ReginaCarman said:

Technical.

setyrmindphree said:

thank u I totally agree
[Edited 1/23/09 2:43am]

jonylawson said:

No, Yes and Maybe....I just have to find out the definition of greatrer?

On another note..does the tidal wave that kills 300,000 people in an instant have greater resonance if you believe in (a) god? this is a Q for those who are delusional and non delusional.

itsshananaok said:

It's sad that people like you give religious people such a bad name.

TRC is my favourite Prince album for 20 odd years and I'm a rampant atheist.
The above post would suggest what I've long suspected and that it is those without a dogmatic faith that can appreicate a wide range of beliefs, without sharing them, wherease it is those with faith, that are limited in their understanding to that which pertains to and supports their own narrow system of belief.

And on balance - how many of Prince's songs are about god? Does 'Head' resonate more with a devout Christian? Does 'When Doves Cry' resonate more with a JW? I don't think so.

And as for you, OP - I'll decide what is a waste of 'breath' for myself.
[Edited 1/23/09 3:37am]

vivid said:

as usual the topic of religion brings diversity.....

but thanks-interesting

jonylawson said:

It sure did. The athesists and the agnostics came out in full force with this one but those that may believe in God didn't seem to post much, though I could be wrong. Very interesting indeed.
[Edited 1/23/09 7:35am]

Any song that uplifts or praises GOD/Jesus
is recieved much differently by a believer than a non believer.
I think that is a given.
All of u who are living in the spirit and are 1 w/christ know what Im talkin about. The others can only recieve the song from an intellectual or philosophical understanding, which is not the same as receivint the song in spirit and in truth---within 1's heart.

The song "Everywhere" from TRC would be a good example of the type that would be received differently by a non believer vs a believer.
[Edited 1/23/09 8:09am]

"There's a place I want 2 go
Where the milk and honey flow
Without God it wasn't there
Now I feel it Everywhere"

When I was lost and couldn't c my way
I used 2 follow what everybody say
Now I know that it's written in the heart
Now I'm ready, ready 2 start

Without God it wasn't there
Now I feel it Everywhere

We were always meant 2 b
In paradise eternally
B4 the truth I did not care
Now I feel it Everywhere

Feel it, feel it Everywhere
Feel it, feel it
Can u feel it?
This might good feeling Everywhere
We've got so much work 2 do.Everywhere

jonylawson said:

You cannot tell me those words have the same heartfelt meaning to an unbeliever.

thepope2the9s said:

You're right, especially about the song "Everywhere"

Everything is better when Your faith is strong...when Ur faith is weak...everything can have a shadow.

thepope2the9s said:

This is just proof that Religion just NARROWS a lot of folks minds.

What makes you think that those lyrics and the sentiment behind them cannot be applied to an emotion equal in strength and sincerity? Because I don't follow your bible does not mean I do not FEEL and that all of my understanding of the world is strictly intellectual/philosophical. Believe me, I don't know one person who would consider me an intellectual.

The example you're putting forth speaks more of exclusivity than faith.

heck yes. especially if U grasp with your mind's eye

I wouldn't say his music have a greater resonance because if in one song, he sings about salvation of the soul and the next track I wanna #@!@ you, it confuses the spirit. However, it is fair to say that only God is our judge.
[Edited 1/23/09 10:57am]

This is not about appreciating the music at all. It feels more like a "I'm closer to Prince than you are." kinda thing.
[Edited 1/23/09 11:49am]

johnart said:

Yes, religion does narrow your mind , guess that is why Jesus said you must travel a narrow path....and in the example I put forth P is specifically singing about his coming to know 'the truth' and I guess you could have just as equal 'feelings' concerning anything really, but others who experienced the same thing as he,....can relate more to the song, that is all Im saying.

But your right, in many ways Christianity is exclusive. Jesus was very exclusive...he said that only thru him can you find salvation. Dont get much more exclusive than that.

The 3 traditional religions Jewish, [Neo] Christianity and Al Islaam all teach there r specific ways 2 live 2 b happy in this life and the next, if u believe in that sort of thing.

Everyone has made valid points and I won't discredit anyone because it's all "our" points of view. I take this topic very seriously.

angel345 said:

That is the old P you speak of, and yes ultimately God is your judge, tho I dont think this thread is about judgement or anything.

jonylawson said:

See, this question is faulted from the beginning. You ask if Prince's music has greater resonance if you believe in God, but then you tell non-believers not to answer.

So, in that respect, you will have a bunch of believers saying "Yes, Prince's music has greater resonance", but how do you truly know if the resonance is "greater" if you don't have the opinion of the non-believe. Perhaps the resonance is even greater to a non-believer, but you will not know because you only have one side of the equation.

X(believers)/resonance + Y(non-believers)/resonance = Prince's Music

The only problem here is you are not allowing yourself the full data of (Y) to complete the equation. Thus you are getting:

High Resonance (believers) + Y (non-believers)/resonace = Prince Music

Now we can't answer your question, because we don't know if the resonance is greater with believer because we don't have the data of non-believers.

That is the problem with many religious people. They hear the religious side of every argument but can never open their mind to other viewpoints and opinions. Their opinion is always "The Truth". Hence all the wars in the middle east.

The Christian faith, and JW is a Christian faith,there are dogmatic and thelogically debatable differences in it and say ... Methodist... but the fundamentals of salvation seem to be the very same, is based on a trust that the personal experience of salvation is as real as any other personal experience in this world. It is tangibly memorable.

With that, I believe Prince is sharing this experience in his songs, and the effects of that experience on his values. That strikes a chord within me in those songs, and it is because I have the same belief in my life based on that faith.

Prince has never left his values out of his songs. We have watched him grow through his music. This is why there will be a loss of appeal to the younger generation, because they have not grown to that level yet. (Plus, Prince is just older and young people see him as an old guy from back in the day)

So yes,I believe it adds to the listening experience if you share the same beliefs.

berniejobs said:

thepope2the9s said:

But every cult leader says one can only find salvation through them.

I just can't personally get with that mindset, because if the only option to following Jesus/God is eternal damnation...how is that not on the same level as folk who commit religious/ethnic cleansings? Wouldn't a god that is All Good make a way for all to be able to find true everlasting joy?
Even through other paths?
If he were all powerful, he certainly could.
So... he just doesn't wanna?

BTW, "Everywhere" happens to be one of my favorite songs in TRC.
I can appreciate the beauty of the sentiment it expresses. The sentiment of that song is nothing like the tone this thread kicked off on.

vivid said:

What's the religious take on Come? I'm dying to hear. Does it strike deeply?

No, I think anyone can appreciate Prince's music on many different levels regardless of whether you share his beliefs or not. But here's something that might have been overlooked in this thread... Is God the only thing/topic Prince ever talks about in his songs?

If (for example) an atheist fan finds Prince's religiosity annoying, can't s/he enjoy another aspect of Prince... where s/he can have greater "resonance" with?

On Topic, his "spiritual" songs can be 'Awesome', 'Annoying', 'Sexy', Worst Thing Ever', 'Not Bad', 'OK', 'Very Good'... you get the idea .

thepope2the9s said:

I saw a YouTube taping of one of his former proteges Vanity on TBN and she is a totally different person and on fire for the Lord. You could feel and see it. This woman nearly lost her life with drugs, sex, and rock and roll as she stated. This man that was interviewing her couldn't see past that and kept bringing up the old Vanity. I must be totally honest with you all, but I don't feel or witness the same change with Prince and don't know if it's a put on. However, I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say he's a babe and this is why I said He's our judge.
[Edited 1/23/09 14:01pm]

vivid said:

TRC just came out in 2001? Did you mean youve been a P fam for 20 years and that album is your favorite? Anways, I find joy in many of P's songs...from Shockadelica to Everywhere to Dirty Mind...and Ive been loving P's music for 25 years! Heck, one of his guitar solos alone can lift u up to another level--spriitually...it's all about appreciating the music.

angel345 said:

Vanity is a born again christian , P just converted to Jehovah Witness...there is a big difference.

purplecam said:

ANd who do u know is an antheist or an agnostic? Only a couple of people mentioned their religion or lack thereof