving Justin.

If the sight of blood makes you sick ... it's probably too late.

Here's UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov bleeding more than he ever has in a cage ... giving up his back to the medieval practice of wet cupping (aka "Hijama").

FYI, cupping's a form of Eastern medicine that's meant to detoxify blood ... but it's rare you see a celeb messing with Hijama -- which involves making actual incisions.

It's not the most visually appealing process, but Khabib -- a practicing Muslim -- says it's the medicine of the prophet Muhammad (according to the Google translation of his Instagram caption).

Charlie Hunnam assumed the role of Don Vito Corleone for his best friend's son.

The "Sons of Anarchy" star got suited up Monday for a visit to St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Sherman Oaks ... for the baptism of the son of Ryan and Jennifer Betts Conroy.

Charlie's now Jack's godfather, and it's not the first time he's played a pivotal role in the couple's life.

Charlie first introduced the couple and even played best man at their wedding back in 2013. Based on the pic ... it looks like he's already got the new role down.

The guy with more money than God just met the guy with a direct line to him.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones just had a face to face with Pope Francis at the Vatican ... and even gifted his holiness with a customized "Papa Francesco" football jersey.

The jersey was signed by Jones and other NFL greats including Curtis Martin and Jim Taylor.

No word on what the two talked about. Guessing Jerry negotiated some blessings for his QB, his RB and his WR.

Sidenote: Pope's gotta be a Saints fan, right?

10:10 PM PT -- Cops say one person has died and at least 8 were injured in the attack. One person has been arrested.

A number of people have been seriously injured after a van plowed into groups of pedestrians near a notorious Muslim mosque.

The incident occurred just after midnight. London police say there are a number of casualties.

The Muslim Council of Britain says the van ran over a number of worshipers as they left the mosque.

The mosque has had a history of attracting Islamist militants, including the "shoebomber" Richard Reid and 9/11 terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui.

Boxing superstar Amir Khan says he easily could've destroyed all 3 men who got aggressive with him during a road rage incident in the U.K. on Friday ... but quickly realized he had way too much to lose.

Khan tells TMZ Sports ... three hecklers "tried to attack me" while he was driving around in Greater Manchester, England. Cops responded to the scene. No one was arrested.

"I was raging, I was really angry," Khan admits ... but says "I don't want to throw punches because I can definitely hurt someone quite badly."

"My hands are weapons. They're weapons."

Khan also says his religion played a huge role in his decision to walk away.

"It's the month of Ramadan ... It's a holy month. I'm a Muslim."

Donald Trump was all grins Wednesday when he met Pope Francis at the Vatican, but the Pope seemed ... well, pensive.

Pope Francis encouraged the Prez to be a peacemaker and Trump promised to heed the message.

Melania and Ivanka stoically looked on as they all posed for pics.

The meeting lasted 30 minutes and each had a translator.

The Pope gave Trump a sculptured olive tree, telling him it symbolized peace. The Pope followed up with this ... "It is my desire that you become an olive tree to construct peace."