It was my family's legacy that brought me to God. I was brought up learning of God from my family, who always believed. Ever since I became a fan of Prince, when he first arrived on the scene, it seems he always let his faith in God be known, even when he was all about sex ....it was always "Love God" with him. As he got older, I saw that his faith in God got even stronger, and how he no longer wanted to do the things he used to do, in which he probably felt was disrespectful to God or sinful. You see that a lot in people of faith. I loved that he loved God, and I know that God loved him. I believe his spirit is in God's presence in heaven right now, where I hope one day to meet him.

MattyJam said:

With all due respect, I could never take Prince's supposed spirituality seriously. Everytime I had hoped that perhaps he had changed, he would go and sue his fans, screw his former bandmates over or just do something that, imo, couldn't be any further removed from my idea of a spiritually enlightened man. Actions speak louder than words, and unfortunately, Prince's actions didn't speak to a particularly loving or kind human being.

[Edited 7/31/16 3:06am]

He was human, with human flaws like all of us, he wasn't Jesus Christ.

.

[Edited 8/1/16 22:53pm]

i would wager that he truly felt remorseful of some of his religious statements when he was younger. Marvin Gaye had a whole Religious/sexuality vibe going, Prince tried to do the same thing but I don't think he understood what marvin was saying and the result was, his spiritual/sexual mish mash was awkward as hell. His statements like "i'm in love with god" and so forth really made the people areound him nervous. Dez had issues with it, Gayle had issues with it and he had issues with it, or at least I think he did. Several times, he showed a guilty conscience, and he could only be guilty over a few things that i'm aware of, his sexual excesses, the way he treated people and his sacreligious statements on record. he said in a post 2000 speech "you don't have to make the mistakes I did" and i read that he felt his child being born like it was was god's punishment for his sins. I don't believe that, but I wouldn't doubt he did.

1contessa said:

MattyJam said:

With all due respect, I could never take Prince's supposed spirituality seriously. Everytime I had hoped that perhaps he had changed, he would go and sue his fans, screw his former bandmates over or just do something that, imo, couldn't be any further removed from my idea of a spiritually enlightened man. Actions speak louder than words, and unfortunately, Prince's actions didn't speak to a particularly loving or kind human being.

[Edited 7/31/16 3:06am]

He was human, with human flaws like all of us, he wasn't Jesus Christ.

PurpleColossus said:

I think Prince might go down as one of the most famous religious/spiritual artists of all time. No other artist with his level of fame and legendary status has ever included the amount of religious/spiritual lyrics as he did, it is quite incredible. Not to mention he would always be talking about God and the Bible in live performances/interviews/press conferences, etc.

YES...

It seems that Prince's spiritual theme/narrative/journey will be a part of his artistic legacy. I like that he was open about his ideas and that he was willing to grow/change as he engaged more information and experiences. As Ali stated, "if I see the world at 50 as I saw it at 30, then I've wasted twenty years." The same seems to be true for Prince. I must add that since his spiritual/religious notions/ideas were somewhat--not completely-similar to mine, they didn't rub me in a negative way as they did others. Yet, rather than agreeing with Prince, I was just glad that, as a maturing human being, he was having the conversation about spiritual/metaphysical journey. Thus, the biggest hypocrisy in regard to Prince's spiritual theme/narrative/journey are most of his fans who like to claim that Prince grew more dogmatic after his conversion to JW. That's just not true at all. Prince was always dogmatic in all of his positions, it's just that after becoming a JW his dogmatism was toward/for something with which those fans disagreed. So the real issue wasn't that Prince was more dogmatic; they just didn't agree with his position. And, it was cool for those fans not to agree with Prince. As I've said, the song "Race," while it has a nice groove and is well intentioned, sounds like the babblings of third grader in regard to understanding the importance of history. Yet, I never said that Prince was more dogmatic in "Race" as in any other song with which I agree with his position, such as "Avalanche." They are just two songs in which Prince is expressing how he feels about racism, both influenced by the information that he has at the time. The same is true of his spiritual narrative arc. Whether it's "Annie Christian," "Anna Stesia," "Gold," "The Love We Make," "The Work," or "1+1+1=3," Prince's passion and dogmatism all seems the same for me. In each case, it is his way or the highway with very little room for middle ground.

*

I guess, for me, like others, Prince's releasing of Around the World in a Day and Parade after Purple Rain showed me, as a fan, that, while I could love this dude's genius, his refusal to be anything other than what he wanted to be meant that one day he would create/release something that would be completely anti to my own views. While he never released anything that was anti my particular political or religious views, with Hit and Run: Phase 1, he did release something that was completely opposed to my musical aesthetic tastes. But, unlike so many who took it as a personal affront whenever Prince did something with which they didn't agree or like, I took Hit and Run: Phase 1 as a natural occurrence that even one's favorite artist can create/release art that one does not like. So, I'm just glad that my favorite artist was willing to have the conversation about religious/spiritual notions. As for those who saw Prince as being hypocritical because, as a human being, he was flawed, I can only say that spiritual enlightenment is not a destination, per se, but a journey. So, yes, Prince sued his fans, but he also gave millions to needy people. That's not the action of a hypocrite but the action of a man, striving daily to understand, internalize, and manifest spiritual enlightenment while struggling with his own flaws of ego and selfishness. For those who can't see it that way, I wonder how shiny their lives would be/appeal if they lived in the same fishbowl as any other famous person.

LBrent said:

doves4ever said:

I think Prince can be appreciated on many levels. Many great works of art, music, and literature have this complexity. So you can enjoy the music, the sexual content, or delve into the lyrics. I am one who believes he was/is a great spiritual messenger and in time this will become apparent to more and more people and will eventually become a significant part of his legacy.

While I'm pretty damned far from being religious, I I am spiritual and I believe that above any/all religious trappings, P was spiritual in nature and spent a lifetime seeking a connection between himself and deity.

YES TO THIS 1000 Times

I am one who believes he was/is a great spiritual messenger and in time this will become apparent to more and more people and will eventually become a significant part of his legacy.

anangellooksdown said:

My interests of and attractions towards Prince have changed over time. I didn't know him personally but always knew there was a spiritual attraction there. The more I learn about him, the more I believe that behind everything was the most important thing: a deep, humongous, ever expanding love for God. I believe it might be what made him fearless, and able to take so much negativity sometimes from us who didn't all understand. I was listening to "God" (instrumental) just now. It's so beautiful. It just grabs me. As I delve into many many lyrics at this time, I hear God in so much of them. All the sex and incredible music was great, but I wonder sometimes if that was fun and important but the backdrop was really about God. I wonder if Prince felt he had a real job to do while here, something much bigger than what we see on the exterior much of the time. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on any of this, or if Prince inspired you spiritually in any way...even just to think about that a little bit.

Absolutley YES..

Prince has redefined the way we look at and relate to "A man of GOD"

He has left so many TRUTHs

Be YOUR UNIQUE Self

Give all credit for any greatness you may have aquired along your lifes journey, TO GOD...

His fame will grow and grow...We ight not get to see it in our lifetimes...but I have no doubt that what he Taught us, not only about Loving GOD, but Being HUMAN will be embraced by the next generations.

He brought me closer to God.

That's why I'm not crushed over his passing. Sad maybe but not crushed because we got somewhere to go when this is over with.

1725topp said:

It seems that Prince's spiritual theme/narrative/journey will be a part of his artistic legacy. I like that he was open about his ideas and that he was willing to grow/change as he engaged more information and experiences. As Ali stated, "if I see the world at 50 as I saw it at 30, then I've wasted twenty years." The same seems to be true for Prince. I must add that since his spiritual/religious notions/ideas were somewhat--not completely-similar to mine, they didn't rub me in a negative way as they did others. Yet, rather than agreeing with Prince, I was just glad that, as a maturing human being, he was having the conversation about spiritual/metaphysical journey. Thus, the biggest hypocrisy in regard to Prince's spiritual theme/narrative/journey are most of his fans who like to claim that Prince grew more dogmatic after his conversion to JW. That's just not true at all. Prince was always dogmatic in all of his positions, it's just that after becoming a JW his dogmatism was toward/for something with which those fans disagreed. So the real issue wasn't that Prince was more dogmatic; they just didn't agree with his position. And, it was cool for those fans not to agree with Prince. As I've said, the song "Race," while it has a nice groove and is well intentioned, sounds like the babblings of third grader in regard to understanding the importance of history. Yet, I never said that Prince was more dogmatic in "Race" as in any other song with which I agree with his position, such as "Avalanche." They are just two songs in which Prince is expressing how he feels about racism, both influenced by the information that he has at the time. The same is true of his spiritual narrative arc. Whether it's "Annie Christian," "Anna Stesia," "Gold," "The Love We Make," "The Work," or "1+1+1=3," Prince's passion and dogmatism all seems the same for me. In each case, it is his way or the highway with very little room for middle ground.

*

I guess, for me, like others, Prince's releasing of Around the World in a Day and Parade after Purple Rain showed me, as a fan, that, while I could love this dude's genius, his refusal to be anything other than what he wanted to be meant that one day he would create/release something that would be completely anti to my own views. While he never released anything that was anti my particular political or religious views, with Hit and Run: Phase 1, he did release something that was completely opposed to my musical aesthetic tastes. But, unlike so many who took it as a personal affront whenever Prince did something with which they didn't agree or like, I took Hit and Run: Phase 1 as a natural occurrence that even one's favorite artist can create/release art that one does not like. So, I'm just glad that my favorite artist was willing to have the conversation about religious/spiritual notions. As for those who saw Prince as being hypocritical because, as a human being, he was flawed, I can only say that spiritual enlightenment is not a destination, per se, but a journey. So, yes, Prince sued his fans, but he also gave millions to needy people. That's not the action of a hypocrite but the action of a man, striving daily to understand, internalize, and manifest spiritual enlightenment while struggling with his own flaws of ego and selfishness. For those who can't see it that way, I wonder how shiny their lives would be/appeal if they lived in the same fishbowl as any other famous person.

.

I see some parts a bit differently than you but the highlighted sentence I 100% agree with!

DakotaLady said:

1725topp said:

It seems that Prince's spiritual theme/narrative/journey will be a part of his artistic legacy. I like that he was open about his ideas and that he was willing to grow/change as he engaged more information and experiences. As Ali stated, "if I see the world at 50 as I saw it at 30, then I've wasted twenty years." The same seems to be true for Prince. I must add that since his spiritual/religious notions/ideas were somewhat--not completely-similar to mine, they didn't rub me in a negative way as they did others. Yet, rather than agreeing with Prince, I was just glad that, as a maturing human being, he was having the conversation about spiritual/metaphysical journey. Thus, the biggest hypocrisy in regard to Prince's spiritual theme/narrative/journey are most of his fans who like to claim that Prince grew more dogmatic after his conversion to JW. That's just not true at all. Prince was always dogmatic in all of his positions, it's just that after becoming a JW his dogmatism was toward/for something with which those fans disagreed. So the real issue wasn't that Prince was more dogmatic; they just didn't agree with his position. And, it was cool for those fans not to agree with Prince. As I've said, the song "Race," while it has a nice groove and is well intentioned, sounds like the babblings of third grader in regard to understanding the importance of history. Yet, I never said that Prince was more dogmatic in "Race" as in any other song with which I agree with his position, such as "Avalanche." They are just two songs in which Prince is expressing how he feels about racism, both influenced by the information that he has at the time. The same is true of his spiritual narrative arc. Whether it's "Annie Christian," "Anna Stesia," "Gold," "The Love We Make," "The Work," or "1+1+1=3," Prince's passion and dogmatism all seems the same for me. In each case, it is his way or the highway with very little room for middle ground.

*

I guess, for me, like others, Prince's releasing of Around the World in a Day and Parade after Purple Rain showed me, as a fan, that, while I could love this dude's genius, his refusal to be anything other than what he wanted to be meant that one day he would create/release something that would be completely anti to my own views. While he never released anything that was anti my particular political or religious views, with Hit and Run: Phase 1, he did release something that was completely opposed to my musical aesthetic tastes. But, unlike so many who took it as a personal affront whenever Prince did something with which they didn't agree or like, I took Hit and Run: Phase 1 as a natural occurrence that even one's favorite artist can create/release art that one does not like. So, I'm just glad that my favorite artist was willing to have the conversation about religious/spiritual notions. As for those who saw Prince as being hypocritical because, as a human being, he was flawed, I can only say that spiritual enlightenment is not a destination, per se, but a journey. So, yes, Prince sued his fans, but he also gave millions to needy people. That's not the action of a hypocrite but the action of a man, striving daily to understand, internalize, and manifest spiritual enlightenment while struggling with his own flaws of ego and selfishness. For those who can't see it that way, I wonder how shiny their lives would be/appeal if they lived in the same fishbowl as any other famous person.

.

I see some parts a bit differently than you but the highlighted sentence I 100% agree with!

*

That's the cool part--when and where people can find some things in common. I'm just glad that I don't live in a glass house for the entire world to see my dirty underwear.

EmmaMcG said:

Mumio said:

EmmaMcG said:

Personally, no. I don't believe in God so Prince’s religious songs do nothing for me. I am not able to relate to them. Besides, I think Prince's biggest legacy will be his music. All of his music. Both religious (Holy River, The Cross etc) and not so religious (Darling Nicki, Private Joy) and everything in between.

Amen.

[Edited 8/1/16 2:58am]

boschino said:

EmmaMcG said:

Personally, no. I don't believe in God so Prince’s religious songs do nothing for me. I am not able to relate to them. Besides, I think Prince's biggest legacy will be his music. All of his music. Both religious (Holy River, The Cross etc) and not so religious (Darling Nicki, Private Joy) and everything in between.

Amen.

[Edited 8/1/16 2:58am]

On point.

Mumio said:

MattyJam said:

With all due respect, I could never take Prince's supposed spirituality seriously. Everytime I had hoped that perhaps he had changed, he would go and sue his fans, screw his former bandmates over or just do something that, imo, couldn't be any further removed from my idea of a spiritually enlightened man. Actions speak louder than words, and unfortunately, Prince's actions didn't speak to a particularly loving or kind human being.

[Edited 7/31/16 3:06am]

Permanent change to a spiritual personality is extremely difficult and takes a lifetime and then some. Despite somewhat contradictory behavior, keep in mind that he was an imperfect human just like the rest of us. It's the journey and the willingness to try to make positive changes that matters. It's a tough road.

.

The 3rdEyeGirls were slut-shaming in their interviews in 2014 or 2015, and it was obvious that they were parrotting Prince's ideas.

1725topp said:

Bunsterdk said:

Mumio said:

Permanent change to a spiritual personality is extremely difficult and takes a lifetime and then some. Despite somewhat contradictory behavior, keep in mind that he was an imperfect human just like the rest of us. It's the journey and the willingness to try to make positive changes that matters. It's a tough road.

This! So much this! I had found the same path many years before him, but he has still given me a lot in that regard and continues to do so through his music. Sometimes God helps us through our spiritual brothers and sisters if we are going through something, and I like to think that he's using Prince for this even though we've never met and he's gone now. And not only for me, but also anyone else who could benefit. But of course it will always be up to us if we take advantage of this or not. That's our free choice. This is my favourite picture of him and I keep it as background on my phone to always remind me to give praise to Jehovah God like he did. [img:$uid]http://i1206.ph.../img:$uid] Perhaps most importantly, would he himself want his legacy to be his music or helping people to know God better? I'm certain from what he said and did through the years that he would want the latter if he had to make the choice. [Edited 8/1/16 2:58am]

Exactly! Need Proof? Just pick up the bible and read about Moses(didn't get to enter the promised land with the Israelites because even though he tried to obey God he did not always do so), King David(was described by God as a man after his own heart yet he had an affair and had the husband killed so that he could have her), King Saul was David's father in law and was a wise and noble man of God at one time but he grew to hate David and tried to have him killed) Thomas( he was Jesus's disciple and doubted the word of Jesus when he told them he would resurrect after 3 days of being dead), Judas another of Jesus' disciples ( betrayed Jesus for money) Peter (denied Jesus 3 times after swearing he would not do such a thing when Jesus told what would happen and how he would react) and I could go on and on.

I don't believe he brought me closer to God as much as he brought me closer to myself. Affirmation III explains my feelings about this perfectly: "Remember there is really only one destination, and that place is, you
All of it
Everything
Is you"

He taught me that decades ago, and he still affirms it in my spirit everytime I listen to his music, watch his videos, and fellowship with my fellow orgers.

justAmeda said:

Exactly! Need Proof? Just pick up the bible

.

.

No offence, but you walked right in to that one by mentioned proof and the Bible in the same breath.

I have my own mind.. Thank you!

LBrent said:

doves4ever said: While I'm pretty damned far from being religious, I am spiritual and I believe that above any/all religious trappings, P was spiritual in nature and spent a lifetime seeking a connection between himself and deity.

Agreed LBrent....good post

PeteSilas said:

anangellooksdown said:

My interests of and attractions towards Prince have changed over time. I didn't know him personally but always knew there was a spiritual attraction there. The more I learn about him, the more I believe that behind everything was the most important thing: a deep, humongous, ever expanding love for God. I believe it might be what made him fearless, and able to take so much negativity sometimes from us who didn't all understand. I was listening to "God" (instrumental) just now. It's so beautiful. It just grabs me. As I delve into many many lyrics at this time, I hear God in so much of them. All the sex and incredible music was great, but I wonder sometimes if that was fun and important but the backdrop was really about God. I wonder if Prince felt he had a real job to do while here, something much bigger than what we see on the exterior much of the time. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on any of this, or if Prince inspired you spiritually in any way...even just to think about that a little bit.

maybe for some people, some people think he was a prophet and a spiritual being and took his religious meanderings pretty seriously. I think his main legacy will simply be as the best musician of his century.

Agree! His music is what made him great. His greatness did give him a chance to reach people regarding his spiritual views. Clearly, this has had some impact on some of the people who follow him the closest, which includes many orgers. That's a wonderful thing! However, Ithink his impact on spirituality on most people is non-existent where millions have received various degrees of joy from his music! This Earth needed this joy!!!!

[Edited 8/1/16 16:30pm]

LBrent said:

1725topp said:

It seems that Prince's spiritual theme/narrative/journey will be a part of his artistic legacy. I like that he was open about his ideas and that he was willing to grow/change as he engaged more information and experiences. As Ali stated, "if I see the world at 50 as I saw it at 30, then I've wasted twenty years." The same seems to be true for Prince. I must add that since his spiritual/religious notions/ideas were somewhat--not completely-similar to mine, they didn't rub me in a negative way as they did others. Yet, rather than agreeing with Prince, I was just glad that, as a maturing human being, he was having the conversation about spiritual/metaphysical journey. Thus, the biggest hypocrisy in regard to Prince's spiritual theme/narrative/journey are most of his fans who like to claim that Prince grew more dogmatic after his conversion to JW. That's just not true at all. Prince was always dogmatic in all of his positions, it's just that after becoming a JW his dogmatism was toward/for something with which those fans disagreed. So the real issue wasn't that Prince was more dogmatic; they just didn't agree with his position. And, it was cool for those fans not to agree with Prince. As I've said, the song "Race," while it has a nice groove and is well intentioned, sounds like the babblings of third grader in regard to understanding the importance of history. Yet, I never said that Prince was more dogmatic in "Race" as in any other song with which I agree with his position, such as "Avalanche." They are just two songs in which Prince is expressing how he feels about racism, both influenced by the information that he has at the time. The same is true of his spiritual narrative arc. Whether it's "Annie Christian," "Anna Stesia," "Gold," "The Love We Make," "The Work," or "1+1+1=3," Prince's passion and dogmatism all seems the same for me. In each case, it is his way or the highway with very little room for middle ground.

*

I guess, for me, like others, Prince's releasing of Around the World in a Day and Parade after Purple Rain showed me, as a fan, that, while I could love this dude's genius, his refusal to be anything other than what he wanted to be meant that one day he would create/release something that would be completely anti to my own views. While he never released anything that was anti my particular political or religious views, with Hit and Run: Phase 1, he did release something that was completely opposed to my musical aesthetic tastes. But, unlike so many who took it as a personal affront whenever Prince did something with which they didn't agree or like, I took Hit and Run: Phase 1 as a natural occurrence that even one's favorite artist can create/release art that one does not like. So, I'm just glad that my favorite artist was willing to have the conversation about religious/spiritual notions. As for those who saw Prince as being hypocritical because, as a human being, he was flawed, I can only say that spiritual enlightenment is not a destination, per se, but a journey. So, yes, Prince sued his fans, but he also gave millions to needy people. That's not the action of a hypocrite but the action of a man, striving daily to understand, internalize, and manifest spiritual enlightenment while struggling with his own flaws of ego and selfishness. For those who can't see it that way, I wonder how shiny their lives would be/appeal if they lived in the same fishbowl as any other famous person.

Yes. I'm reminded of Maya Angelou's famous quote, "When we know better, we do better." I've felt P stumbled often on his path and often lost his way, but he always rerouted himself and strived to "do better". Like you said, he was on a journey of enlightenment and just the bravery of attempting that unashamedly in public, despite all the well documented missteps, is inspiring. Many never even start the journey and only one human is reported to have ever gotten it perfect from beginning to end...

*

Amen and Ashe

Prince was a Christian, as am I. He praised God in interviews, concerts, award shows and wrote some beautiful gospel songs. He was sincere in his Christian beliefs and was not ashamed to let other people know it. He spoke of the Bible and his Christian lyrics in his songs. He always gave God the praise, the honor and the glory. I admired and respected the way Prince proclaimed Christ as King. He even said himself that he had a shrine to Jesus, in his house in Minneapolis. Yes, I believe he led people who are lost to Christ through his song lyrics and the way he spoke openly about studying the Bible. The way he always praised God will be his biggest legacy. That's what I truly admired about Prince.