Justin Bieber’s Pastor Judah Smith Speaks Out on Accusations His Church Is a “Cult”

“Justin and I share Scriptures on a regular basis and communicate,” the pastor told E! News in 2013. “And I think you find a lot of comfort and clarity in the Scriptures.”

More recently, the “Holy” singer shared that he seeks spiritual guidance to deal with online speculation about his personal life, including his marriage to wife Hailey Bieber.

“They treat me like ass out here, but I remember that I am flawed and God forgave me,” he wrote in a post on his Instagram Stories April 24. “It helps me to stop feeling better than those who are mean and hurtful because when I’m really honest, I can be mean and hurtful too.”

Indeed, the Grammy winner—who shares son Jack Blues Bieber, 8 months, with Hailey—said he tries to remember his own flaws before judging the actions of others.

“My instinct is to be like, ‘Damn I wouldn’t gossip and spread lies about someone on the internet,’” he went on, “but there’s other s–t I do I’m not proud of.”

As for reports about Justin’s well-being, a rep for the singer told E! News in April, “These unnecessary stories and inaccurate assumptions will continue. But, they won’t deter him from staying committed to following the right path.”