(NewsNation) — David Thibodeau, one of the nine surviving members of the 1993 Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, is offering insight regarding Justin Bieber’s membership in a church some consider controversial.
The Waco, Texas, siege killed four federal agents and injured 14 agents after David Koresh and his followers barricaded themselves in the Mount Carmel complex after an ATF raid. The complex was the headquarters for the Davidians, who had split from the Seventh-day Adventists decades before.
Churchome, the Beverly Hills-based church that Bieber reportedly belongs to, has a congregation in Washington state and attracts thousands of people online and in person. Bieber allegedly partakes in the church’s services at home through Zoom.
According to TMZ, Ryan Good, a former friend of Bieber’s and co-founder of his clothing line, Drew House, was also part of Churchome. However, he left the church and had a falling out with Bieber over it because he said it started to feel like a cult.
Churchome pastor denies cult allegations
Judah Smith, the pastor at Churchome, responded to allegations of the church being a cult, saying, “We would be the worst cult in the history of all cults” because the church only meets once a month. But Thibodeau said Bieber should trust his gut regarding the warning signs of whether or not Churchome is a cult.
“There’s all kinds of times you feel that you’re doing something wrong, but everyone around you is telling you it’s right,” Thibodeau said. “Even though you have that feeling and so many people influencing it, it can overcome your own feeling of what’s right and wrong.”
Thibodeau added Bieber should take opposing viewpoints into consideration and read things other than the Bible. He said the fact that the church only meets once a month could be a good thing because it gives Bieber time to develop his own thoughts.
Justin Bieber still a ‘Jesus guy’ despite social media drama
Bieber recently shared a series of posts on social media detailing his struggles in life and religion. In one post, he said he was tired of “transactional relationships.”
“We wanna make our life about work so bad. But this life is about God. Loving us so we can love each other. Quit making ur life about work. God will always inspire you to want to work harder,” he wrote.
The 31-year-old singer ended his message with, “Jesus was always the answer to pain we are all facing.”
In 2020, Bieber shared pictures of his baptism along with his wife, saying it was “one of the most special moments” of his life. “The moment @haileybieber my wife and I got baptized together!” Bieber captioned the pictures.
Despite the drama in his life, Bieber is anchored by Christian principles. “I believe forgiveness is what keeps this whole thang goinnnnn,” he posted on Instagram.
Justin Bieber was on hook for millions after pulling out of tour: Report
This all comes as Bieber reportedly owed his former manager, Scooter Braun, millions of dollars after he pulled out of his 2022 tour.
“As crazy as this sounds, Justin Bieber made up to $1 billion in his career. In 2022, he was broke — so broke, we’re told, he borrowed one of his friends’ credit cards to play golf,” TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin told “Banfield.” “He was broke.”
US businessman Scooter Braun (L) and Canadian singer Justin Bieber arrive for YouTube Originals’ “Justin Bieber: Seasons” premiere at the Regency Bruin Theatre in Los Angeles on January 27, 2020. (Photo by LISA O’CONNOR / AFP) (Photo by LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty Images) 
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 27: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber attend the premiere of YouTube Original’s “Justin Bieber: Seasons” at the Regency Bruin Theatre on January 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) 
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 14: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are seen on December 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bellocqimages/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 01: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are seen at the 2023 US Open Tennis Championships on September 1, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images) 
Music executive Scooter Braun, left, appears with Justin Bieber at the World Premiere of “Justin Bieber’s Believe” in Los Angeles on Dec. 18, 2013. Braun is one of the most recognizable names in the music business for his work as an executive, entrepreneur, and artist manager. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File) 
Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber performs onstage during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images) 
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: Justin Bieber attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) 
In this screen shot provided by ABC on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020, Justin Bieber performs at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (ABC via AP) 
Add the Crocs x Justin Bieber with drew house Classic Clog 2, plus drew house socks, to your collection next week. Credit: Rory Kramer
TMZ recently created a documentary about Bieber, which revealed his relationship with Braun had hit a “breaking point.” Despite this, on a recent episode of “The Diary of a CEO” podcast, Braun said of Bieber, “We were able to achieve some amazing things, and I’m very proud of what we achieved and always rooting for him.”
“Scooter’s camp has told us that he just thinks Justin wanted to go home,” TMZ executive producer Don Nash said. “He was tired, he wanted to spend more time with (his wife), Hailey (Bieber), he wanted to go on vacation, and he wanted to live his life without going on tour.”
One source told Page Six that Bieber spends an “eye-watering amount” of money each month. The source also claimed that there was a point where Bieber couldn’t get a credit card. “Justin is surrounded by a lot of people that do not have his best interests at heart,” the source claimed.
Justin Bieber sells music catalogue: TMZ
His money problems led him to sell his music catalogue, according to TMZ. Despite selling it for $200 million, one source told NewsNation’s Paula Froelich that his wife, Hailey Bieber, had “saved the day” financially.
“She’s also very smart when it comes to business and having good people around her, so she can be trusted with the money — and make sure she, Jack and Justin have a good financial foundation from here on out,” the source told Froelich.
Braun reportedly told Bieber to wait until January 2023 to sell his catalogue, so he would get a tax break, but he sold it in December 2022.