Justin Bieber Quits Weed, Friends At Church Camp Amid ‘Depression’ Claim

Is Justin Bieber attending a church camp to learn how to resist bad temptation and “spread the word of God” because he’s depressed over his split with Selena Gomez?

That’s the latest from Hollywood Life. The gossip website claims a source revealed Bieber is “questioning everything about his life right now.”

The alleged source added the singer is “feeling empty and struggling with depression and worthlessness. Part of this was brought on by his breakup with Selena. He always felt like he could fall back on that relationship.”

While it’s doubtful that the site Gomez described as “never true” does have insider access to details about Bieber’s state of mind, it is true that the Canadian has made some major changes in his life.

Following the Inquisitr’s report that the 20-year-old singer told fans during a recent online exchange that he has stopped smoking marijuana, Bieber was spotted over the weekend with pal Pastor Judah Smith (of Seattle’s The City Church) in Rancho Mirage, just outside Palm Springs.

TMZ claimed Justin has left Los Angeles to receive religious instruction from longtime pal, Pastor Carl Lentz of the Hillsong NYC Church at the luxe Rancho Mirage resort for a two-week stretch.

According to the site, Carl — who allegedly baptized the singer in May — will join Justin in Palm Springs, where he and Smith will reportedly offer the star religious guidance at a kind of church camp.

It’s said the “Confident” singer has cut out distractions and his hard-partying lifestyle.

“Justin has exiled himself from friends, alcohol, weed and everything else that doesn’t involve the good Lord,” TMZ writes.

In an onlooker-taken pic of Bieber that surfaced online over the weekend, the singer was seen sitting at a table with a copy of Lentz’s book Occupy All Streets. The book teaches how to spread the word of God by being an example of Christianity among other ideas.

Other than that, there is no evidence to support a claim that Bieber is on a “mission to spread the word of God.”

In fact, Bieber — who was raised as a Christian by his born-again mom Pattie Mallette — began his spiritual intensive in late October when he was spotted with Lentz at numerous church services in New York City, and a Bible study session with the Pittsburgh Steelers team. The duo were also seen at various basketball games.

Justin reportedly stayed with Lentz’s family in Glen Ridge, New Jersey during that time.

It’s not a stretch to speculate that the pop star’s split from Selena led to his decision to drop negative habits.

Stress from ongoing legal woes may also play its part. Bieber was recently issued with a court summons by a judge to face questions over an alleged assault by his bodyguards in Argentina and could be extradited if he doesn’t turn up within 60 days.

Lentz recently gave an interview to the New York Post and spoke about his relationship with Bieber.

Offering his take on the singer’s struggles, the pastor declared, “He’s on a journey, if he’s not doing good, should we abandon him?”

Lentz took a reflective view of some of Justin’s friends, saying, “I think relationships in your life come and go.”

The pastor added, “And I think what defines you is how you gauge who needs to stay and who needs to go.”

Carl also said he doesn’t police the singer but tries to help him deal with issues in his life.

“I have a special role in Justin’s life, spiritually, but… I’m not a life-motivational guy. We’re talking about making sure his life remains a blessing, not a burden.”

Lastly, on the subject of whether Bieber is “depressed,” while it’s unlikely Bieber or either of the pastors would speak to a gossip site that continually claims to have “exclusives!” on stories it didn’t break, Mallette did recently tweet her son with a link to a Pop Crush article that featured fans’ accounts of how Justin inspired them.

So it’s possible Bieber did/does feel low after his split with Selena and other concerns.

Not so much a scoop. More a reasonable guess.

@justinbieber See!? Don’t forget what’s inside of you!! I love you so much son! #makingadifference #ProudMamaMoment http://t.co/GNZsXVUSUF

— Pattie Mallette (@pattiemallette) November 17, 2014

[Images via Instagram /Twitter.]