purplerabbithole said:

I picked music first because there is a notion that Prince may have been a musical savant. If music was consuming him constantly, almost like a burden, then he may have attributed his obsession with music to God. Kind of like which came first--the chicken or the egg. Without his all-consuming passion for music that he was unable to explain or understand except by giving credit for it to God, would he have been as spiritual?

Plus, he never gave up music to become a cleric. So, I am still going to put music first.

rogifan said:

purplerabbithole said: Hmm...I'd probably flip God and music. In that 1999 interview with Larry King he said his insperation comes from God and in 2004 he told BET that music was a gift from God.

[Edited 12/19/16 17:33pm]

I think he would have still be very spiritual, even without the music. Remember the story he told about how suffered with epilepsy as a child and then one day went to his mother and told her he would not be sick anymore, that an angel had come to him and told him this. I think that experience kind of sealed his Faith and his spiritual beliefs.

Please stop using lyrics from Prince's recording catalogue to define/understand his religious leanings or beliefs. Prince was a devout Christian reborn as a JW. Before then, he was a Christian Seventh Day Adventist. Not Hindu, not Muslim, etc. Christian. That is all.

Baduizm said:

Please stop using lyrics from Prince's recording catalogue to define/understand his religious leanings or beliefs. Prince was a devout Christian reborn as a JW. Before then, he was a Christian Seventh Day Adventist. Not Hindu, not Muslim, etc. Christian. That is all.

Perhaps words from an interview?

"In the same interview the host asked Prince to describe his "destination." He replied, "The complete oneness of the spirit of God and the knowledge of the truth."

"I celebrate the day I die."

Or his third eye glasses, keeping in mind that the third eye is a Eastern teaching, mainly Hinduism.

In 2014, Prince wore “third eye” sunglasses during a performance on Saturday Night Live. The third eye is a hindu concept that originated with the Hindu deity Shiva. The third eye symbolizes omniscience and power.

It's too late at night for me to pull up the many interviews in which Prince discusses spiritual truths. But I think the intro to One Song perfectly sums it up, along with the song. Though, you say to not use Prince's lyrics to define and understand his religious leanings/beliefs, everything Prince was, he put into his music. He would not put out songs that are contrary to his beliefs because it would go against the message he was spreading.

So to that:

I am the universe
The sun, the moon and sea
I am the energy
4 that is what I believe
I can be contradiction
Cuz that is all I see
But I am the universe
And the universe is me

I am the one song (Ah yes)
And that one song is free
All things come from this one song (Yes they do, uh)
The garden and the tree
If everything, everything is present
What is will always be
This here is the first and the last song
And all that come between

When language falls like a wounded soldier
And it's covered by the sea
All the sadness
All these unanswered questions
Keep me company
(Company, company, company come 2 me, come 2 me please!)
Here at the center of it all
(I know)
I know that U can only come from me

(I am the universe)
Yes it will, oh, yes it will
(The sun, the moon and sea)
Where else is it gonna come from but me?
(I am the universe)
Oh my, my my my my my my my universe
(The universe is me)
(I am the universe)
(The sun, the moon and sea)
(I am the universe)
(We are the universe) {x2}
(The universe is me)
One truth (One truth)
One song (One song)
One energy

benni

I salute you ~

Your reply was everything I wished I had said...

The only correction or small adjustment I would make is that the Third Eye although asociated with Shiva, is not a concept at all, but a reality that rpresents the Phineal Gland which is situated at this point.

In mysticism the THird EYE or the All Seeing eye, is the place where one can focus attention and by trusting what one see,s gain access to the non physical realm.

Prince obviously was a student of the esoteric sciences, which he clearly was not afraid to reveal by his open display of being seen referencing this very controversial "Concept"

Additionally his Piano and Microphone shows used Mandalas, another Mystical "concept" as the visual backdrop to his shows.Mandalas are said to transmit "Healing Energy"

People forget that Prince was ever evolving , by the end of his life its clear that he had explored it all and to shut ones ones mind to that and try and confine him within ONE Dogmatic Religion is simply ignorant...

He himself said, If you want to know me I am in my music..Its all there..

ONE SONG is perhaps the Most Profound of his writings.It is so NOW and appropriate for the NEW Age we are entering..Its a TRUTH what Humanity Needs to hear.

THat and WAY BACK HOME tell us very clearly that finding his was to GOD

was Princes beginning middle and end...

benni said:

Baduizm said:

Please stop using lyrics from Prince's recording catalogue to define/understand his religious leanings or beliefs. Prince was a devout Christian reborn as a JW. Before then, he was a Christian Seventh Day Adventist. Not Hindu, not Muslim, etc. Christian. That is all.

Perhaps words from an interview?

"In the same interview the host asked Prince to describe his "destination." He replied, "The complete oneness of the spirit of God and the knowledge of the truth."

"I celebrate the day I die."

Or his third eye glasses, keeping in mind that the third eye is a Eastern teaching, mainly Hinduism.

In 2014, Prince wore “third eye” sunglasses during a performance on Saturday Night Live. The third eye is a hindu concept that originated with the Hindu deity Shiva. The third eye symbolizes omniscience and power.

It's too late at night for me to pull up the many interviews in which Prince discusses spiritual truths. But I think the intro to One Song perfectly sums it up, along with the song. Though, you say to not use Prince's lyrics to define and understand his religious leanings/beliefs, everything Prince was, he put into his music. He would not put out songs that are contrary to his beliefs because it would go against the message he was spreading.

So to that:

I am the universe
The sun, the moon and sea
I am the energy
4 that is what I believe
I can be contradiction
Cuz that is all I see
But I am the universe
And the universe is me

I am the one song (Ah yes)
And that one song is free
All things come from this one song (Yes they do, uh)
The garden and the tree
If everything, everything is present
What is will always be
This here is the first and the last song
And all that come between

When language falls like a wounded soldier
And it's covered by the sea
All the sadness
All these unanswered questions
Keep me company
(Company, company, company come 2 me, come 2 me please!)
Here at the center of it all
(I know)
I know that U can only come from me

(I am the universe)
Yes it will, oh, yes it will
(The sun, the moon and sea)
Where else is it gonna come from but me?
(I am the universe)
Oh my, my my my my my my my universe
(The universe is me)
(I am the universe)
(The sun, the moon and sea)
(I am the universe)
(We are the universe) {x2}
(The universe is me)
One truth (One truth)
One song (One song)
One energy

Electrostar said:

Yes thats definite, good n bad in everything - country, religion, organisation. My understanding of the original Quran text is that women should be treated as equal, but like all religions, words are open to interpretation. It would be great to hear from any Prince fans who are "non Christian religious" and what led you to Prince.

I don't believe in any of the god mumbo jumbo and I think it definitely had a deletrious effect on his music, and to some extent, his career. I understand why someone as supremely talented as he was would search around all the confidence tricksters (which is what all religions are) for some sort of explanation beyond genetics and practice.

I was drawn in by the music, the sound of when doves cry. The sex, watching him play with Apollonia's pussy in Purlpe Rain... sex and music - that's it really!

DMSR!

Baduizm said:

Please stop using lyrics from Prince's recording catalogue to define/understand his religious leanings or beliefs. Prince was a devout Christian reborn as a JW. Before then, he was a Christian Seventh Day Adventist. Not Hindu, not Muslim, etc. Christian. That is all.

Sorry, I didn't realise you'd been appointed semantic protector of the Prince catalogue, I must have missed Dr Funkenberry's tweet.

Oh geez, are we not allowed to use his own comments in interviews. He is the one that mentioned chakras in one of his interviews. His songs do matter when it comes to religious beliefs because some of the words could have been grounds to get him removed from certain sects and he didn't sweat it.

Baduizm said:

Please stop using lyrics from Prince's recording catalogue to define/understand his religious leanings or beliefs. Prince was a devout Christian reborn as a JW. Before then, he was a Christian Seventh Day Adventist. Not Hindu, not Muslim, etc. Christian. That is all.

Lovejunky said:

benni

I salute you ~

Your reply was everything I wished I had said...

The only correction or small adjustment I would make is that the Third Eye although asociated with Shiva, is not a concept at all, but a reality that rpresents the Phineal Gland which is situated at this point.

In mysticism the THird EYE or the All Seeing eye, is the place where one can focus attention and by trusting what one see,s gain access to the non physical realm.

Prince obviously was a student of the esoteric sciences, which he clearly was not afraid to reveal by his open display of being seen referencing this very controversial "Concept"

Additionally his Piano and Microphone shows used Mandalas, another Mystical "concept" as the visual backdrop to his shows.Mandalas are said to transmit "Healing Energy"

People forget that Prince was ever evolving , by the end of his life its clear that he had explored it all and to shut ones ones mind to that and try and confine him within ONE Dogmatic Religion is simply ignorant...

He himself said, If you want to know me I am in my music..Its all there..

ONE SONG is perhaps the Most Profound of his writings.It is so NOW and appropriate for the NEW Age we are entering..Its a TRUTH what Humanity Needs to hear.

THat and WAY BACK HOME tell us very clearly that finding his was to GOD

was Princes beginning middle and end...

benni said:

Perhaps words from an interview?

"In the same interview the host asked Prince to describe his "destination." He replied, "The complete oneness of the spirit of God and the knowledge of the truth."

"I celebrate the day I die."

Or his third eye glasses, keeping in mind that the third eye is a Eastern teaching, mainly Hinduism.

In 2014, Prince wore “third eye” sunglasses during a performance on Saturday Night Live. The third eye is a hindu concept that originated with the Hindu deity Shiva. The third eye symbolizes omniscience and power.

It's too late at night for me to pull up the many interviews in which Prince discusses spiritual truths. But I think the intro to One Song perfectly sums it up, along with the song. Though, you say to not use Prince's lyrics to define and understand his religious leanings/beliefs, everything Prince was, he put into his music. He would not put out songs that are contrary to his beliefs because it would go against the message he was spreading.

So to that:

I am the universe
The sun, the moon and sea
I am the energy
4 that is what I believe
I can be contradiction
Cuz that is all I see
But I am the universe
And the universe is me

I am the one song (Ah yes)
And that one song is free
All things come from this one song (Yes they do, uh)
The garden and the tree
If everything, everything is present
What is will always be
This here is the first and the last song
And all that come between

When language falls like a wounded soldier
And it's covered by the sea
All the sadness
All these unanswered questions
Keep me company
(Company, company, company come 2 me, come 2 me please!)
Here at the center of it all
(I know)
I know that U can only come from me

(I am the universe)
Yes it will, oh, yes it will
(The sun, the moon and sea)
Where else is it gonna come from but me?
(I am the universe)
Oh my, my my my my my my my universe
(The universe is me)
(I am the universe)
(The sun, the moon and sea)
(I am the universe)
(We are the universe) {x2}
(The universe is me)
One truth (One truth)
One song (One song)
One energy

Thanks, Love. That was actually a quote from an article that I somehow neglected to put quotes around. In my defense, it was the middle of the night and while I should have been meditating, last night was an "off" night for me. I wanted to go more in-depth into the 3rd Eye, but it was late at night and I felt somehow that it would not really matter to Baduizm, but that they might accept "concept" better. And the Mandalas! I was at the last two Atlanta concerts and can't believe I didn't think to mention those.

One other thing I would like to mention about the 3rd Eye, is that it is often referred to as Christ Consciousness, which I am sure Prince was aware of, as deeply as he studied and is the chakra formally called, Ajna, of which the color Indigo is associated (Rave Into/Unto outfit). The only chakra higher is the Crown chakra, or Sahaswara, which is located at the very top of the skull and the color Purple is associated with this chakra. The Crown Chakra is also referred to as the "thousand petaled lotus" (Lotus Flower anyone?). In one of his more recent interviews he stated that the chakras are real, they are scientific fact.

There are sounds associated with each of the chakras. From the Hamsa Upanishad it is explained as the following:

It (Nada, sound) is (begun to be heard as) of ten kinds. The first is Chini (like the sound of that word); the second is Chini-Chini; the third is the sound of bell; the fourth is that of conch; the fifth is that of Tantiri (lute); the sixth is that sound of Tala (cymbals); the seventh is that of flute; the eighth is that of Bheri (drum); the ninth is that of Mridanga (double drum); and the tenth is that of clouds (viz., thunder) ** My addition: "Thunder all through the night, promise to see Jesus in the morning light".

From The Voice of the Silence:

Before thou set’st thy foot upon the ladder’s upper rung, the ladder of the mystic sounds, thou hast to hear the voice of thy inner GOD* in seven manners.

• The first is like the nightingale’s sweet voice chanting a song of parting to its mate.
• The second comes as the sound of a silver cymbal of the Dhyanis, awakening the twinkling stars.
• The next is as the plaint melodious of the ocean-sprite imprisoned in its shell.
• And this is followed by the chant of the Vina.
• The fifth like sound of bamboo-flute shrills in thine ear.
• It changes next into a trumpet-blast.
• The last vibrates like the dull rumbling of a thunder-cloud.
• The seventh swallows all the other sounds. They die, and then are heard no more.

And The Bhagavad Gita by Paramahansa Yogananda:

This Holy Vibration working in the subtle spinal centers of the astral body, sending forth life force and consciousness into the physical body, manifests as wonderful astral sounds—each one characteristic of its particular center of activity.

These astral sounds are likened to melodic strains of the humming of a bee, the tone of a flute, a stringed instrument such as a harp, a bell-like or gong sound, the soothing roar of a distant sea, and a cosmic symphony of all vibratory sound.

(LOL - Sorry, finally got some sleep, probably more than anyone wanted to know.)

rogifan said:

From a 2013 interview with V magazine:

So I ask my big question: “How do you, as a religious person, reconcile the religious impulse with what most of your songs are about, which is the sexual one?” Prince bursts out laughing and points to Ramadan. “Ha!” he says. “Now we know what you’re going to write about. We were waiting for your thread.” He clears his throat. “First of all, do you see a difference in religions?” he asks. I say no, suggesting all religions are based on the same idea and then corrupted by their human leaders. “Then what are the wars about?” he asks, unhappy with my answer. “If one religion believes Christ is the king, and another doesn’t, then there’s a difference in religions.” He goes on for a bit, and adds, “we are sensual beings, the way God created us, when you take the shame and taboo away from it,” and continues that religion should be thought of like a force, an electro-magnetic one or like gravity, that puts things in motion. Then he says, “I don’t want to talk about this.” I ask him if he believes in sin. “You have to look at the origin of the word,” he says. “Humans needed a language to describe a rule given from some group from…” He pauses, then says, and this is as I remember it: “Words are tricky. And plus these days I just talk to the folks in the outside world about music. If you were a student and I was teaching you something we could get into that. We can’t do this before a dance party.”

And from a 2015 Ebony interview:

EBONY: You’ve never had a producer. What made you choose Joshua Welton for Hit N Run: Phase One? Prince: His faith in God really struck a nerve. And you know how you can just feel that something’s gonna work and it feels right, it’s a good fit? I knew the band was going to work, I knew the relationship with him was gonna work. I check people out now to see how faith-based they are and how real they are about it. That goes a long way, I gotta tell you. Because I can trust them. I can give him the key and don’t have to worry.

The first highlighted section: There is that force, energy, that puts things into motion. Google force, energy and spirituality to see what it says.

Regarding the origins of the word "sin"...

"The word derives from "Old English syn(n), for original *sunjō... The stem may be related to that of Latin sons, sont-is guilty. In Old English there are examples of the original general sense, ‘offence, wrong-doing, misdeed'".^[6] The English Biblical terms translated as "sin" or "syn" from the Biblical Greek and Jewish terms sometimes originate from words in the latter languages denoting the act or state of missing the mark; the original sense of New Testament Greek ἁμαρτία hamartia "sin", is failure, being in error, missing the mark, especially in spear throwing;^[7]Hebrew hata "sin" originates in archery and literally refer to missing the "gold" at the centre of a target, but hitting the target, i.e. error.^[8] (Archers call not hitting the target at all a "miss".)"

In esence, sin means to "miss the mark".

And the last highlight, intuition. Intuition is a strong aspect of the spiritual path.

In the early days as much as fans like to refer to it as spirituality Prince was always talking from a Christian POV.

I was never convinced Prince was 100% into the JW thing. TRC makes little to no mention of Jehovah, and it's blatant sexuality was sure to offend more Conservative JWs. I think he genuinely enjoyed studying the bible. He tried it on, but it never really fit.

If you're playing a stadium show and singing about "Twins in my bed", or the inuendo filled "On The Couch"... You're not really adhearing to the JW lifestyle.

back in 2000 v- 2001 prince did openly preach that only jehova was the true path to salvation.

i remember participating in some bitter arguments in the P&R forum about that particular doctrine, but in recent years prince seems to have become more accepting tof different religious paths.

i was really glad to see him move toward a more generalized spirituality with the 'third eye' thing because in my opinion God is big enough to embrace many different paths toward his holy spirit

People also forgot that Prince had friendships with Karl Nealon and Bobby Z--Jewish folks.

XxAxX said:

back in 2000 v- 2001 prince did openly preach that only jehova was the true path to salvation.

i remember participating in some bitter arguments in the P&R forum about that particular doctrine, but in recent years prince seems to have become more accepting tof different religious paths.

i was really glad to see him move toward a more generalized spirituality with the 'third eye' thing because in my opinion God is big enough to embrace many different paths toward his holy spirit

No believers of one faith are the same. Even of one sect or church. I have come across a few JW gays and lesbians, for example. According to their own words, they feel ostracised among other JWs, but they don't want to give up their faith, they still believe in the core principles of the religion.

XxAxX said:

back in 2000 v- 2001 prince did openly preach that only jehova was the true path to salvation.

i remember participating in some bitter arguments in the P&R forum about that particular doctrine, but in recent years prince seems to have become more accepting tof different religious paths.

i was really glad to see him move toward a more generalized spirituality with the 'third eye' thing because in my opinion God is big enough to embrace many different paths toward his holy spirit

Yeah, I mean I'm not saying he didn't preach. I was listening to the ONA Soundchecks a few weeks back. He talked about it, and it's evident he enjoyed studying the Bible.

... At the same time, while he'd given up swearing he was still putting out records that would likely offend less flamboyant members of the faith.

By 2004 his music was as inuendo filled as it ever was. He wasn't swearing or being lewd, but when he put out songs like "Glasscutter" & "Silver Tongue"... or delivers the line in "On The Couch" about going down south... I struggle to believe it'd have gone down well at his local Kingdom Hall.

By the time he was singing about "Twins in my bed" - I mean, I'm no expert but I'll go out on a limb and say; most, if not all JWs would frown on him even hinting at a 3-some with 2 twin sisters?

rogifan said:

http://www.latimes.com/en...story.html

"I've studied Solomon and David now," Prince said, referring to two famous Old Testament lovemen. "[In biblical times] sex was always beautiful. You come to understand that, and then you try to find a woman who can experience that with you."

http://vmagazine.com/arti...sting-now/

He goes on for a bit, and adds, “we are sensual beings, the way God created us, when you take the shame and taboo away from it,” and continues that religion should be thought of like a force, an electro-magnetic one or like gravity, that puts things in motion. Then he says, “I don’t want to talk about this.”

I think you'd be hard pressed to find many religious people who completely adhere to their faith 100%. In fact there are some pretty high profile politicians who are Catholic yet support abortion and gay marriage.But from comments Prince made in interviews his study of the Bible and belief in God never wavered.

I agree. However you can't accidentally write and perform a song about sleeping with twins to 70,000 people in an arena. As someone else said, perhaps he felt the core principals of the JW faith were for him. But he was still singing about sex a lot.

I mean if you're going to get on stage and say "this is what I believe" but then choose to flaunt the rules of said religion for the sake of entertainment...

[Edited 12/21/16 12:32pm]

He was very clear that nothing can "be in a tie with God", as was suggested earlier.

He Was music, from God, and was very clear on this from the beginning.

Agreed.

Mumio said:

Lovejunky said:

Sorry Mumio..I had worded this really badly....

I mean that confining people to one secular religious denomination can be devisive.

WHen people have GOD at the centre, irresspective of whether they are Muslims, JW,s or NEW AGE Spiritualists there is harmony and unity....

Its not the NAME of the religion that defines ones Status as a Religious Person,

Its in their actions and behaviour...

I was actually respondind to something I read on another thread before I wrote here...

so YES..I totally get that I confused you..I was confused myself for a second...lol

Thanks for responding. I do think Prince put God (or whatever word he used at the time to define the creator) first, music second, all else following. For what it's worth: the creator is the creator of all and all the different names and other "stuff" attached mean nothing really in my eyes. There is only one, known by many names...but that one is the same for all of us regardless.

Noodled24 said:

Interesting thread. He did seem to embrace a lot of metaphors and imagery from faiths other than JW/ Christianity.

Personally I was drawn first to his music, the sound, the beat and melodies. I rarely am drawn to a song for its lyrics, so many are either too coarse for my taste or too sappy. Speaking in general about pop and rock. I love his sense of fun, the innuendo and multiple meanings in his lyrics.

It wasn't until his passing that I realized how deeply themes of faith and spirituality were woven in with his more earthy lyrics. I study different scriptures, to me they are all from the same God. I just finished reading the Baghavad Gita, which is beautiful. Takes re-reading a lot to have any clue what it's saying... spent about 6 months with it.

Prince in essence was a spiritualist. He followed his own spirit with guides into wherever God would take him wather it was through christianity, jehovah, bhuddism or mysticism. He never stopped learning.

FullLipsDotNose said:

Right, it's time for me to step up - I'll be talking from the Shiite Bektashi perspective.

In the UAE, hardly any women wear burkas. Burkas are mostly worn in Afghanistan and they cover the whole body, including eyes. What you can see in the UAE are niqabs (they cover everything apart from eyes). However, they are not legally imposed - lots of women over there wear pretty much whatever they want unless it's only underwear in public spaces.

Some Muslims are more pious than others and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Some Muslims cover because they believe it will bring them rewards in the afterlife because this is what God ordains us to do. This extends to other areas of life - they may abstain from music, premarital sex, meals during Ramadan daytime and so on. It may appear strict to others, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, but it's a personal choice.

I see nothing wrong with that interview apart from the fact the interviewer should have double-checked the facts.

PS: Oppression of women is horrific and it does exist among Muslims, it can't be denied - but, honestly, gender oppression exists across religions as well as agnosticism and atheism and there are lots of Muslim feminists that fight it.

.

You are on another planet! Totally brainwashed!

.

Muslims hate everyone. They loathe woman. They hate animals. They hate equality. But they like having sex with children.

.

Wake up. Islam is a terrorist organisation. It's days are numbered as it can't be sustained.

.

Christians values are far reaching and sustainable.

Baduizm said:

Please stop using lyrics from Prince's recording catalogue to define/understand his religious leanings or beliefs. Prince was a devout Christian reborn as a JW. Before then, he was a Christian Seventh Day Adventist. Not Hindu, not Muslim, etc. Christian. That is all.

.

Exactly!!

.

People are trying to use Prince to fulfil their own agendas.

.

Luckily most of us aren't easily brainwashed by extremists.

.

RicoN said:

Electrostar said:

Yes thats definite, good n bad in everything - country, religion, organisation. My understanding of the original Quran text is that women should be treated as equal, but like all religions, words are open to interpretation. It would be great to hear from any Prince fans who are "non Christian religious" and what led you to Prince.

I don't believe in any of the god mumbo jumbo and I think it definitely had a deletrious effect on his music, and to some extent, his career. I understand why someone as supremely talented as he was would search around all the confidence tricksters (which is what all religions are) for some sort of explanation beyond genetics and practice.

I was drawn in by the music, the sound of when doves cry. The sex, watching him play with Apollonia's pussy in Purlpe Rain... sex and music - that's it really!

DMSR!

.

Exactly!

.

There seems to be a lot of brainwashing going on.

.

Our thoughts should be with the families in Berlin who once more are victim to Mickey Mouse religious beliefs.

.

darkroman said:

darkroman said:

Baduizm said:

Please stop using lyrics from Prince's recording catalogue to define/understand his religious leanings or beliefs. Prince was a devout Christian reborn as a JW. Before then, he was a Christian Seventh Day Adventist. Not Hindu, not Muslim, etc. Christian. That is all.

.

Exactly!!

.

People are trying to use Prince to fulfil their own agendas.

.

Luckily most of us aren't easily brainwashed by extremists.

.

I don't have an agenda to fulfill. Spirituality isn't a religion and has no agenda. Everyone walks their path in their own way and that is perfectly perfect.

allmusicfan123 said:

Interesting thread. He did seem to embrace a lot of metaphors and imagery from faiths other than JW/ Christianity.

Personally I was drawn first to his music, the sound, the beat and melodies. I rarely am drawn to a song for its lyrics, so many are either too coarse for my taste or too sappy. Speaking in general about pop and rock. I love his sense of fun, the innuendo and multiple meanings in his lyrics.

It wasn't until his passing that I realized how deeply themes of faith and spirituality were woven in with his more earthy lyrics. I study different scriptures, to me they are all from the same God. I just finished reading the Baghavad Gita, which is beautiful. Takes re-reading a lot to have any clue what it's saying... spent about 6 months with it.

I'd recommend The Bhagavad Gita: God Talks with Arjuna by Paramahansa Yogananda. Beautifully written and the commentary on the texts are very in-depth. I've read it numerous times over the years, since I first received it as a gift in 1998, right after I joined The Holy River chatroom.

Noodled24 said:

In the early days as much as fans like to refer to it as spirituality Prince was always talking from a Christian POV.

I was never convinced Prince was 100% into the JW thing. TRC makes little to no mention of Jehovah, and it's blatant sexuality was sure to offend more Conservative JWs. I think he genuinely enjoyed studying the bible. He tried it on, but it never really fit.

If you're playing a stadium show and singing about "Twins in my bed", or the inuendo filled "On The Couch"... You're not really adhearing to the JW lifestyle.

The amazing thing with Eastern teachings is that you can practice those teachings while you are adhering to a religion. Eastern teachings, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, aren't religions but ways of living life. Such as the Eightfold Path as taught by the Buddha: 1. Right view, understanding 2. Right thought, attitude 3. Right speech 4. Right action 5. Right livelihood 6. Right effort, diligence 7. Right mindfulness and 8. Right concentration. Essentially, living your life focused upon God through your understanding, thoughts, speech, actions, performing your work with your mind upon the Divine, effort, mindfulness (being present), and samadhi (which is union with God). None of this precludes practicing any religion you choose to practice, it just helps to keep you focused upon God while practicing your chosen religion.