Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber has made news for his string of legal issues rather than the pop music that made him one of the biggest superstars of this generation. With court dates arranged in two different countries for multiple charges, Bieber is now attempting to gain control of the controversy in his life through the inner cleanse of baptism.
With two arrests under his belt on assault and DUI charges, Bieber's reputation as a teenage heartthrob has been rattled the past year. Though the media may continue to report negative spews on the 19-year-old, reports are pointing that Bieber is looking to get baptised to cleanse his spirit and begin with a clean slate.
Bieber has reportedly spent the weekend looking for a place to be baptized, and New York's Hillsong Church was one of the churches that Bieber scouted. Bieber is no stranger to Hillsong Church, which has 12 churches all around the world. He attended a sermon from Pastor Carl Lentz in September and took it to his Twitter account to express how "blessed" he felt afterwards.
No word has been stated if and where Bieber will be baptized. Reports from Page Six state Bieber is looking for a fresh start and hoping to be cleansed after the negative backlash that tarnished his clean image and even made hundreds petetion to have him deported back to Canada.
Before the headlines turned sour for Bieber, numerous times he would declare himself as a Christian and had strong moral beliefs. "I'm a Christian, I believe in God, I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sins," said in an interview with the Associated Press. "I believe that I have a relationship and I'm able to talk to Him and really, He's the reason I'm here, so I definitely have to remember that."
Quoted as saying that Hollywood is "a scary place," Bieber was once seen as a role model during his prime years for attempting to stay away from the glitz and grammar of fame. "There's a lot going on, there's a lot of bad things, but there's also a lot of good things. I'm able to live my dream, I'm able to do a lot of good things," said Bieber at age 16.
"I see myself making a smooth transition from being a teenage heartthrob basically to, you know....like Usher or Justin Timberlake," continued Bieber, who was still the charming young singer who turned girls into "Beliebers."
Yet the transition for Bieber has been anything but smooth. The recent headlines from this past year showcased how the teen heartthrob, who captured the hearts of many on YouTube, became an infamous bad-boy who is now being charged with assault and even took x-rated photos with a stripper the weekend he scouted places to get baptized.
Bieber has been accused of suffering drug problems by his own mother and even his second documentary, "Believe," bombed at the box office during its Christmas release and did not even match his first documentary, "Never Say Never," in domestic numbers. ("Never Say Never" grossed $73 million in the United States in 2011, while "Believe" grossed a underwhelming figure of only $6 million this past Christmas).
No word from Bieber's representatives or Hillsong Church on whether any baptisms involving the troubled pop star have been scheduled.
