What do you think of Purgatory?

PearlSeeker · Dec 3, 2022

IMO this is a concept with a similar purpose as reincarnation.

Wildswanderer · Dec 3, 2022

I don't believe it exists.
It was made up by the Catholic Church.

metis · Dec 3, 2022

I neither believe nor disbelieve it. It's basically a theological construct to try and make some sense of a verse whereas it says that some sins will not be forgiven in heaven or on Earth.

Colt · Dec 3, 2022

Purgatory is nonsense invented by holy men.

DNB · Dec 3, 2022

There's no such place or concept as purgatory, it was entirely fabricated by the RC Church to either justify their selling of indulgences, or to repair inconsistencies within their dogma.
Purgatory, nor the concept, are Biblical. Same with the resurrection to life immediately upon death, it is a fallacy. When men die they remain in the grave until the Judgment Day (Great White Throne). And, at this moment, there is no time nor action available that can change your status before God. If He choses to be merciful, then it is His sole decision based on His own wisdom - not, for example, due to one's time done in purgatory.

RestlessSoul · Dec 4, 2022

I sometimes think we’re in it, and that the purpose of our suffering in this life is to rid us of the pride, vanity and self centredness that cuts us off from God’s love.

Estro Felino · Dec 4, 2022

That is a very interesting view, thank you.

By the way, most of the users here do have a point.
After all, Purgatory was theologically established only in the XIII century by the Vatican.

But I absolutely agree with you. Pride prevents people from accepting we are all sinners. And those who committed venial sins must not feel superior to those who committed gravers sins. Only God can judge. Since it is written in Luke 18:9 that God loves the humble, regardless of their sins.

PruePhillip · Dec 4, 2022

Catholic doctrine, has no basis in scripture.

PruePhillip · Dec 4, 2022

Then you had better hope it's not true.

1213 · Dec 4, 2022

Bible doesn't have the word "purgatory". Bible speaks of "death", "hades" and the second death (=hell).

...The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:12-15

Maybe "hades" could be seen same as purgatory. I just don't see any reason to think people in there have chance for eternal life on the judgment day.

Estro Felino · Dec 4, 2022

I agree with that. So...when someone dies, where do they go?
What is your vision on Christian soteriology?

syo · Dec 4, 2022

?
Saved from what???

Alien826 · Dec 4, 2022

"Bought it" is exactly the point. People paid a lot to get their relatives prayed into heaven.

Look at the magnificent churches and chapels in Rome and ask yourself where it all came from.

loverofhumanity · Dec 4, 2022

My personal understanding is that purgatory is a state or condition not a place. For example. I believe Christ has already returned in the Person of Baha’u’llah. If true that means that some two billion Christians have rejected Christ’s return. Now if they have never heard of Baha’u’llah then it is not blameworthy. But say they heard but either didn’t look into it, outrightly rejected or listened to their priest who would likely tell them He is a false Prophet.

After death one is made aware of their error. This to me is purgatory, a state of deep regret and remorse that one must live with in the next world knowing that at the same time they claimed to believe in Jesus they were rejecting Him. How long they remain in this state depends on the Mercy or Justice of God but God is forgiving. I don’t think such souls could reach the highest happiness being aware of their mistake but those who had never heard of Baha’u’llah would have the opportunity to embrace willingly and rejoice.

Of course I will have my own purgatory of regrets and remorse for things I did or left undone and I do not look forward to it.

Vinayaka · Dec 4, 2022

I don't think about it at all, as it's way outside my paradigm. The little bit I have heard about it makes me want to think of it even less.

Bird123 · Dec 4, 2022

How about this? A religion sending everyone to Hell will not get many followers. If you are constantly telling everyone how rotten they are so they need you to get to heaven, some may get concerned of making it at all. With purgatory, all your followers will make it.You can proceed to fry only those not following and not loose those that do.

That's what I see. It's very clear!!

soulsurvivor · Dec 4, 2022

After death almost all people go to a place called Purgatory. It may be a Christian idea but that applies to everyone.

Purgatory is a place where all your emotions, desires (like lust, greed, gluttony), fears, dislikes, likes, basically all human weaknesses get purged from you and this purifies you enough to enable you to enter more spiritual realms which we can call 'heaven'. What Christianity omits is that Purgatory has many different levels - the lowest level is pretty much like a hell with many evil and nasty beings, the middle levels are like an average place on Earth (with the exception that everything is free) while the highest level is quite spiritual. Most of us go to the middle level and then gradually advance thru the levels to make it to 'heaven'. All the pleasures and temptations on Earth are available in Purgatory, so that we can be satiated and eventually get 'sick of them' enough to purge our attraction to them.

See this webpage for a description of a soul's journey through purgatory: :Heaven, Hell and the AfterLife

Sgt. Pepper · Dec 4, 2022

Like others, I think that the Catholic Church invented purgatory, but it's based on scriptures that Catholics assert are part of the books of the Bible that they accept, which, of course, the majority of Protestants reject. Personally, I don't believe the afterlife will be as the Bible depicts it or that the spiritual realm is permanently confined to heaven and hell, assuming that these eternal realms even exist.

Estro Felino · Dec 4, 2022

That's not what the Catholic doctrine entails...I am sorry.
Just let me tell you that in Dante's Divine Comedy, several Non-Christians are in Paradise, whereas countless Christians are in Hell.
So I guess your point about followers vs non-followers, is wrong.

joelr · Dec 5, 2022

That doesn't change much regarding the original point. It's add-on theology. Humans made up all scripture but this isn't even from the original which inside a religion should be the final word. Not speculation centuries later?

I did think it was something original to Christianity but like everything else (except original sin) a pre-cursor is found in Persian mythology.

" Against the view that all humankind will ultimately be saved by passing through a cleansing fire—a doctrine considered sympathetically by the theologians Origen (c. 185–c. 254) and St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–c. 394) and prominent in Zoroastrian eschatology—St. Augustine (354–430) distinguished between the purgatorial fire that burns off stains and the everlasting fire that consumes those who die unrepentant and unreconciled to the church. "

Purgatory | Definition & History

What do you think of Purgatory?

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