Religion/ Spirituality

Pastor to the stars John Gray III says a viral Druski skit making fun of megachurch pastors isn't an affront to God ... he says the jokes are hilarious and anyone who doesn't like it needs to do some introspection.

John tells TMZ ... Druski isn't making fun of Jesus Christ or God, he's aiming his jokes at pastors who go way overboard with theatrics and production effects at mega church services.

Pastor Gray says he didn't take offense to anything Druski said or did here ... telling us the people who are offended need to sit down in front of the mirror and think long and hard about their actions.

Stacie Orrico -- a former Christian music singer -- has filed a lawsuit claiming her manager sexually abused her when she was a child, and members of her label did nothing to stop it.

The singer-songwriter filed the lawsuit against her former manager, Britt Ham, and Universal Music Group earlier this week ... alleging Ham began touching her inappropriately when she was just 14 years old.

Orrico says Ham got her alone away from her parents under the guise of daily Bible study ... and impressed upon her the importance of secrecy after he allegedly sexually assaulted her by claiming they needed to protect her Christian image.

Will Father Maximilian Maxwell return to Acrisure Stadium to bless the Steelers in the playoffs? Former Pittsburgh quarterback Charlie Batch believes so ... telling TMZ Sports he hopes the team keeps the faith!!

Batch -- a Steelers backup from the Super Bowl XL and XLIII teams -- watched Father Max use holy water on the field on Sunday ... hours before the Ravens missed a game-winning field goal kick to secure a spot in the postseason.

With how that all ended up, Batch believes Father Max will be back for the Steelers' Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans on Monday.

"There's a lot of Steelers fans who truly believe there was help above," Batch said.

Melissa Mae Carlton and her family are dealing with an unimaginable loss ... announcing the death of their daughter Molly, less than two years after their daughter Abigail passed away.

The faith and grief influencer announced the heartbreaking news in an Instagram post Friday ... revealing Molly died on Christmas Day -- and adding the family was in total shock and disbelief at her sudden passing.

Carlton notes Molly often expressed a desire to see her older sister again ... which she says gives her a small sense of comfort because they're now reunited in heaven.

Zac Brown haters are hell-bent on convincing people his show's Satanic ... but, the Church of Satan's telling people to slow their roll -- because they know what the Devil's rituals really look like!

Here's the deal ... the singer-songwriter played The Sphere in Las Vegas last weekend, and his set was accompanied by some images that sent the righteous souls on social media clutching their crucifixes.

One image rising over the stage was a skeleton with a huge jagged crown towering high above everything ... its mouth open in a macabre smile as the Zac Brown Band tore up the stage.

The visuals had concerned onlookers screaming "demonic" ... even claiming it was all part of some Satanic ritual ... so, we went to the ultimate authority on the topic -- The Church of Satan itself.

Joe Rogan might have a new career as a preacher lined up ... because he's suggesting Jesus could come back in the form of artificial intelligence.

The podcasting mainstay presented his theory on a recent episode of the "American Alchemy" podcast, and said since Jesus was born to a virgin ... "What's more virgin than a computer?"

Rogan added, if Jesus did come back with the aid of a computer, he could "absolutely" show up as an A.I. program.

It looks like Kim Kardashian got the last laugh in the bidding war over the Bible her late father Robert Kardashian gave O.J. Simpson back in the day ... 'cause it's back in the family!

The Skims founder revealed on this week's "The Kardashians" episode she anonymously bid $80,000 for the Bible her dad gifted to O.J. following the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The Bible was special because it was her dad's personal scripture and had his name etched in gold lettering on the front, plus a handwritten note from him.

We told you all about her first attempt at buying the Bible -- she offered $15,000 to the late O.J.'s estate ... but it rejected the offer. She then spoke about the situation on her family's hit Hulu series and said she would have negotiated further -- which the estate did not appreciate.

"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Mary Cosby and the church she runs with her husband, Robert Cosby Sr., are back in the spotlight ... this time accused of being a full-blown cult, according to a bombshell new TLC doc.

TMZ’s got your first look at the wild new trailer -- the three-parter dives deep into Mary’s eyebrow-raising marriage to her step-grandfather, Robert Cosby Sr., and the misconduct claims that dragged Faith Temple Pentecostal Church into one seriously controversial new chapter.

The docuseries gives the mic to former church members breaking their silence for the first time -- including longtime insiders of Faith Temple -- plus a top cult expert who lays out how tactics of control and loyalty enforcement can keep followers in line.

Jenna Jameson established her name in the adult-film industry ... but those days are far behind her, as she showed her dedication to religion in a video she posted on Sunday.

The former porn star pulled out a cross necklace in the clip, mouthing she'd be "switching sides" ... ostensibly from her wild past to her apparent religion-centered present.

She writes she's been baptized and wants to help her followers "find Jesus" ... after years of being known for her "body and sin."

J.D. Vance clapped back Friday at a deleted X tweet commenting on his recent statement he'd like his wife Usha to convert to Christianity.

The vice president spoke at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi Wednesday night and said he was holding out hope his wife will convert to Christianity. Usha was raised in a Hindu family, although they reportedly aren't religious.

Vance's remarks were not well-received by some on social media, and an X user shared a now-deleted post claiming the author had tossed his wife's religion "under the bus," according to The Hill.

The V.P. fired back with his own X post, calling the comment "disgusting," and claimed Usha had encouraged him to look a bit deeper into his religion a while back.

He wrote she does not plan to convert ... although he still hopes she will one day ... he said anyone in an interfaith relationship likely feels the same way about their own partners.

Vance claimed comments like the one he responded to were examples of "anti-Christian bigotry."

Vice President J.D. Vance has admitted he hopes his wife Usha will convert to Christianity.

He made the comments about his personal life in front of thousands of students during a Turning Point USA event held at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday night, AL.com reports from Alabama.

Vance's remarks were prompted when a student asked him about his wife's religion. He said Usha, who he married in 2014, was raised in a Hindu household, though her family is not very religiously observant.

Vance said he and his wife had always been open with each other about their opwn views, and he pointed out two of his three kids attended Christian schools before stating all three were being raised in his faith.

Vance said Usha often attends church with him, and he declared he'd like his wife to eventually convert to Christianity.

The VP acknowledged if she never got on board with Christianity, he'd be OK with it.

Pastor Marvin Winans wasn't exactly preaching to the choir when he confronted a member of his congregation about a donation ... because he's come under fire for his actions at his Perfecting Church's recent "Day Of Giving" event in Detroit.

Here's what went down ... Winans reportedly made a request for "$1,000 plus $1,000" from congregants, many of whom formed a line to present him with their donations, according to BET.

However, a parishioner presented the pastor with a donation of $1,235, and he quickly responded by stating she hadn't been "listening to what I'm saying."

During the Sunday event, Winans explained he'd asked for a total of $2,000 from the congregants, and when the parishioner said she'd work on getting him the remaining $800, he quipped, "That ain't what I asked you to do."

The pastor's actions went viral on social media Monday, and he was criticized by plenty of folks who felt as if he'd called out the parishioner in front of the whole congregation.

Perfecting Church has reportedly been fundraising to complete its building ever since the early 2000s, although actual construction on the church's site has been intermittent for decades, according to the Michigan Chronicle.

Talk about unholy -- a Brazilian priest was reportedly caught hiding the fiancée of one of his parishioners in his home!

Check out the video ... shirtless priest Rev. Luciano Braga Simplicio was confronted by some PO'd men at the parish house of Our Lady of Aparecida Parish earlier this week.

One of the angry men busted down a bathroom door to find the woman balled up and hiding under the priest's sink. Someone dragged her out ... and she lay there, seemingly too stunned to speak.

The Chicago White Sox just heaped praise on Pope Leo XIV ... after he blessed their timeline with some Cubs shade!!

The head of the Catholic Church threw a quick quip at the North Siders on Wednesday while at the Vatican ... when he responded to a fan who shouted "Go Cubs" at him.

"Han perdido!" he fired back. "They lost!"

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says there's another link between autism rates and Tylenol use ... and he says it involves pain treatment for circumcisions.

President Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary made the claim Thursday during a cabinet meeting ... saying there are multiple studies that show children who are circumcised early in life have double the rate of autism.

RFK Jr. says it's "highly likely" the use of Tylenol in these infants is the reason for elevated autism rates. He did not cite a specific study or research.

For a few people, Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime is a nightmare come to life -- and none are louder than sports columnist Jason Whitlock, who’s calling the NFL’s pick straight-up "demonic" and pledging to fight it every step of the way.

Jason went full force on "TMZ Live" Monday, claiming BB’s Super Bowl slot is anti-Trump trolling cooked up by Gavin Newsom and other Democratic California politicians ... all in response to the pro-Christian memorial for Charlie Kirk 2 weeks ago.

Watch the full clip -- Harvey and Charles push back on Jason’s demonic claim, asking if Morgan Wallen’s drinking and chair-throwing would earn the same label if he were performing instead.