Armie Hammer's Mom Says He Was Not Criminally Wrong But Morally Wrong

Armie Hammer's mother is coming to his defense as he denies the cannibalism allegations ... and while she too insists her son never did anything illegal, she admits he lost his way.

We got Dru Hammer Friday in NYC, where our photog asked how all the claims about Armie make her feel as his mother.

Dru says she kept her mouth shut as the police investigation played out because she was just following Armie's lead.

As Dru explains, she once had a pastor tell her people who come to their own defense become isolated in that regard ... and the family feels they only need God to defend Armie.

As you know .. Armie's been doing the media rounds recently, telling Piers Morgan he was never a cannibal ... and telling Bill Maher he should be allowed back in Hollywood because he was cleared of sexual assault allegations.

Armie's mom says the truth about her son is coming out now and "he was not criminally wrong, he was morally wrong."

Remember ... Armie did cop to some other kinks, like branding his ex Paige Lorenze with a knife.

Dru says Armie's since changed his life for the better ... and she tells us he's sober, happier than he's ever been and most importantly, "coming back to God."

Armie's mom has a book coming out, "Hammered," about her son and their famous family ... and she says there's a good chunk dedicated to AH and cancel culture.