Religion/ Spirituality

Sarah Palin has an answer for stopping mass shootings in America ... and it has nothing to do with restricting gun sales or getting more weapons in the hands of law enforcement.

We got Sarah Monday at LAX and asked about the deadly attack at a Pittsburgh synagogue, and what can be done to prevent domestic terrorism ... and Sarah tells us it's all about religion -- or lack thereof.

Check out the clip ... Sarah preaches about driving out evil by worshiping God, telling us why religion will be way more effective than protesting or screaming into the Twittersphere.

President Trump's call for arming synagogues after the mass shooting in Pittsburgh really is NOT a crazy idea ... so says Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, one of the country's most prominent Jewish leaders.

Shmuley -- who's been dubbed "America's Rabbi" and a rabbi to the stars -- tells us he completely agrees with DT's suggestion that armed security should be in place at places of worship after a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue Saturday.

There's a catch though, according to Shmuley. He says beefing up security at synagogues across the U.S.A. ain't gonna be cheap, and Uncle Sam's gotta chip in to make it happen.

Even more troubling ... he tells us synagogues everywhere are already considering moves to protect themselves in the wake of the anti-Semitic attack. He goes on to condemn social media posts made by the suspected shooter, Robert Bowers, illustrating his hatred of Jews.

3:35 PM PT -- The Anti-Defamation League says the shooting is believed to be the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

2:40 PM PT -- U.S. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, issued a statement, saying in part: "Hatred and violence on the basis of religion can have no place in our society. These alleged crimes are reprehensible and utterly repugnant to the values of this nation. Accordingly, the Department of Justice will file hate crimes and other criminal charges against the defendant, including charges that could lead to the death penalty."

2:20 PM PT -- Officials say 3 handguns and an assault rifle were found at the scene, and the suspect, Robert Bowers, is in fair condition with multiple gunshot wounds.

1:10 PM PT -- Press conference with the Allegheny Director of Public Safety ... 11 fatalities and 6 injuries, 4 of the injuries were officers shot. There weren't any children injured or killed.

12:30 PM PT -- At least 10 dead, according to officials.

12:05 PM PT -- Pittsburgh public safety director Wendell Hissrich says there are 6 injuries, and 4 of them are officers. He described the crime scene as "horrific" and said the synagogue shooting is being considered a hate crime and will fall under federal investigation.

10:45 AM PT -- The suspected gunman has been identified by law enforcement officials as 46-year-old Robert Bowers.

9:15 AM PT -- We've seen what looks like the shooter's social media page, and it says "Jews are the children of Satan." His last post reads, "I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in."

The shooter is reportedly a member of Gab, an alternative social media site frequented by white supremacists.

10:00 AM PT -- Donald Trump just said the shooting could have been prevented if someone inside the temple had a gun. He then weirdly talks about the death penalty, as if that might have prevented the shooting.

A gunman opened fire at a Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh during a prayer service, 4 people are confirmed dead, and this was clearly an anti-Semitic attack.

The shooter entered the Tree of Life Congregation and began spraying bullets. According to cops, the shooter came with an AR-15 and said, "All Jews need to die."

When cops arrived, the shooter began firing at them. According to CNN, at least 3 cops have been shot.

Authorities believe as many as 8 people from the synagogue might be dead, and at least 12 have been shot.

Carnegie Mellon University, which is near the temple, is on lockdown.

Authorities have the shooter in custody.

Justin Bieber needed a hug and some love on his way out of church, clearly impacted by our story about Selena Gomez's mental health crisis.

The first signs Justin wasn't his normal self came when he showed up alone to his usual Wednesday night service ... this only hours after we broke the story of Selena's emotional breakdown.

Justin's been attending church with new wife Hailey Baldwin -- just as he did when he was dating Selena -- but Wednesday, the Biebs was flying solo and he needed to be comforted by friends as he was leaving.

It's interesting ... Justin and Hailey typically do their own thing coming in and out of services, but last night he was surrounded by his church buddies. Justin, messy hair and all, clearly looks like he could use the support.

Justin Bieber and his friends went on a Jesus-laced hike Friday, and ended up in a rap battle of sorts with a photog.

It's pretty awesome ... JB and crew were in the bushes in the Lake Hollywood area of L.A., rapping about Jesus and The King. As they praised the Lord and walked down the hill, they challenged a photog to drop some bars.

Justin eyeballs the photog and labels him part of the Biggie/Tupac era, and then listens as the guy raps his owns verses.

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin might be married under the eyes of the law -- but they don't think they'll truly be until they proclaim it under the eyes of God.

Our Bieber/Baldwin sources tell us Justin and Hailey don't consider themselves "officially" married ... because they haven't cemented their vows with the man upstairs. We're told they believe a church ceremony is necessary to make the marriage meaningful in the eyes of God.

We broke the story ... Justin and Hailey walked into a marriage license courthouse in NYC last month where, as it turns out, they also got the document that made them man and wife ... despite denying -- both publicly and behind the scenes -- they were hitched.

What's unclear ... if they don't really feel "married" until they have a church wedding, why did they even bother to do it at the courthouse?

As we reported, Justin and Hailey inquired about a prenup and even contacted lawyers, but they never followed through. They could get a postnup -- which is like a prenup only after they're married -- but our sources say at this point it's the furthest thing from Justin's mind.

We're told the plan is to have a big ceremony early next year ... either in upstate NY or Ontario, Canada.

Ben Affleck is taking frequent breaks from his rehab facility for the things that matter most to him -- the latest being Sunday worship with his kids and ex-wife.

Ben and Jennifer Garner walked out of church Sunday morning in Pacific Palisades with their son, Samuel ... their daughters, Violet and Seraphina, were there too. We've seen Ben leave rehab almost weekly now -- sometimes for a workout session, sometimes for studio meetings.

It's a different approach for sure. Typically, rehab facilities want to remove patients from their day-to-day patterns and focus on treatment. It's been about 5 weeks since Jen staged an intervention and drove Ben to rehab -- but it's unclear if he's still a patient.

Rev. Jesse Jackson has a message for all the Colin Kaepernick haters -- Tim Tebow took a knee too ... and nobody had a problem with that!

We got Jesse leaving Reagan International Airport this week when he used the ex-Heisman Trophy winner to explain what he believes is the hypocrisy surrounding the outrage directed at Kaepernick.

"It's interesting that when Tim Tebow took a knee, it was accepted," Jesse tells TMZ Sports.

"Kaepernick takes a knee and he's rejected. Both of them took a knee in protest of what they believed in. One was religion. One was for justice. Okay."

Remember ... Tim used to take knees prior to every game -- albeit not DURING the national anthem -- and it was so widely praised, a social media meme came of it.

Post Malone got a THIRD lease on life in the early hours of Friday morning ... after walking away unscathed after a scary car crash.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rapper was a passenger in his Rolls-Royce Friday in WeHo at 2:40 AM when a Kia T-boned the Rolls on the driver's side.

Moments after the crash, Post told us the Kia hit them out of nowhere ... causing the Rolls-Royce to spin out of control. Photos back up his version.

We're told no drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. There were no injuries ... unless you count Post's psyche. After the crash, the rapper said (and later tweeted), "God must hate me."

The crash, of course, comes a mere 17 days after his private jet blew 2 tires after takeoff from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and seemingly circled for hours to burn fuel before making an emergency landing. Post said afterward he was thrilled to be alive.

TMZ shot Post hours before the car crash at Petit restaurant celebrating the birthday of his manager, Dre London.

Post's seemed physically fine post-crash ... he hit up a house party with rapper Trippie Redd. Surviving a brush with death -- twice -- is reason to party.

BTW ... special moment after the crash between Post and a pap, who made the rapper happy as hell when he recovered the Rolls-Royce hood ornament that flew off after the crash.

Roseanne Barr is throwing in the towel and leaving the U.S.

Barr appeared on Rabbi Shmuley's podcast and said she's headed for Israel ... first she says for a few months to study, but then she talks about a full-on move -- "I have an opportunity to go to Israel for a few months and study with my favorite teachers over there, and that's where I'm going to go and probably move somewhere there and study with my favorite teachers."

Barr says she made a "fatal mistake" -- apologizing for her racist comment about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. She says when the left gets hold of an apology from someone on the other side of the political spectrum they don't let it go and eventually destroy their adversary.

Barr, who is a deeply religious Jew, goes on to say, "I have some mental health issues and depression and stuff. I got to stay in the middle or I'll go dark and I don't want to go dark again."

John Goodman just said Roseanne's gonna be killed off at the beginning of the reboot, "The Conners."

The man in charge of Aretha Franklin's funeral, Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, wants her fans around the world to know one thing -- get ready for church.

The pastor told us he's well aware he'll have a star-studded congregation during Friday's funeral, including Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Whoopi Goldberg, and President Clinton ... to name just a few. But he says the focus still has to be squarely on the Queen of Soul.

Bishop Ellis plans to celebrate her life in a respectful, godly manner. After all, she grew up musically and spiritually in her father's Baptist church -- and while superstar singers will perform during the service, Ellis says it's not going to be a concert.

He gave us a preview of his sermon, and the pressure that comes with overseeing an icon's funeral.

As we first reported, Jennifer Hudson will sing "Amazing Grace" as part of Friday's star-studded service at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit.

It starts at 10 AM ET, and we'll be streaming it live on TMZ.

Ben Affleck wanted to get back on the sober train -- badly -- days before his estranged wife staged an intervention and drove him to a rehab facility ... TMZ has learned.

Turns out, Ben had been attending wellness classes at a Los Angeles wellness center as recently as a week before checking into a live-in facility.

The center specializes in "Buddhist ethics" ... meaning meditation with a focus on a healthy body, mind and spirit. Our sources say Ben went on his own accord several times last week ... well aware he had fallen off the wagon and into a downward spiral.

We broke the story ... Ben's estranged wife, Jennifer Garner, staged an intervention Wednesday at his Pacific Palisades home and drove him to an L.A. County rehab facility where he will live for at least 30 days. We're told Ben didn't need much convincing because he knew he was in desperate straits.

We're told the trigger for Jen was on Monday, when she saw this pic (below) of Ben accepting delivery of a box full of beer and hard liquor.

The actor has been open about his struggles with sobriety over the years. After Ben completed his second stint at a rehab facility last year, he said, "I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step."

He continued, "I'm lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I've done the work I set out to do."

Here's the reality ... most addicts relapse. It doesn't mean they can't eventually stay sober, but it's a long, difficult road and falling off the wagon is not necessarily game over. The most important thing ... it's clear Ben realized he had a problem and sought help, even before Jen staged the intervention.

Here's something you don't see everyday ... a nun that could probably come out of the bullpen for the White Sox if she tightened up her curve ball.

Sister Mary Jo Sobiek of Marian Catholic High School was tasked with throwing out the first pitch Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field in honor of her institution. Perhaps to everyone's surprise ... she dished out a wicked toss from the mound to kick off the game.

It wasn't just the pitch that impressed ... Sister Mary Jo also had a nice little arm trick up her sleeve -- knocking the ball off the inside of her elbow and catching it again. BADASS!!!!

Sadly, the Sox couldn't ride SMJ's coattails to a win -- they ended up losing to the Kansas City Royals, who are last place in their division. At least we got a nice follow-up sister act in Chicago though!

Al Sharpton wants someone to blast Donald Trump with a little of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" ... 'cause dude really needs it.

We got the reverend out in NYC Thursday and, of course, had to ask him about The Queen of Soul passing away several hours earlier. Al paid heavy tribute and went down memory lane when it came to her iconic performances.

But more than anything, Al says on the heels of Trump calling Omarosa a dog he, more than anyone else, should soak in the classic track. As we reported ... Aretha died Thursday after a long battle with cancer.

Still no birthday sex for Tim Tebow ... but the former Heisman Trophy winner got the next best thing for his 31st -- best wishes from the hottest chick in the galaxy!!

Of course ... Tim's been dating Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters -- aka Miss Universe 2017 -- for a while ... and FINALLY, Demi made it Insta official, with DLNP wishing Tim a happy birthday Tuesday.

"Happy Birthday Timmy ❤️," she wrote.

"You are such a bright light in so many people’s lives. Have the best day ever!"

Tim's been smitten with the 23-year-old South African for quite a bit ... telling ESPN back in July, "She is a really special girl and I am very lucky and blessed for her coming into my life."

Seems like an engagement COULD be coming ... which means for Timmy's next birthday, maybe he'll finally get to cross home plate!

Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger are officially a couple -- a churchgoing one at that -- but they won't really show it until they're out of God's purview.

The recently-single Hollywood stud was spotted on another date with Arnold and Maria's 28-year-old daughter Sunday -- this time with his and Anna Faris' son, Jack, tagging along ... not to mention JC. The trio hit up a church service in L.A. and ice cream afterward.

It wasn't until Chris and Kat were out of the Lord's house that they smooched a bit ... not once, but twice! Seems like things have gone well since their Santa Barbara picnic last month.