Religion/ Spirituality

The younger brother of New Orleans terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar is reportedly blaming "radicalization" for his kin's rampage that killed 15 people and injured scores more.

Abdur Jabbar told the New York Times Shamsud-Din was a practicing Christian in his early years in Beaumont, Texas, but then turned to the Muslim faith, spending most of his life studying Islam.

But, Abdur noted, "What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion."

Patrick Mahomes' family is hoping Chiefs Kingdom can come together to send positive vibes their way ... with the superstar quarterback's mother asking for prayers amid her father's ongoing health battle.

Randi Mahomes shared the update on the three-time Super Bowl champion's grandpa, Randy, on Friday ... posting to her Instagram story a picture of them together with the caption, "Asking for prayers for my father."

Randi previously requested similar help from her followers earlier this year -- in September, she revealed he was receiving medical attention ... and watched Patrick's game against the Los Angeles Chargers from a facility with her dad.

Prince George is second in line for the throne, but first in line when it comes to celebrating XMAS with an awesome reading of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

The 11-year-old son of William and Kate was grinning ear to ear as he took in Richard Grant's dramatic read. Grant, after all, is an Oscar nominee, so it's gotta be good.

George and the brood were at Kate Middleton's annual "Together at Christmas" service, where carols were on the menu.

Denzel Washington has taken a big step in cementing his faith ... the Oscar winner has recently been baptized and received his minister's license.

Check it out ... the Hollywood star was baptized at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in New York City on Saturday. Dressed in a white robe and burgundy stole adorned with crosses, DW kept his head low as spiritual leaders dunked him into the baptismal water.

Alongside his certificate of baptism, the actor also received his ministry license, which would seemingly designate Denzel with the ability to perform ministerial duties.

Montell Jordan just celebrated his 56th birthday, but he says the greatest gift is being alive ... after conquering a prostate cancer diagnosis earlier this year!!!

The "This Is How We Do It" singer tells TMZ Hip Hop his 2024 started off rocky, but he underwent a prostatectomy surgery about six weeks ago and says it was the early detection and proactive doctors who saved his life!!!

His prostate is gone but not his faith ... Montell credits his relationship with God for getting him out of the mud.

Madonna is at it again ... finding herself in controversy after sharing A.I.-generated images of herself and a handsy Pope Francis.

The superstar posted the pair of A.I. snaps to her Instagram Story on Friday ... which made the Pope appear to be getting a little too fresh with the diva.

Along with the A.I. images, Madonna wrote on pic ... "Going into the weekend like..." and on another noted ... "Feels Good to Be Seen......"

Jameis Winston had a come-to-Jesus moment after the Browns' ninth loss of the season ... praying for the Lord to prevent him from throwing pick-sixes during his postgame interview.

The 30-year-old had numerous memorable moments against the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football" ... kicking things off with yet another classic pregame speech that even included the program's signature jingle.

Once the game was underway, so was the "Jameis Winston experience" -- the QB ended up breaking the Browns' single-game passing record previously held by Josh McCown by throwing 497 yards and four touchdowns.

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is issuing a mea culpa to Trevor Lawrence over his controversial hit on Sunday ... saying he never intended to hurt the Jaguars quarterback -- and calling out "racist" and "Islamophobic" fans in the process.

The 27-year-old released the statement on X ... claiming while he always plays with intensity, he doesn't purposely try to take anyone out of competition.

"My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you're still able to get up and play the next play," he said. "And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it's not personal it's just competition!"

Bishop T.D. Jakes says his recovery from a massive health issue is miraculous -- 'cause he was rushed to ICU after last week's health issue ... and, he needed emergency surgery.

The megachurch preacher addressed his congregation, The Potter's House, in a video call Sunday ... popping onscreen to a massive standing ovation.

Jakes, of course, praises God for his grace and mercy ... before saying people might not realize it, but seeing him alive is essentially a miracle.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, the founding pastor of a Texas megachurch, is getting tons of well wishes from folks concerned about his scary medical emergency during Sunday's sermon ... including calls from some celebrities.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Jakes is being inundated with calls from all over the world Monday, with people sending their best and hoping for a speedy recovery.

Our sources say Jakes has received thousands of messages ... including from parishioners, various organizations, media outlets, sitting presidents and even celebs.

1:08 PM PT -- Jakes' church -- The Potter's House in Dallas -- just released a statement ... writing the pastor experienced a "slight health incident and received immediate medical attention." He is stable and under a doctor's care.

T.D. Jakes -- a popular Christian pastor -- seemed to have a medical emergency during his Sunday sermon ... convulsing onstage.

The preacher and motivational speaker was speaking to his audience both in the church and at home via streaming ... and, while his voice seemed quiet and he wiped sweat from his brow, nothing appeared out of the ordinary at first.

Check out the vid ... Jakes suddenly stops speaking -- letting his hands fall to his sides, and he begins to shake. Several people from backstage rush to his aid, and the stream cuts out.

A parish in Switzerland is now offering churchgoers a chance to speak directly to God ... or, at least to a representation of him -- with a confessional booth playing host to A.I. Jesus.

St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne now has a confessional booth outfitted with the technology, featuring a hologram image of God's only son to ask the world's biggest questions to.

While it's not an alternative to Confession, according to a theologian who works for the church ... our "TMZ on TV" crew talks about possibly telling your sins to the tech -- and whether the A.I. may narc on people.

So, would you confess to A.I. Jesus ... or are you only telling your sins to a human employee of the Big Man?

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

One church in Switzerland is taking religion into the modern age ... introducing an A.I. hologram of Jesus, who is doling out advice to parishioners.

Theologian Marco Schmid, who works for the church, tells TMZ ... the experience is similar to that of a Catholic confession, with churchgoers stepping into a confessional booth at St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne for a private moment behind a closed door. However, rather than a priest greeting them behind a screen, the face of A.I. Jesus pops up, looking exactly as you'd expect -- with a young face, long black hair, and a beard.

A.I. Jesus has already left an impact on the faithful, speaking more than 100 languages and moving in sync with the words it dishes out. We're told more than 1,000 conversations have already taken place between churchgoers and the A.I. Immanuel over a 2-month period ... but A.I. Jesus is currently viewed as an experiment, not a permanent replacement for priests. St. Peter's is the oldest Catholic church in the city, BTW.

One of Kanye West's ex-employees is lashing out at his former boss, accusing him in a new lawsuit of antisemitism and lewd conduct with Bianca Censori ... during what were supposed to be work meetings.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Murphy Aficionado says he worked for Ye as a project manager, and claims Kanye was a nightmare boss. According to the suit, Kanye summoned him to a Beverly Hills hotel room in November 2022, and when he entered, Ye was shirtless and out of breath with his pants unbuttoned and his then-girlfriend Bianca was topless with her hands barely covering her breasts. He says it was obvious they had just had sex.

During the encounter, Ye referred to Candace Owens' former lawyer as a "Jewish spy." Then, Aficionado says, Kanye abruptly dashed toward the room where Bianca was and said, "Wait right here. Do NOT leave." He says within seconds he could hear "loud moaning and clapping" and it was apparent they were having sex again.

Nicole Scherzinger is issuing an apology after facing backlash for praising Russell Brand's religion-inspired MAGA hat ... confessing she didn't mean to take a political stance.

The Pussycat Dolls alum posted to her Instagram Stories as word of her seemingly pro-Donald Trump social media activity went viral ... with the singer apologizing if anyone was hurt by her actions.

She wrote ... "I deeply apologize for the hurt caused by my recent engagement with some social media posts. When I commented on these posts, I made the mistake of not realizing that they could be easily interpreted as being politically related and I apologize to anyone who understandably reached that conclusion."