Religion/ Spirituality

NBA YoungBoy put out 8 albums in 2022 alone to give fans more music than they can realistically handle ... but that doesn't mean the Lousiana rapper doesn't have his favorite tracks.

YoungBoy rattled off his top 3 songs and albums on the recent episode of the Rap Radar podcast ... handpicking the tracks "Valuable Pain," "Outside Today," and "Slime Belief" as the best he's ever recorded!!!

On the album front, YB selected "Top," "38 Baby 2," and "Ma' I Got a Family" as the projects most dear to his heart ... with the latter LP speaking best to his current situation as a married man living in Utah.

YB, who plans to convert to Mormonism after he's released off house arrest, also spoke on his latest music vid "Black" ... which was shot in the neighborhood where he's been living.

If you think the clip looks rambunctious, you're right ... YB admitted he regrets not notifying all his neighbors ahead of filming the Project X-type visual!!!

Interestingly enough, YB admitted he doesn't really listen to his older material, and was optimistic about the future ... revealing he left his longtime label Atlantic Records to try something new.

Damar Hamlin is breaking his silence on his controversial Super Bowl jacket ... saying he never meant to offend anybody by wearing it -- and calling it simply "abstract art."

Hamlin rocked the coat -- which featured a crucifix with an altered Jesus head on it -- to the Chiefs vs. Eagles game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. -- and a day later, Adrian Peterson ripped him for it.

The future Hall of Famer called it blasphemous and disrespectful. He said he later spoke to Hamlin to explain his opinion.

The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety finally opened up about the situation on his Twitter page Wednesday afternoon ... saying he had absolutely no intent to disrespect anybody with outfit choice.

"After talking with my parents I understand how my coat could have offended some people," Hamlin wrote.

"It was never my intentions to hurt or disrespect anyone, the coat is abstract art to me. It says Eternal which I am Eternally thankful to my Savior!"

He added, "My beliefs and Relationship with God is not tied to symbolic images."

The NFL player, who's still on the mend after going into cardiac arrest during a "Monday Night Football" game last month, then promised to learn from it all.

Adrian Peterson's furious with the jacket Damar Hamlin wore at the Super Bowl, emblazoned with a crucifix with an altered Jesus head, unloading on the 24-year-old in a social media post, calling it "Blasphemy!!"

24-year-old Hamlin was at the game, sitting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Donna Kelce. Before kickoff, first responders who saved Damar's life were honored ... and the 24-year-old defensive back was on the field to watch.

Damar was wearing a $3,150 Takashi Murakami "Travis Jesus" jacket with the crucifix ... and it really ticked Peterson off.

"You should be thanking God son! This is Blasphemy!! We all fall short but cmon man! I find this disrespectful!! #grateful #goddid"

Interestingly, not everyone agrees with the future Hall of Famer, including former star running back Fred Taylor who believes AD handled the situation in the wrong way.

"You should DM him bro…I’m sure he’s listen to your opinion. Posting it doesn’t help anyone. He’s young, young ppl don’t always think before they wear things just like people who wear skulls and other things that doesn’t align with Christian beliefs. Try to reach him," Taylor wrote to Peterson.

But, Adrian, who is a devout Christian, still wasn't having it.

"But this was different! I know young people don’t think at times,older as well! But with everything surrounding his situation!! This isn’t one of those moments where it’s a young guy not thinking!" Peterson wrote back to Taylor.

As for Damar ... he is yet to respond to Adrian.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras have pissed off lots of viewers who filed complaints with CBS and the FCC over their "Unholy" Grammys performance.

TMZ has obtained 18 complaints filed with the Federal Communications Commission  ... and the flashpoint is Satan.

Many claimed the performance was textbook devil worship and were appalled by the imagery shown on TV ... with one adding, "I will be canceling my television service due to this." Seems a little extreme.

Some called the performance anti-Christian. One viewer postulated the song had the potential to "increase violence against Christians." Some took offense to the BDSM and adult images.

And there's more ... "It was wrought with evil imagery, and depicted DEVIL WORSHIPING ACOLYTES writhing around on the floor virtually naked, and in CAGES. It was broadcast on live television, and I cannot believe that CBS allowed it."

One parent was furious ... "The performance of Sam Smith had people being whipped and in a cage. My 15 year old son who is an aspiring musician was traumatized by it."

Politicians even got in the act, with Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene finding the whole thing "evil" and "demonic."

While conservatives are up in arms about Sam Smith and Kim Petras' hell-themed performance of "Unholy" at the Grammys ... the Church of Satan is unimpressed.

David Harris, magister for the Church of Satan, tells TMZ ... Sam and Kim's performance was "alright" and "nothing particularly special."

Harris, who's pretty high up in the Church of Satan (kinda like a cardinal), says the imagery evoked in Sam and Kim's set is similar to what folks have already seen from other artists -- red clothing, fire and devil horns -- and it's all kind of passé now.

Of course, politicians like Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert had entirely different takeaways ... as they railed against the Grammy night act, calling it evil.

MTG and Boebert's anti-Sam/Kim tweets referenced The Satanic Temple -- a different group from the Church of Satan -- but Harris is firing back on behalf of all Satanists, telling us ... "It's sad when politicians on a national stage use someone's religion as a punchline."

Ironically, he says Cruz, MTG and Boebert are a bunch of "delicate snowflakes."

Political bickering aside, the Church of Satan says Lil Nas X's music video for "Montero" was actually much more proactive than anything Sam or Kim did, at least in a satanic sense.

For the uninitiated ... Satanists don't actually worship Satan, nor do they believe in God or the Devil. They're opposed to anything supernatural and all spirituality, and with no belief in the afterlife, Satanists emphasize being your true self, personal achievement and living life to the fullest ... with one of the key tenants being individuals are their own Gods.

It's why the Church of Satan says Lil Nas X's "Montero" is much more in line with their philosophies ... in the music vid, LNX descends into hell, murders Satan and takes the devil's crown for himself.

During cult leader David Koresh's infamous, weeks-long standoff with the FBI, in Waco, he had a '68 Chevrolet Camaro SS waiting to whisk him away ... and now the car's on the market.

Koresh ultimately died, along with more than 70 of his cult followers, during the 51-day siege of his Texas compound back in 1993 ... and the Camaro changed hands over the years before ending up with "Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans, who is now selling the classic car.

Zak bought the Camaro from a classic car dealer in Arizona for $61,995 in 2018, but now he's expecting the car to go for at least six figures.

The car, dubbed "Armageddon's Relic," has been featured for years in Zak's Haunted Museum in Las Vegas ... but he tells us he has decided to list it with Vegas Auto Gallery because it's time to rotate his spooky artifacts on display.

The Camaro SS is rumored to have been Koresh's planned getaway car ... but he never made it out of the Waco compound where the FBI believed his religious sect was illegally stockpiling weapons.

The tragic standoff got the Hollywood treatment in 2019 when Paramount produced a mini-series on the whole ordeal, with Taylor Kitsch starring as the cult leader.

Koresh certainly left his mark on the car ... doing some custom work at the compound and inscribing the words "DAVIDES 427 GO GOD" on the V8 engine block under the hood.

The car sustained a ton of damage during the siege, but the Camaro's since been restored and outfitted with a set of custom bucket seats, a Grant GT sports steering wheel and a Hurst shifter for the 4-speed manual transmission. The Chevy has 66,371 miles on it and comes with the original Texas title.

NBA YoungBoy released 8 full-length projects in 2022, but it doesn't look like he'll be cosigning his own catalog in the near future.

In a new revelation to Billboard, the Louisiana-born rap star is showing remorse for the content of his lyrics, and looking to turn over a new leaf ... by converting to Mormonism and changing the direction of his raps.

YoungBoy says it troubles him to know fans, kids included, might have heard his music and been influenced to harm other people ... and he holds himself accountable.

The 23-year-old admits he can't lyrically rewrite all his wrongs as a street rapper ... but vows to take it day by day to get the job done.

YoungBoy shocked fans shortly after the new year with the bombshell -- he married his longtime girlfriend and mother of 2 of his kids and doesn't seem to be done with divinity.

He's been on house arrest for several years but found newfound peace while residing in Utah and getting close to missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ... and plans on getting baptized with them once cops clear him to be outside without monitoring.

Tyre Nichols' life and memory were honored Wednesday at a public funeral held in Memphis after he was brutalized by police officers there ... and a lot of powerful sentiments were shared, including the notion that change needs to come in the form of legislation.

The funeral was held at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, just outside downtown Memphis, where Rev. Al Sharpton eulogized Tyre. His remarks had just about everybody in attendance on their feet by the end of it ... and for good reason.

RAS started by shedding a spotlight on the families of other victims of police brutality, including the Floyds, the Garners, the Taylors and others -- who traveled to make an appearance, and who know what it's like to go through this. He also shouted out the Veep and other elected officials -- both locally and federally -- who showed face for the funeral.

Moving on to Tyre, the reverend made an analogy to the parable of Joseph in the Well -- as told in the Bible -- and said the 5 officers who beat him that night were just like Joseph's brothers ... thinking that throwing him in the pit would solve their problems and quiet him down.

He went on to describe a point of heartbreaking irony about this tragedy happening in the city of Memphis -- where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 during a trip where he worked towards getting Black people the right to join the public sector workforce... including the right to work in sanitation, as well as the police force.

He says the fact these 5 Black cops took the work MLK literally died for, and betrayed it by taking the life of one of their brothers is the ultimate slap in the face, aptly saying ... "How dare you?" He said they were "acting like the folks we had to fight against to get you there."

Sharpton hit the point home by saying Dr. King would be astounded to see how far African Americans have come in this country -- citing VP Kamala Harris' position -- but he would be outraged to see this instance of fellow Black men acting in this way. Finally, the Reverend's speech reached a crescendo when he said he was a mountain climber ... citing what kept him going.

VP Harris also shared words at Tyre's memorial after being introduced by Rev. Al Sharpton. She spoke directly to his parents, nodding to their strength and courage in the face of the tragedy ... a moment that drew a huge standing O.

She also talked about mothers around the world praying to God that their babies remain safe for the rest of their lives ... noting that Tyre's parents' own prayers were broken with the loss of his life. She condemned the police officers involved in his death in the strongest of terms ... saying their violence that night was not in line with the pursuit of public safety.

The Veep then called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act ... saying it was overdue. Her remarks were brief, but powerful -- and her presence there was strong.

Civil rights attorney, Ben Crump spoke at the podium as well, and he pointed out something interesting -- praising the fact that the officers were fired/charged so quickly ... but noting, that needs to be the norm any time this happens ... regardless of the race of the officers.

Crump went down a list of people who've died at the hand of police, and said swift justice was needed in all of those instances too -- which wasn't always the case, as we know.

Of course, Tyre Nichols' family members gave emotional testimonials -- two of his sisters, two brothers and his parents spoke ... including his mother, who was weeping at the mic.

One sister noted how polite Tyre was, even while being brutalized -- and another sister read a moving poem she wrote about going home. His brothers said they had been robbed of the opportunity to know their sibling better ... but said his memory would live on.

Finally, his stepfather and mom addressed the congregation. His stepdad thanked everyone who had supported them through this time ... while also calling on legislative change so that this doesn't happen again.

Tyre's mother, RowVaughn Wells, hit that home firmly ... specifically saying the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act needs to be passed ASAP -- otherwise, she said, the next person to die in a similar fashion will have died in vain ... and their blood will be on Congress' hands.

The celebration of life comes just weeks after Tyre was pulled over in a traffic stop ... resulting in a foot pursuit and a horrific beating at the hands of 5 police officers. Body cam and surveillance video that was subsequently released shows the merciless treatment of Tyre as he pled for help.

After they were done with him, the officers left Tyre propped up on one of their squad cars and waited for EMTs to arrive ... who delivered slow and less-than-adequate assistance.

Tyre was hospitalized, and died from his injuries days later.

In the aftermath, the 5 cops were fired and then criminally charged by a grand jury -- they all face second-degree murder charges ... as well as a slew of others, including kidnapping. Another two officers who are said to have been involved in the incident have since been suspended ... and some of the medical personnel who responded that night have been fired.

Protests and demonstrations have erupted nationwide after the footage was released, and a conversation about meaningful police reform in the country has been sparked anew.

Pusha T is firing back at Consequence's latest interview that painted "disgust" on his recent departure from Kanye West's GOOD Music, in a theological fashion ... with a quote from the Bible that outlines his views on the entire debacle.

The "It's Almost Dry" rapper took a page outta 1 Corinthians 6:7 ... quoting "suffer yourselves to be defrauded," a call for Cons to focus on the bigger picture and not attempt to clean up Ye's mess.

Push is heavily rumored to be restarting his Clipse duo with brother No Malice, who's a devout Christian, which probably explains why he's rattling off bible verses like they live on Genius.

Push started his 2023 off Kanye-free ... having cut ties with Ye and GOOD Music after years by his side over his antisemitic rants, but Consequence says his reasoning was total BS.

Cons says Kanye prevented Push from getting on stage at a Donda performance in Chicago and has been on some taking-his-ball-home-ish ever since!!!

Cons says Push's real loyalty is to Pharrell, but he expected more outta the Virginia rapper, after hanging around all these years.

He also blamed Push for bringing tensions with Drake into Good Music, revealing he's actually been to Drake's crib but never stepped foot inside Push's house!!

Kanye West's GOOD Music is a dub as we know it -- Push, Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Desiigner -- have all departed with less than stellar things to say about Ye and Consequence wants to know where's the loyalty!!!

Nancy Pelosi tried to excommunicate evil spirits from her San Francisco townhouse after the vicious attack on her husband in October.

The former House Speaker and her daughter, Alexandra, sat down with the New York Times and made a stunning admission about holding their own private exorcism.

Alexandra said Nancy sought the help of priests after Paul Pelosi was bludgeoned by a hammer-wielding assailant, who broke into the couple's stately home.

"I think that weighed really heavy on her soul," Alexandra said, referring to Nancy. "I think it really broke her. Over Thanksgiving, she had priests coming, trying to have an exorcism of the house and having prayer services."

Pelosi (D-CA) said it will take three to four months before Paul is "really back to normal."

Paul's attacker, David DePape, was arrested and charged by state and federal authorities with attempted murder, attempting kidnapping, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon.

Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to show up for his team's warmups on Tuesday night ... boycotting Philadelphia's decision to have its players wear rainbow-colored jerseys that supported the LGBTQ+ community.

Provorov, who ultimately ended up playing in the game after the Flyers switched back to their normal uniforms, said after the contest he made the decision due to his Russian Orthodox beliefs.

"I respect everybody and I respect everybody's choices," the 26-year-old said. "My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That's all I'm going to say."

Reporters attempted to ask Provorov further questions about the decision ... but he shut them down, saying, "Did you not hear what I just said? Can you respect that?"

Flyers head coach John Tortorella, meanwhile, seemed to back his player's choice ... telling media members after the game he never once considered not playing Provorov, despite the pregame protest.

"It's one thing I respect about Provy," the 64-year-old manager said. "He's always true to himself. And, so, that's where we're at with that."

The Flyers opted to wear the pregame kits -- as well as wrap their sticks with rainbow-colored tape -- in order to promote inclusivity in a sport that's historically struggled with diversity. Philly auctioned off its players' pregame items after the game, donating proceeds to groups who are helping grow hockey in diverse communities. Provorov was the only Flyer who didn't have memorabilia up in the auction.

The team spoke generically about the issue in a statement just before the game ... saying, "The Philadelphia Flyers organization is committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community. Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year. The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community."

The NHL has yet to comment on it all.

Provorov ended up playing a team-high 22:45 minutes in the game against the Ducks, which Philadelphia won, 5-2.

Former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died after a battle with health issues due to his advanced age.

95-year-old Benedict passed away on New Year's Eve morning inside his home at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City, just outside Italy.

The Vatican did not provide a specific cause of death ... but several days ago the current Bishop of Rome -- Pope Francis -- publicly stated Benedict was "very sick."

Benedict's body will be on display in the church of Saint Peter's Basilica the morning of January 2 ... "so the faithful can bid farewell," a Vatican official said. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced in the coming hours.

Benedict was elected pope in 2005, but he stepped down from the papacy in 2013 at 85, citing his old age and fragility. He was the first pope in 600 years to resign from the office. But, he was also the longest-living pope, springboarding over Pope Leo XIII in 2020.

During his tenure, Benedict was best known as a top theologian in the church and was branded "God's Rottweiler" because of his staunch conservative Roman Catholic beliefs. He was adamantly opposed to secularizing the church, promoting women as priests and "normalizing" homosexuality.

In addition, he took an historic trip to Ground Zero in NYC to pray with the families of the victims who perished during the 9/11 attacks.

After his retirement, Benedict continued to advise his more liberal successor Pope Francis, who had shown an interest in helping the LGBTQ community. In 2016, Benedict's conservative influence seemed to take hold of Francis, who, suddenly, became a hard-liner on the issue of schools teaching kids they can choose their gender.

“We must think about what Pope Benedict said — ‘It’s the epoch of sin against God the Creator,’” Francis said at the time.

Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, Benedict grew up under Nazi rule in Marktl, Germany. He was against Hitler, but, as a teen, forced to join the "Hitler Youth" and subsequently enlisted in the German army. He was sent to the front lines to fight in World War II, but he deserted his post as Germany fell to the Allies.

He returned home and entered a seminary, starting him down the path toward becoming the pope. He was ordained as a priest on June 29, 1951.

He was 95.

The Jewish Federation of L.A. is fighting antisemitism with billboards all over the city ... and the org.'s CCO believes it can help thwart the proliferation of hate.

Rob Goldenberg joined us on "TMZ Live," telling us all about his org.'s new campaign -- focusing on harmony and love, while looking to shut down hate toward Jewish people.

He underscores the negativity's ramped up in recent years, and believes now's the time to bring positivity into the equation.

FYI -- the Federation's billboards use ancient Jewish texts as inspirational messages ... and with L.A. having the 2nd largest Jewish population outside of Israel, they've partnered with Outfront Media to spread the word.

Whoopi Goldberg is rolling out a much-needed apology ... after making claims about the Holocaust that many found incredibly antisemitic.

Whoopi offered her "sincere apologies" Tuesday, telling Rolling Stone, "It was never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments, especially after talking with and hearing people like rabbis and old and new friends weighing in."

She says she's still learning -- but confirms, "I believe that the Holocaust was about race, and I am still as sorry now as I was then that I upset, hurt and angered people.”

As we reported, Whoopi faced severe backlash after recently telling The Times Jewish people themselves are divided on whether they're actually a race or not, even quoting one Jewish friend as saying ... "Not for nothing is there no box on the census for the Jewish race. So that leads me to believe that we’re probably not a race."

Whoopi went on to double down on the notion that the Holocaust wasn't about race, from her POV, by saying ... "Remember who they were killing first. They were not killing racial; they were killing physical. They were killing people they considered to be mentally defective. And then they made this decision.”

Pope Francis' Christmas message was loud and clear from the Vatican -- he condemned greed in all forms ... citing Jesus as the exact opposite of that, downright destitute.

The pontiff delivered his Christmas Eve homily in Rome on Saturday ... and the overarching theme was decrying what he sees as a power-hungry society that's far too focused on consumerism and collecting wealth ... especially at the expense of others.

PF said, "While animals feed in their stalls, men and women in our world, in their hunger for wealth and power, consume even their neighbors, their brothers and sisters. How many wars have we seen! And in how many places, even today, are human dignity and freedom treated with contempt!"

He added, "As always, the principal victims of this human greed are the weak and the vulnerable."

Pope Francis went on to invoke JC's humble beginnings to hit his point home, explaining ... "This Christmas, too, as in the case of Jesus, a world ravenous for money, power and pleasure does not make room for the little ones, for the so many unborn, poor and forgotten children. I think above all of the children devoured by war, poverty and injustice."

He also said that Jesus' birth in a manger proves that "the true riches in life are to be found: not in money and power, but in relationships and persons." The Pope said this to a group of about 7,000 worshippers who flocked to attend the mass that Francis presided over.

He ended with, "Dear brothers, dear sisters, at Christmas, God is poor: let charity be reborn!" PF also encouraged folks to “not let this Christmas pass without doing something good."

Nothing is holy in 2022 -- not even a plastic baby Jesus around Christmas time ... just ask cops in Fort Worth, who are looking for a Grinch-y thief.

FWPD posted surveillance footage of what they say is a crook making off with the centerpiece of a life-size nativity scene Saturday morning that was set up downtown -- and sure enough, you can see the dude making a clean getaway with young JC himself!

The man casually strolls up to the outdoor exhibition around 2 AM, picks up the baby doll from its basket ... and then saunters away like nothing even happened.

Unfortunately for him, his mug shows pretty clearly on camera ... and the cops have a solid view of who they're looking for. Fort Worth police say he was later seen jumping into a tan or silver Chevy Tahoe (or a Pathfinder, perhaps) -- leading them to think he ain't alone.

They're asking the public for any help in identifying this fella, and go out of their way to call him a not-so-wise man. Tips can be sent to 817-392-3956, with Report# 2200325146.