Religion/ Spirituality

Local and federal authorities are investigating after a group of anti-ICE protesters crashed a Minnesota church service ... and one of the demonstrators tells TMZ she'd still do it all over again.

Here's the deal ... the DOJ and local police are investigating after protesters interrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul ... which is getting major headlines because Don Lemon was in the mix live-streaming the incident.

Chauntyll Allen, leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, who was among the group, tells TMZ … the jarring protest inside the church was necessary to make clear to the parishioners that having a pastor who is also an ICE official is unacceptable.

Don Lemon is apparently in the DOJ's crosshairs after he was covering a group of ICE protesters who interrupted a church service in Minnesota's Twin Cities ... and at least one parishioner wants them all charged.

Here's the deal ... The former CNN host -- now an independent journalist -- live-streamed from Cities Church in St. Paul, MN, where a bunch of demonstrators interrupted the Sunday service to protest the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the state. One of the pastors is allegedly an ICE official.

Cities Church parishioner Caleb Phillips tells TMZ … the protesters rocked the church and scared the hell out of a lot of good people … but ultimately, they accomplished nothing.

1:27 PM PT -- The Miami nightclub, Vendôme, has announced that three employees have been terminated following an internal review. The venue also says it has “permanently banned the individuals involved in this incident from the Vendôme premises,” though members of the group -- including Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes -- are not named directly.

The nightclub adds that it has implemented new protocols and policies to ensure a similar incident does not occur again.

Andrew and Tristan Tate are distancing themselves from backlash after they were seen partying while Kanye West’s song “Heil Hitler” played ... making it clear they were not singing along, and they're denouncing antisemitism.

ICYMI ... the influencer bros were seen alongside Nick Fuentes, Sneako, Myron Gaines, and Clavicular on a party bus and later at a Miami nightclub as the controversial song blared in the background this weekend -- with members of the group singing along and even flashing Nazi salutes.

While Andrew and Tristan are not seen singing along in the footage, they do appear to be enjoying themselves -- with Tristian even bopping along in the party bus beforehand.

The St. Paul Police Dept. has opened an investigation after anti-ICE protesters crashed a church service ... and Don Lemon may be ensnared.

St. Paul police tell TMZ … the department is actively working the Sunday incident as a disorderly conduct investigation.

Due to the open case, police declined all other questions ... including whether Lemon was exempt from the investigation.

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.