I lurk once in a blue moon, usually only when there's rumblings of new music coming or already here. What continues to bother me about Prince "fans" or whatever you call yourself is the disrespect shown to Prince over his religion. Look, there's been things Prince has done that have turned me off over the years. I won't name them but suffice it to say I don't normally defend Prince. In fact there's been times where I nearly threw away all the music I had on him because of the way he's treated some people...but who really knows the whole story? Sure, you can say that it's about the music, not the man but you know darn well if an artist's personal views and actions become known it can affect how much you enjoy his music.

I can tell you one thing for sure. I like Prince more now than I did before he joined this religion. I can tell you that my experiences with Jehovah's Witnesses convinces me that to truly be one you have to want to be a humble, good person that believes in the Bible. Moreso than other sects I've known. Sure, they have their share of hypocrites and controversies, but for the most part these people are really zealous about being in God's grace. The fact that Prince is STILL associated with the JW tells me something about Prince. I'm not a JW and I disagree with some of their fundamental beliefs as an organization but I respect them and admire them. I admire all people who truly try to live by their religious beliefs (as long as those beliefs do not harm other people) but I admire JWs because it can't be easy to be one. Some religions it's darn easy to be a member but JWs aim for and are held to a pretty high standard. Why would Prince, a megastar, be drawn to THIS religion. You could say he's always felt like a rebel/outsider and the JWs' "us against the world" mindset/psychology suits him. You could say because of family ties...only God knows but one thing's for sure...it takes courage for him to be upfront about it when it doesn't do anything to further his career. Bravo. Only God can judge him.

As far as Prince's music...becoming a JW gave him inspiration just like sexual tension and religion did before...he's as good as he ever was but like anything we just take it for granted because he's put out so much music. When you release a billion darn songs it of course makes it seem less "special". Baloney. As Prince himself sang "I can't be cool more than everyday".
[Edited 1/11/09 17:29pm]

I lurk once in a blue moon, usually only when there's rumblings of new music coming or already here. What continues to bother me about Prince "fans" or whatever you call yourself is the disrespect shown to Prince over his religion. Look, there's been things Prince has done that have turned me off over the years. I won't name them but suffice it to say I don't normally defend Prince. In fact there's been times where I nearly threw away all the music I had on him because of the way he's treated some people...but who really knows the whole story? Sure, you can say that it's about the music, not the man but you know darn well if an artist's personal views and actions become known it can affect how much you enjoy his music.

I can tell you one thing for sure. I like Prince more now than I did before he joined this religion. I can tell you that my experiences with Jehovah's Witnesses convinces me that to truly be one you have to want to be a humble, good person that believes in the Bible. Moreso than other sects I've known. Sure, they have their share of hypocrites and controversies, but for the most part these people are really zealous about being in God's grace. The fact that Prince is STILL associated with the JW tells me something about Prince. I'm not a JW and I disagree with some of their fundamental beliefs as an organization but I respect them and admire them. I admire all people who truly try to live by their religious beliefs (as long as those beliefs do not harm other people) but I admire JWs because it can't be easy to be one. Some religions it's darn easy to be a member but JWs aim for and are held to a pretty high standard. Why would Prince, a megastar, be drawn to THIS religion. You could say he's always felt like a rebel/outsider and the JWs' "us against the world" mindset/psychology suits him. You could say because of family ties...only God knows but one thing's for sure...it takes courage for him to be upfront about it when it doesn't do anything to further his career. Bravo. Only God can judge him.

As far as Prince's music...becoming a JW gave him inspiration just like sexual tension and religion did before...he's as good as he ever was but like anything we just take it for granted because he's put out so much music. When you release a billion darn songs it of course makes it seem less "special". Baloney. As Prince himself sang "I can't be cool more than everyday".
[Edited 1/11/09 17:29pm]