Religion/ Spirituality

Kanye West appears to have one final trick up his sleeve in the last-minute blitz of his presidential campaign ... let go, and let God.

Ye just filed legal docs to lock up the rights to "God Save America" -- which he wants to slap on shirts, sweaters and hoodies in what seems to be a final-ditch effort to push his message that was front-and-center in his 1st campaign ad ... bringing faith back to politics.

Unclear if this is a campaign slogan -- like Barack Obama's famous HOPE or Trump's Make America Great Again -- but it sure reads like one. The phrase also feels like a play on "God Bless America" ... both patriotic, but kinda sanctimonious too with "Save" swapped in.

Kanye filed for the trademark last week, which lines up closely with the release of his debut campaign ad ... something that just hit the ether Monday, 3 weeks before voters hit the polls on Nov. 3. Some people feel this ad -- and maybe now this new catchphrase he wants to lock up -- is too little, too late. That, or maybe just in time ... depends on who you ask.

The Archbishop of New Orleans is outraged that a priest allegedly had sex inside a church, so he's doing an exorcism of sorts by having the altar removed and burned!!!

Archbishop Gregory Aymond called the act "demonic." As for how it went down ... someone called the cops after allegedly seeing the priest at the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, saying they saw the man of the cloth with 2 high-heeled women wearing corsets. He was dressed in his priestly issue ... well, only partially. The witness shot video of the encounter and went to cops.

The priest and the 2 women were arrested for allegedly violating an obscenity law that prohibits people from having sex in public view. What's bizarre here ... the only way the witness could have seen it was to peer through the windows.

Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper certainly put their money where their mouths are ... and the loot's going a long way to help hundreds of people from all walks of life who are in desperate straits.

As we reported ... Justin and Chance announced a surprise collab Thursday -- teaming up to dole out $250,000 on CashApp to people affected by these hard times, to say thanks for the support on their musical collab, "Holy."

Thousands of fans shared their stories online -- along with their $cashtags -- with the hope of receiving some money, and the singer and rapper spent the day giving ... in $500 increments.

We did some digging, and the winners include students, teachers, artists, cashiers, people who lost loved ones to COVID, people taking care of sick parents, people dealing with immigration issues, and in general ... people who help people, people who need help, or both.

For example ... Cortney -- a teacher looking to buys supplies for her class after suffering damage in an apartment fire earlier this year, during the pandemic.

Megan -- a young woman whose father's dying from kidney failure and is trying to pay for him to have his eyesight improved during his final days.

Tiffany -- a cashier who lives paycheck to paycheck while also supporting her parents, who are out of work due to COVID and health reasons.

Ty -- a young handyman who hustles on the side as a freelance photog, but is still struggling to pay rent and the bills. Ty tells us he's going to use $400 of what Justin sent him for living expenses. He'll use the remaining $100 to give back to the homeless.

And finally, there's Sakinah, a young woman who does nails ... asked the fellas to support her business. She struck gold, because she received $500 from BOTH the Biebs and the Rapper.

President Trump's trying to keep voters' eyes off the prize of racial equality -- at least that's how NAACP leader Bishop Talbert Swan is viewing Trump's latest defunding threat.

The President of the NAACP's Springfield, Massachusetts chapter, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and ripped POTUS for threatening to pull federal funds from Seattle, Portland and NYC ... cities he's now labeled "anarchist jurisdictions."

Swan pointed out the term "anarchist jurisdiction" has never existed in America, and believes the Trump administration made it up to rationalize his threat to cut federal funding to those cities. That threat is already facing legal challenges, but the Bishop told us it's also creating a distraction ahead of the election -- and he thinks that's exactly what the President wants.

He's imploring Americans to not lose sight of the mounting issues that truly matter -- racial inequality, coronavirus, the economy and the possibility of a Supreme Court he believes will "attack every Civil Rights gain made in the last 100 years."

Justin Bieber had the surprise of a lifetime for a bunch of beliebers dancing to his new hit song ... sneaking up on them before making the big reveal.

Justin made jaws drop Friday afternoon outside a fire station in West Hollywood, where this group of youngsters was working on a dance routine to "Holy," Justin's new collab with Chance The Rapper.

We're told Justin caught wind the local youth gospel group was gonna be rehearsing a performance based on his track ... so he headed over to the firehouse to surprise them and show support.

It's pretty cool ... you can see Justin emerge from inside the fire station as the boys and girls dance and sing with their backs to him, then he posts up on the side and watches for a while behind his face mask.

Justin finally revealed himself, taking off his mask and saying a few words ... and ya gotta see everyone's reaction.

Here's a shocker for 54 percent of the country ... President Trump opened a Bible (that's not the shocker), signed his name in it, and now the good book could now be worth nearly $40k. There it is.

Yes, as Trump would almost certainly put it, you can now buy your "favorite President's" favorite book ... which our sources tell us he autographed during a very turbulent week in the nation, and particularly in Washington, D.C.

We're told he signed it at the White House during the first week of June, just a couple of days after he'd ordered federal law enforcement to fire pepper spray and rubber bullets at peaceful George Floyd protesters ... just to clear a path for him to St. John's Episcopal Church.

You'll recall he posed there for a now-infamous photo op with a Bible ... although that's not the one he signed.

The autographed Bible is going up for sale through the memorabilia company, Moments In Time -- and they're hawking this slice of Trump history for a cool $37,500.

Just the way God intended.

We kid, but Trump's critics might be expecting a lightning strike, because although he's often declared the Bible is his favorite book -- he's declined to name a favorite chapter or verse ... or even weigh in on the Old vs. New Testament debate.

Presidents have a long history of signing Bibles, but the practice has historically been done when presenting it as a gift with a spiritual message written inside.

Kanye West held what could be his most ambitious Sunday Service yet, when the whole gang walked on water during the event.

As for notable guests ... Kim Kardashian showed up. Hard to read the tea leaves, but it seems relevant, because of his self-described marital issues. But, there she was ... flying to Atlanta for the service.

Pastor Joel Osteen delivered the sermon and spoke about Jesus walking on water and how he gave Peter permission to follow suit. They all took it to heart, because after the sermon Ye, Joel and the choir all walked on H20, although not exactly.

The service was held on a lake near Pinewood Studios in ATL.

Kodak Black is praying for more than just his release from prison ... because he says he can't get access to a rabbi to practice his Jewish faith behind bars.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ he's ramping up to file a lawsuit if his client doesn't get what he says he's been requesting for months ... a consultation with his own personal rabbi -- or any rabbi, really, at this point.

Of course, the other headline here is ... Kodak Black's Jewish??? We're with ya, and Cohen explained the rapper identifies with the faith -- even though he has yet to convert. He claims the feds have gone radio silent on his efforts to connect with his go-to rabbi.

If nothing changes, Cohen says they'll be suing for a violation of Kodak's First Amendment right to practice his religion.

He admits the chaplain at Kodak's facility in KY recently emailed to say face-to-face spiritual meetups were being temporarily axed due to COVID. However, Cohen says the chaplain also told him phone calls with the rabbi shouldn't be an issue.

Oh, and if you're wondering why Kodak's so adamant about getting access to any rabbi and a Torah, we're told he thinks it will help his mental state. Kodak believes God has a plan for him, and wants to talk it out with a pro.

Kanye West spared no expense putting on his Sunday Service ... he claims it cost a whopping $50 MILLION to pull it off!!!

Ye recently sat down with Nick Cannon for a segment on Nick's podcast, "Cannon's Class," and they started talking dollar figures, with Kanye boasting he's richer than Donald Trump.

Kanye says he burned through a ton of cash on his Sunday Service in 2019 ... with the $50 million being spread around for choir uniforms, flights, operas and all the other operating expenses that went with it.

At first glance, that number sounds way overblown.

However, remember ... Sunday Service traveled around the country last year, with stops at Coachella, Skid Row in Los Angeles, Houston, Howard University in D.C., the family home in Calabasas, his ranch in Wyoming, The Forum in Inglewood, Louisiana, Chicago, Ohio, Joel Olsteen's Lakewood Church and even Jamaica.

There were construction costs too ... for the Sunday Service on Easter at Coachella, bulldozers moved tons of earth to make a huge hill for the performance.

Ye says the cash was taken out of funds set aside for marketing his Yeezy shoes ... Kanye says he didn't need to spend all the marketing dough on the kicks -- Yeezy's sell themselves, he says -- so instead he used it to put on Sunday Service.

$50 million ... that's a lot of holy bread.

The words of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion came head-to-head with the word of the Lord on a city sidewalk -- and it sounds like the former might've beaten out the good book.

Check out this video of an older guy reading aloud from the Bible on a sidewalk, not too far from a masked young woman also reading from her phone, rattling off lyrics to "WAP." Try as he did, the gent got drowned out by the tune ... then again, the camera's further from him.

It's a funny scene though -- and a testament that blindly preaching to kids these days isn't a good way to reach 'em. Maybe reciting lyrics to Justin Bieber's "Baby" would've been more effective.

Speaking of, if you're wondering what sparked this ... it was a pro-choice rally that clashed with anti-abortion demonstrators, which seems to have gone on for at least 2 days. Both groups had signs touting their beliefs and were keeping a somewhat respectful distance away from each other. But, one secret weapon the young crowd had with them that the holy group didn't ... condoms!

Stacey Dash and her husband both want their marriage off the books like it never happened ... and the mister's claiming he only said "I do" while in a spiritual trance.

Stacey's estranged lawyer hubby, Jeffrey Marty, filed new court docs in response to Stacey's divorce petition ... and he's asking a judge to annul the marriage, something Stacey herself doesn't appear to oppose.

Jeff claims he only took his vows after Stacey's pastor put some serious religious pressure on him. He says they got hitched on April 6, 2018 -- but that's only because 10 days prior, he claims her pastor "unexpectedly and suddenly proclaimed that it was God's will" they get hitched.

Anyway, Jeff says that his ability to consent to the marriage was hijacked by the use of "hypnotic prayer techniques." Jeff doesn't describe the techniques or how he was programmed to marry Stacey. He also says there was pressure from other clergies to tie the knot.

Now, for Stacey's part ... she and her attorneys don't fully admit to what Jeff claims here about the hypnotism and all ... they say he didn't show any unusual signs about his mental state at the time. But, she's not fighting him and she too is asking the judge to annul the marriage ASAP.

Kanye West's wheels are turning about his next big project, and he thinks he's on to something huge ... JESUS TOK.

The rapper and presidential candidate says he was perusing some content on TikTok with his daughter and "as a Christian father" ... he was disturbed by some of the stuff he saw.

But, Ye says he loves the tech, and he's had a vision -- a Christian version of TikTok.

Kanye says he's praying he can collaborate with the insanely popular social media platform to create a more kid and Christian-friendly outlet ... "in Jesus name amen."

It's unclear if the rapper also plans to go back and make more PG-related versions of his tracks -- for instance 2018's "I Love It," which features the lyrics "They had to fake orgasms and sh*t" and "You're such a f***in' ho, I love it."

Ye doesn't address the sometimes sexy content on his wife's social media accounts either, but if he wants to go that route ... JESUS GRAM might work.

As we reported ... Kanye recently revived his Sunday Service up at his ranch in Wyoming, so clearly the Lord is on his mind.

Kim Kardashian showed up for Kanye West's Sunday Service over the weekend, and it could -- COULD -- be a sign that maybe their make-or-break vacation worked.

Kim and the kids made the trek to Wyoming to join Kanye for the service ... a service we haven't seen for a while. She posted video with the caption, "Guess what's back?!?!"

Among the many highlights -- Kim and Kanye's kids running around as North yells for her Dad ... a lot of singing and dancing, and a new song alert.

As for COVID-19 ... Kim says Kanye's team took precautions to keep the choir healthy and safe, pointing out that they filmed without an audience. She says the music will be available soon for those who need their spirits lifted.

Kanye also tweeted ... "Praise God. We would like to thank our staff for making sure all Covid safety guidelines were followed today during Sunday Service at our West Mountains family ranch in Wyoming."

It seems like the family getaway -- which included a tropical resort in the Dominican Republic did everybody good.

The "Big Brother" house bathroom got an extreme makeover for season 22 ... houseguests are keeping their tushies clean thanks to a couple of new bidets!!!

The toilet paper alternative was installed at the behest of houseguest Kaysar Ridha. We're told Kaysar asked production for a bidet in order to come on the show.

While it might sound like a request outta left field, we're told Kaysar uses a bidet for religious reasons as a devout Muslim.

FYI ... Islam teaches the body's condition affects the spirit's condition, so it's essential to be clean all the time -- especially before praying. This is why bidets and lotas, a round pot filled with water, are common in Muslim countries ... impeccable hygiene is a must.

On the "Big Brother" house live feed, Kaysar's already had some potty talk with fellow houseguests Kevin and Tyler, and it sounds like the bidet is a big hit!!!

No, duh!

Kanye West's self-proclaimed running mate -- though she's yet to confirm this herself -- has returned online with her "spiritual coaching" site ... but gives no indication she's campaigning for West/Tidball 2020.

Michelle Tidball was name-dropped by Kanye as his VP pick in his Forbes interview -- following his surprise July 4 announcement that he's running for Prez -- but very little was known about her ... and her website got yanked shortly afterward.

As we first told you ... Michelle's site, Yarash.org, touted her as a "Biblical life coach" but also included some odd takes on mental health -- such as doing your dishes and making your bed to combat mental illness.

The Yarash site is back up, and though it's been revamped and edited ... it STILL doesn't mention anything about Kanye, being his Veep, or anything political at all really.

Instead, the site is gussied up with new animated graphics, an autumnal color scheme, Hebrew-style font, and tighter copy ... but features her same smiling portrait.

Michelle's old teleconferences and Bible study sessions -- where we discovered her mental health advice -- have been taken down. Her bio has been toned down quite a bit too ... but she's still advertising 50-minute life-coaching sessions for $65.

The Wyoming woman recently stated Kanye was doing "fine" and there was nothing to worry about ... amid his erratic behavior and wild Twitter rants, but she dodged any VP talk.

S.F. Giants pitcher Sam Coonrod did NOT kneel with the rest of his teammates in a showing of support for the Black Lives Matter movement Thursday ... saying his religion and his personal feelings about BLM wouldn't allow him to do it.

"I’m a Christian," the 27-year-old relief pitcher said, "so I just believe that I can’t kneel before anything besides God."

If you missed it, the MLB provided teams with a long piece of black fabric to signify unity before its Opening Day games on Thursday.

The Yankees-Nationals ceremony went off without a hitch -- players joined together in grabbing the sheet and kneeling ... and the moment was powerful.

But, later in the evening, when it came time for the Dodgers and Giants to replicate the moment ... Coonrod refused to drop to a knee.

After the game, he told reporters his religious beliefs made it impossible for him to join in ... but he also said he didn't believe in some of the things he believes BLM stands for.

"I just can’t get on board with a couple things I’ve read about Black Lives Matter, how they lean towards Marxism,” Coonrod said. “And … they said some negative things about the nuclear family. I just can’t get on board with that.”

Coonrod said he meant "no ill will" by his gesture ... and added, "I’m not mad at someone who decided to kneel. I just don’t think it’s too much to ask that I just get the same respect.”

For the team's part, manager Gabe Kapler -- who not only knelt for the BLM moment but also during the national anthem -- said he respected Coonrod's decision to opt out.