PositivityForever said:

One of the worst choices in his life...

Preach!

ludwig said:

Religion is never a good choice.

My thoughts exactly.

fridayschild said:

Eh. Prince has always been religious. He's always been looking for a way to take it to the HNL, and the JW certainly fit the bill.

It obviously makes him happy, gives him direction, etc.

ElCapitan said:

fridayschild said:

It doesnt really matter what I think of the choice, but perhaps what prince himself thinks of his choice..? If he lives truthfully and authentically within the teachings/requirements of whichever religion he chooses, well then good for him...

And ...truth Amazing to see such a usually tolerant fanbase become so intolerant about a grown-ass man's personal choice of faith. Sad really

There's a difference between tolerance and respect.

Being a JW has made him even more reserved then he was before.

But if he's happy and closer to god - then i guess it's good for him.

2elijah said:

funkyrake said:

I have also seen posts claiming Mattie made Prince promise to join JW. However Prince was raised Seventh Day Adventist, so did his mom convert to JW? No way would a SDA want a family member to convert to JW.

From what I've heard/been told, his mother was a JW until her passing.

Here is his mom's funeral announcement......Please read the last line guys. She was buried at a Baptist church. JW's will not even attend a family funeral in a church. I'm sure she would not have had her own funeral in a baptist church if she was JW. The JW thing is from Larry Graham.

I rember going to a show in Oakland about 10-15 yrs ago when Larry first started opening for him. Prince was praising God and saying that he wasn't going to get into any names for God or religions because that wasn't important. A few months later, he was talking about Jehovah and Stauros. Larry got to him, not his mom.

http://www.dragtotop.com/...web/907183

[Edited 7/18/11 6:42am]

illimack said:

2elijah said:

From what I've heard/been told, his mother was a JW until her passing.

Here is his mom's funeral announcement......Please read the last line guys. She was buried at a Baptist church. JW's will not even attend a family funeral in a church. I'm sure she would not have had her own funeral in a baptist church if she was JW. The JW thing is from Larry Graham.

I rember going to a show in Oakland about 10-15 yrs ago when Larry first started opening for him. Prince was praising God and saying that he wasn't going to get into any names for God or religions because that wasn't important. A few months later, he was talking about Jehovah and Stauros. Larry got to him, not his mom.

http://www.dragtotop.com/...web/907183

[Edited 7/18/11 6:42am]

The "JW thing" as you put it, is not because of Larry.

From a reliable source, Prince's mother was a JW before she passed. It was his mother's dying wish that Prince become a JW. He had many discussions with his mother about the JW religion before she passed, as well as having discussions about it with George Benson, long before discussions with Larry Graham. When it came down to the final decision to become a JW, it was up to Prince, who fulfilled his mother's wish to become a JW.

[Edited 7/18/11 7:44am]

2elijah said:

illimack said:

Here is his mom's funeral announcement......Please read the last line guys. She was buried at a Baptist church. JW's will not even attend a family funeral in a church. I'm sure she would not have had her own funeral in a baptist church if she was JW. The JW thing is from Larry Graham.

I rember going to a show in Oakland about 10-15 yrs ago when Larry first started opening for him. Prince was praising God and saying that he wasn't going to get into any names for God or religions because that wasn't important. A few months later, he was talking about Jehovah and Stauros. Larry got to him, not his mom.

http://www.dragtotop.com/...web/907183

[Edited 7/18/11 6:42am]

The "JW thing" as you put it, is not because of Larry.

From a reliable source, Prince's mother was a JW before she passed. It was his mother's dying wish that Prince become a JW. He had many discussions with his mother about the JW religion before she passed, as well as having discussions about it with George Benson, long before discussions with Larry Graham. When it came down to the final decision to become a JW, it was up to Prince, who fulfilled his mother's wish to become a JW.

[Edited 7/18/11 7:44am]

THen why would she have a funeral mt zion babtist church? Most of my family are JW. None of them came to my grandparents funerals because they were held in churches. It caused a major rift in the family because my aunt that is the JW has the most kids so most of the family didn't show. Unless her family would go against her wishes and have the funeral in a church, I can not believe that this woman died a JW.

no.

illimack said:

2elijah said:

The "JW thing" as you put it, is not because of Larry.

From a reliable source, Prince's mother was a JW before she passed. It was his mother's dying wish that Prince become a JW. He had many discussions with his mother about the JW religion before she passed, as well as having discussions about it with George Benson, long before discussions with Larry Graham. When it came down to the final decision to become a JW, it was up to Prince, who fulfilled his mother's wish to become a JW.

[Edited 7/18/11 7:44am]

THen why would she have a funeral mt zion babtist church? Most of my family are JW. None of them came to my grandparents funerals because they were held in churches. It caused a major rift in the family because my aunt that is the JW has the most kids so most of the family didn't show. Unless her family would go against her wishes and have the funeral in a church, I can not believe that this woman died a JW.

Because none of the family members who handled the funeral arrangements were witnesses, so they had the services in a church. She was definitely a JW before and when she passed.

I can't see how anyone would be angry at Prince for honoring his dying mother's wishes. It was obviously a personal choice for him, not a choice or a privilege that's left up to any of his fans to decide, and actually none of our business really what his personal choices in his life are.

[Edited 7/18/11 9:08am]

all the jehovas i know are as weird as fuck!.. it can't be mentally healthy to think u gotta behave yourself all the time & in fear of jehovas holy wrath!!

physically i don't think it's good that prince is under pressure to control primal urges & sexylusty

2elijah said:

illimack said:

THen why would she have a funeral mt zion babtist church? Most of my family are JW. None of them came to my grandparents funerals because they were held in churches. It caused a major rift in the family because my aunt that is the JW has the most kids so most of the family didn't show. Unless her family would go against her wishes and have the funeral in a church, I can not believe that this woman died a JW.

Because none of the family members who handled the funeral arrangements were witnesses, so they had the services in a church. She was definitely a JW before and when she passed.

I can't see how anyone would be angry at Prince for honoring his dying mother's wishes. It was obviously a personal choice for him, not a choice or a privilege that's left up to any of his fans to decide, and actually none of our business really what his personal choices in his life are.

[Edited 7/18/11 9:08am]

I'm not saying ur wrong, but until I hear it from P's mouth, I do not believe his mother was a witness. It was HER funeral, not theirs. I just don't believe that a family, who knows how devout JW's are with their faith, would have her funeral in a baptist church if she was a JW. It would be the ultimate insult to her beliefs. They believe that any religion besides the JW are false and apostate.

I have never heard of Prince's mom being a JW until this "dying wish thing." I even remember P taking flack because he refused to go to her funeral because he was studying to be a JW and her funeral was at a Baptist church.

I remeber Prince talking about studying the Bible with Larry Graham and his cohorts on the Sinbad show years ago... I was like...."here we go, he's about to be conferted."

You could very well be right and I could be wrong. But he would have to say it for me to believe it. Until then, it's all Graham's fault. And I'm saying it like that because I grew up with them and .....Lawd!!!! I won't go there.

DoffieParker said:

all the jehovas i know are as weird as fuck!.. it can't be mentally healthy to think u gotta behave yourself all the time & in fear of jehovas holy wrath!!

physically i don't think it's good that prince is under pressure to control primal urges & sexylusty

It doesn't take any religion for people to be weird you can find "weirdness" among the general population. There's no requirement for that.

[Edited 7/18/11 10:20am]

illimack said:

2elijah said:

Because none of the family members who handled the funeral arrangements were witnesses, so they had the services in a church. She was definitely a JW before and when she passed.

I can't see how anyone would be angry at Prince for honoring his dying mother's wishes. It was obviously a personal choice for him, not a choice or a privilege that's left up to any of his fans to decide, and actually none of our business really what his personal choices in his life are.

[Edited 7/18/11 9:08am]

I'm not saying ur wrong, but until I hear it from P's mouth, I do not believe his mother was a witness. It was HER funeral, not theirs. I just don't believe that a family, who knows how devout JW's are with their faith, would have her funeral in a baptist church if she was a JW. It would be the ultimate insult to her beliefs. They believe that any religion besides the JW are false and apostate.

I have never heard of Prince's mom being a JW until this "dying wish thing." I even remember P taking flack because he refused to go to her funeral because he was studying to be a JW and her funeral was at a Baptist church.

I remeber Prince talking about studying the Bible with Larry Graham and his cohorts on the Sinbad show years ago... I was like...."here we go, he's about to be conferted."

You could very well be right and I could be wrong. But he would have to say it for me to believe it. Until then, it's all Graham's fault. And I'm saying it like that because I grew up with them and .....Lawd!!!! I won't go there.

You're entitled to feel the way you want about it, but again, according to a reliable source, she was a witness when she passed, and yes, the funeral services were held in a church, but whether you want to believe it or not, she was a JW before and after she passed. Illmack, it is not unusual for some family members to not honor their loved one's choice of religion, especially when the family members that arranged the funeral services were not JWs. Just passing on what I have been told. Maybe one day if Prince gets asked that question by an interviewer, you will hear it straight from his mouth, but that remains to be seen/heard I guess.

As far as your exposure to the JW religion. I practiced it when I was around 11 years old, because my mother made me and my sister take bible lessons, when the lady we took bible lessons came to our home. So I have been exposed to it at that early time in my life. Out of my 8 siblings, it was just me and my younger sister, who attended Kingdom Hall. I was really too young to understand it, but made sure I had my lessons intact by the time my teacher came to the house. I even went on the tour to the former JW Watchtower building in Brooklyn, NY, when it existed, and can still remember the ink smell from the printing presses, where they printed their bibles and other publications. I stopped practicing it before I reached 13 years old. I never converted to JW though, I was baptized a Methodist and I am still a Methodist.

[Edited 7/18/11 10:28am]

2elijah said:

DoffieParker said:

all the jehovas i know are as weird as fuck!.. it can't be mentally healthy to think u gotta behave yourself all the time & in fear of jehovas holy wrath!!

physically i don't think it's good that prince is under pressure to control primal urges & sexylusty

It doesn't take any religion for people to be weird you can find "weirdness" among the general population. There's no requirement for that.

[Edited 7/18/11 10:20am]

that is so true!! but jehovas do have some strange ideas, like not celebrating birthdays/xmas/turning their noses up at life saving blood treatment & stuff like that. if that ain't weird what is? i feel sorry 4 the kids like they're scared to say boo! the poor little buggers

DoffieParker said:

2elijah said:

It doesn't take any religion for people to be weird you can find "weirdness" among the general population. There's no requirement for that.

[Edited 7/18/11 10:20am]

that is so true!! but jehovas do have some strange ideas, like not celebrating birthdays/xmas/turning their noses up at life saving blood treatment & stuff like that. if that ain't weird what is? i feel sorry 4 the kids like they're scared to say boo! the poor little buggers

There's other religions that have religious restrictions. JW religion is no different than other religions that have similar beliefs/restrictions, that many non-religious or non-believers are against and turn their nose up at them.

I don't think a person is "weird" based on their religious beliefs, because like I said you can find many non-religious people within the general population aka human species, who celebrate birthdays/xmas/donate blood, etc., and are quite "weird" or "strange" No religious affiliation is a required.

[Edited 7/18/11 10:56am]

so your saying that if i was a JW i wouldnt be able to take a wank?

No, of course not.

We're long overdue for his Christmas album.

ludwig said:

ElCapitan said:

ludwig said:

There's a difference between tolerance and respect.

Yup And reading this thread I see very little of the latter.

Exactly. Of course I have to tolerate prince's personal choices, but I don't have to respect them if I think it's crazy bullshit that he's worshipping. I cannot respect madness.

I think it was most unfortunate.

No one really has the "Authority" to govern if it was good or bad for him to make his own personal choices. I think the reason people have a problem with it, (Which I could understand) is that it has fed too much within his music and essentially disqualified the "Prince" we were use to seeing. That is if you ignore his spiritually Pre-JW; he's always spoke of God in his music such as (Lovesexy) It's just NOW; he is not exactly "If I see 11, U can say it's 7, still I wish U heaven"...It's more "This is how it's going 2 be, if u want 2 be with me, ain't no room 4 disagree, because 1+1+1 is 3..HEY!" Haha..I have no problem with both statements, I just wish the latter was followed by the "Still I wish U heaven" EVEN IF YOU DON'T SEE IT THIS WAY. Not being told, not seeing this way means you haven't found "Truth" OR You need to leave because this is the only way.

The problem many have is that Prince has made a decision that his now seen visible in some of his actions. Some wish he would still curse, sing songs with profanity and etc...To each is own, I don't think it's necessarily bad; because he is a free man. Just as he has his view, we all have ours, he can criticize others as we can him...We are apart of the same boat in that sense.

Being a Jehovah Witness has reaped many realities and illusions in his life to me. But it's ultimately his choice, that I don't believe he was forced to make it. He has made decisions in the past, and the result, will show up by the fruit he produces. It sure makes him more "Controversial"..It makes the following of him much more interesting!

I can't help but to ponder when he sings/produces/writes the "Explicit" Songs, When I listen to songs like: Something U Already Know, Here Eye Come, and other sexually provocative songs he has created after his conversion, or merely seeing him LIVE perform some of the songs he does, and what not, I can not help but ponder..WOW! He still breaks the rules. From what I know some Jehovah Witnesses are very strict, that does not mean they can't have fun, but I really think Prince is off the hook when it comes to what he can do.

Prince still lives controversy and mystery; which of course, comes with contradictions and hypocrisy. Haha

[Edited 7/19/11 0:29am]

RosesRred said:

FOR THE LAST TIME, MICHAEL JACKSON WAS NEVER A JEHOVAH WITNESS!!!

He may have 'associate' with them,might have attended meetings, but

he never was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witness.

Only his sister, Reebie Jackson is still a Witness.

Latoya claims she was one then one minute later she claims she wasn't. She likes

to flip flop with her stories.

I do remember seeing one interview with that one gentleman Michael used to be around

I can't pronounce his name nor spell it, but I do recall

he made a statement : 'It appears that Michael's world went upside down when he stopped

following the Jehovah's Witness faith, he was never the same person.'

There's a lot of truth to the statement above.

I seriously doubt that his life went "Upside Down" because he stopped following them. Eventually the "JW" would have fellowship themselves with him. It's kind of ludicrous to suggest his "goodness" was only visible because of his attachment to the organization. He was never the same person, because he became a better person, still beLIEving in God to transform his gifts to impact people from around the world in unique ways. He just did not go through the medium of the Watchtower organization.

JUST SAYING...lol

[Edited 7/19/11 0:25am]

noontide said:

It's not a good choice for ANYONE to become a Jehovah's Witness. If you look at their mindset they are basically a cult, no matter how much they may deny it. They tell a good story at the begining, but once you are in, things change drastically. They have some good ideas, but most of their faith is based on changing (flip- flopping) doctrines. They hide this as much as they can.

I think Prince liked their message initially, but it took a while to figure out what they are really about. He may still hold on to some of their ideologies, but I think he is slowly moving away from some of their stricter doctrine.

Being a Jehovah's Witness is a real mind fuck. Even when you leave, their doctrines and ideas tend to mess with your mind. Even if Prince ever leaves them completely, he will always carry around their beliefs; for better of worse.

I hope it's NOT to that extent. I know the brainwashing is serious, but once you leave, I would think those beliefs would diminish as the days go on. TRUTH stands tall in the streets of deception, and eventually finding reason should disqualify much of the "Wrong" he has been conditioned to accept. Prince does not seem to even follow all of the JW's doctrine. I don't believe all JW's are strict and can not have fun, BUT Prince seems to be having too much fun for them..imo. Haha

Is this thread 30 or 50 of similar Thread Topics from the past?

IMO, I don't think it's a good thing to be absolutely focused on a religion..

Being religious and having a spiritual need is a normal process for anyone who's searching for oneself, who's searching for a kind of an harmonious blissful feeling..

This being said, I think Prince is mature and "wise" enough nowadays to have his own philosophy about spirituality without having to rely on Jehova's witnesses

The words written in the Bible or any holy Book have been written by men..so how come one can rely on a book written by a similar creature than oneself?

U can dig and get strength from this reliable book, I admt but one can also find strength in any philosophical sentence, any wise one, any kid, any man, any woman.

As Gandhi said: there are as many religions as there are men on earth"..

ganesh said:

IMO, I don't think it's a good thing to be absolutely focused on a religion..

Being religious and having a spiritual need is a normal process for anyone who's searching for oneself, who's searching for a kind of an harmonious blissful feeling..

This being said, I think Prince is mature and "wise" enough nowadays to have his own philosophy about spirituality without having to rely on Jehova's witnesses

The words written in the Bible or any holy Book have been written by men..so how come one can rely on a book written by a similar creature than oneself?

U can dig and get strength from this reliable book, I admt but one can also find strength in any philosophical sentence, any wise one, any kid, any man, any woman.

As Gandhi said: there are as many religions as there are men on earth"..

Don't you mean "...written by a similar creature "as" onself," especially if they are similar and you state the words written in the bible, are written by "men?" We do agree on some points though as I see the bible, in particular, as a guide/manual which teaches humans how to treat one another and gives guidance on how to handle specific life situations, based on the experiences of the individuals written about in the bible. It is possible that many people already have the gift, knowledge, spirit and strength (in the words of Prince) "to get through this thing called life", and know how to treat others, as well as having the strength to handle the cards life deals each of us, through our individual life experiences.

The way I see it personally, every life situation is a learning one, but how they are handled, depends on the individual. Some may need religion or to read the bible, to draw strength and discipline from it in order to get on a path that brings them that emotional/spiritual comfort, inspiration, peace and understanding, they may be seeking. So although everyone can have an opposition and opinion, as to how they feel about one using religion as an only source for inspiration, our life experiences, needs and interests are not the same, even though we're all part of the human species.

So based on that, I think it would be really difficult to dismiss that people, in general, don't need religion or the bible as an only source to search for some type of spiritual guidance/connection to get through their [individual] life situations, especially, since many of the philosophical messages from other sources are similar to/or drawn from many of the messages in the bible

[Edited 7/19/11 8:37am]

2elijah said:

ganesh said:

IMO, I don't think it's a good thing to be absolutely focused on a religion..

Being religious and having a spiritual need is a normal process for anyone who's searching for oneself, who's searching for a kind of an harmonious blissful feeling..

This being said, I think Prince is mature and "wise" enough nowadays to have his own philosophy about spirituality without having to rely on Jehova's witnesses

The words written in the Bible or any holy Book have been written by men..so how come one can rely on a book written by a similar creature than oneself?

U can dig and get strength from this reliable book, I admt but one can also find strength in any philosophical sentence, any wise one, any kid, any man, any woman.

As Gandhi said: there are as many religions as there are men on earth"..

Don't you mean "...written by a similar creature "as" onself," especially if they are similar and you state the words written in the bible, are written by "men?" We do agree on some points though as I see the bible, in particular, as a guide/manual which teaches humans how to treat one another and gives guidance on how to handle specific life situations, based on the experiences of the individuals written about in the bible. It is possible that many people already have the gift, knowledge, spirit and strength (in the words of Prince) "to get through this thing called life", and know how to treat others, as well as having the strength to handle the cards life deals each of us, through our individual life experiences.

The way I see it personally, every life situation is a learning one, but how they are handled, depends on the individual. Some may need religion or to read the bible, to draw strength and discipline from it in order to get on a path that brings them that emotional/spiritual comfort, inspiration, peace and understanding, they may be seeking. So although everyone can have an opposition and opinion, as to how they feel about one using religion as an only source for inspiration, our life experiences, needs and interests are not the same, even though we're all part of the human species.

So based on that, I think it would be really difficult to dismiss that people, in general, don't need religion or the bible as an only source to search for some type of spiritual guidance/connection to get through their [individual] life situations, especially, since many of the philosophical messages from other sources are similar to/or drawn from many of the messages in the bible

[Edited 7/19/11 8:37am]

Perfectly Said! My Points exactly!