Is Prince in Rock and Roll heaven? It depends on whether or not he is one of the 144,000 elect. Presumably the fact that he died by his own hand of an accidental overdose of pain killing drugs won’t be held against him. Prince is reported to have been a devout Jehovah’s Witness. The Jehovah’s Witness have beliefs about the afterlife that differ from Orthodox Christian denominations.
Orthodox Christianity is defined by adherence to the Nicene Creed, particularly as it refers to belief in the Holy Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ. Jehovah’s Witness and the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Days Saints (Mormons) are examples of nominal Christian sects that do not adhere to the Nicene Creed. For that reason some Orthodox Christians maintain that Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons are not Christian.
Interesting enough the Muslims have similar belief about “the life of the world to come”, they believe that only “martyrs”, jihadists killed in battle, go directly to heaven. The rest of the Faithful must wait until judgement day to be resurrected. Likewise many Jews historically did not believe in an afterlife. In particular the Sadducees of Jesus time did not believe in the life of the soul apart from the body, but rather in the Resurrection of the Dead on the Last day when the Messiah returns and restores the earth to its Garden of Eden state.
Jesus spoke of heaven and hell and the afterlife more than anyone else in the Bible
17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Now Bethany was less than two milesb from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
- John 11:17-27 (NIV)
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Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses and salvation
Jehovah's Witnesses believe death is a state of non-existence with no consciousness. There is no Hell of fiery torment;Hades and Sheol are understood to refer to the condition of death, termed the common grave.[176] Jehovah's Witnesses consider the soul to be a life or a living body that can die.[177] Jehovah's Witnesses believe that humanity is in a sinful state,[177] from which release is only possible by means of Jesus' shed blood as a ransom, or atonement, for the sins of humankind.[178]
Witnesses believe that a "little flock" go to heaven, but that the hope for life after death for the majority of "other sheep" involves being resurrected by God to a cleansed earth after Armageddon. They interpret Revelation 14:1–5 to mean that the number of Christians going to heaven is limited to exactly 144,000, who will rule with Jesus as kings and priests over earth.[179] Jehovah's Witnesses teach that only they meet scriptural requirements for surviving Armageddon, but that God is the final judge.[180][181][182] During Christ's millennial reign, most people who died prior to Armageddon will be resurrected with the prospect of living forever; they will be taught the proper way to worship God to prepare them for their final test at the end of the millennium.[183][184
Reportedly, the rock star was a believer who opposed gay marriage.
On Thursday, music legend Prince Rogers Nelson was found dead at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota. Nevertheless, by all accounts, he was a man of faith. Christians would debate whether or not he is in heaven, however, considering Prince belonged to an obscure sect that denies the Jesus of the Bible.
Christians believe that all men and women have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It doesn't matter if you're a "good person," we're all condemned for our actions in the sight of a perfect God. But there is a way we can be cleansed, forgiven, and even granted everlasting glory with the Creator of the universe, and that is through trusting in His Son. Though Prince did not believe Jesus was God, it is arguable he may have trusted in the savior nonetheless. Of course, if the Jesus in whom Prince trusted was not the real Jesus, his faith was meaningless: hence the conundrum.
Nelson's faith emerges throughout a large amount of his work, including many of his lyrics. The Washington Post presented three:
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called Life,” he intoned, pastor-like, in “Let’s Go Crazy.”
“If God one day struck me blind, your beauty I’ll still see” – “Adore”
“We all have our problems, some are big, some are small. Soon all of our problems, y’all, will be taken by the cross.” – “The Cross”
Prince even appeared on many playlists created for U.S. visits by Pope Benedict in 2008 and Pope Francis last year. The artist even wrote a song about the pontificate: "The Pope." Amidst some very raunchy lyrics, it declares, "You can be the president, I'd rather be the pope. You can be the side effect, I'd rather be the dope."
8 of Prince's Most Iconic Songs
But Prince wasn't a Roman Catholic -- he was a bit more interesting than that. Raised a Seventh Day Adventist, Nelson later became a Jehovah's Witness. As The Guardian reported in 2004, "A newspaper in his hometown reported how a married couple had answered their door to find Prince proffering a copy of the Watchtower. Though they were orthodox Jews, and it was Yom Kippur, they were also Prince fans. They welcomed him into the house."
The Washington Post and Independent Journal Review reported that Prince was a Christian. That is a very debatable position -- in fact it's almost entirely false. Jehovah's Witnesses deny the Jesus of the Bible, and thus can be considered different than orthodox Christians.
Next Page: Prince opposed gay marriage, but did he believe in Jesus?
Rogers Nelson reportedly turned to Jesus in 2001. "I don't see it really as a conversion," he told Travis Smiley in 2009. "More, you know, it's a realization. It's like Morpheus and Neo in The Matrix." In that same interview, he explained why he didn't vote for Obama in 2008. He did that for religious reasons, albeit rather quirky ones (Jehovah's Witnesses prioritize prophecy over politics).
In a 2008 New Yorker profile, Prince came out against same-sex marriage. He attacked both Republicans and Democrats, saying "neither of them is getting it right." Why were Democrats so wrong? They followed the notion that "you can do whatever you want." Prince paraphrased the destruction of mankind in Noah's flood: "God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was like, 'Enough.'"
Prince's raunchy lyrics may make him seem like the opposite of a "Jesus Freak," and Jehovah's Witnesses have a very odd take on Christianity, but if he did end up placing his faith in Jesus Christ, his chances are rather good. Even if Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus Christ is God, it is possible Prince put his faith in Jesus' saving grace. Then again, if it wasn't the real Jesus he trusted, does that mean he's still condemned in his sins?
"Soon all of our problems, y'all, will be taken by the cross" sounds rather orthodox to me, although it is rather vague. If Rogers Nelson trusted in the saving death and resurrection of the real Jesus, his sins are forgiven him. Would that other musicians do likewise.
Note: This article has been updated from its original version. It stated that Prince was a Christian -- a highly debatable position. Even that version noted him as a Jehovah's Witness and stated that members of that faith are debatably not Christian.
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