Do you believe in the purgatory? (non catholics please)?

Question

I know catholics do and i know orthodox people don't but what about everyone else. is it documented in the bilble or is is made up by Catholicism?

Answer 1

The issue of purgatory is an interesting one. Although not mentioned in the New Testament, or the Old, per se, many scholars point to origins in the first century BC Shammai School. My difficulty with this, even allowing that it was a correct interpretation, would be that the first century BC is a very late date to propose something as critical as purgatory. Personally I tend to see St Patrick as the origin of the Catholic concept of purgatory. (See below) Regardless, the Catholics seem to pick up the dogma of purgatory from St Gregory in the 6th century, despite claims to the contrary. (See below #2) Without question, others at various times in the first three centuries made mention of the difficulty of facing God and referred to various passages in the new Testament to support the fact that they believed that Jesus referred to a place where one might become pure. Paul in 2 Cor. 12 refers to the third heaven and some have taken that to mean that one of these heavens (seven in total) might in fact be purgatory. I confess that I am not clear on the levels of heaven.

The real issue comes about because nothing unholy can face God, as per Rev. 21:27. Purgatory is clearly a way of getting rid of the problem. Purgatory's proof usually involves 2 Maccabees 12:39-45 which talks about the Jewish practice of praying for the dead. The rationale goes that if they were praying for the dead then, they must be in some intermittent place after they died. While we are certainly judged after death, (1 Cor. 3:15) purgatory is used as a means by which the semi-just (venial sins only) can escape after suffering temporary torment, or, purification. The argument goes that no one escapes from hell.
Protestants, of which I am one, usually say that Christ is the cleansing that is required when they die. In fact, this makes things significantly easier, although this doctrine is fairly modern. Luther himself was not an opponent of purgatory, but only the indulgences sold to fatten the Papal wallet. In the end, the concept of purgatory makes things very complicated, and, in fact creates various other problems such as levels and degrees of sin and such. Perhaps the best example is in Dante. (BTW, he never named it the Divine Comedy.) While it has a certain charm and poetry, for the life of me (pun intended) I am well suited by my belief that Christ cleanses me. My only problem with it is that I somehow wonder how He cleanses one of the sins in which people seem to live in ignorance.

Answer 2

I do not believe in purgatory and here are some reasons why:

After reviewing what Catholic writers have said regarding such texts as 2 Maccabees 12:39-45, Matthew 12:32, and 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, the New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967, Vol. XI, p. 1034) acknowledges: “In the final analysis, the Catholic doctrine on purgatory is based on tradition, not Sacred Scripture.

Ezek. 18:4, “The soul that sinneth, the same shall die.”

Jas. 5:20, JB: “Anyone who can bring back a sinner from the wrong way that he has taken will be saving a soul from death and covering up a great number of sins.” (Notice that this speaks of the death of the soul.)

Is further punishment for sin exacted after one’s death?
Rom. 6:7 says, “A man who is dead has been freed from sin.” (Kx: “Guilt makes no more claim on a man who is dead.”

Are the dead able to experience joy because of confidence in the prospect of salvation?
Eccl. 9:5, JB: “The living know at least that they will die, the dead know nothing.”

According to the Bible, by what means is purification from sins accomplished?
Rev. 1:5, JB: “Jesus Christ . . . loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood.”

Answer 3

Purgatory is not solely a Catholic concept. Others believe in that idea as well.

When we leave our bodies we experience a panoramic life review, whereby we see how our actions affected those around us. If we did not live a spiritual life, we are forced to stay in the Lower Realms of Spirit. Those who have the worst karma must reside in the most hellish dimensions imaginable, where you are surrounded by evil people just like yourself and in a constant state of loneliness and desperation.

I agree with the out of body traveler who posted prior to me, there are also various heavenly planes too: a Christian heaven, a Buddhist heaven, a Bahai heaven, a New Age heaven, etc., all of which are located in the Mid Realms of Spirit.

Answer 4

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," which is experienced by those "who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030). It notes that "this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC 1031).

The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.

1 Corinthians 3:14–15: "If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." You see, the Latinate word purgatory means a purgation or burning by fire. Paul in these verses refers to a purgation process whereby a man is saved even though his works are burned away. This is precisely what the Catholic Church teaches. A person at death who still has personal faults is prevented from entering into heaven because he is not completely purified. He must go through a period of purgation in order to be made clean, for nothing unclean will enter heaven (cf. Rev. 21:27).

2 Maccabees 12:40–45. When Judas prays and has sacrifices offered for soldiers who died in battle, he is commended for acting "very well and honorably."

Matthew 12:32 says that some people who sin "will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." This suggests that there are some sins that will be forgiven in the age to come. If there is no purification after death, then this passage doesn’t make much sense.

1 Peter 3:19–20. These verses show Jesus preaching to "to the spirits in prison." The "prison" cannot be heaven, because the people there do not need to have the Gospel preached to them. It cannot be hell, because the souls in hell cannot repent. It must be something else. As you can see, there is nothing unbiblical about the claim that those who have died might not immediately go to heaven or to hell.

The idea of purgatory, when properly understood, is entirely consistent with the love of God. God wants us to be perfect (cf. Matt. 5:48). If we are not perfected by the time we die, we will be perfected in purgatory. He loves us too much to allow us to be less than what he created us to be. Purgatory is not about an angry God inflicting punishment upon his creatures. It is about a loving Father who "disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness" (Heb. 12:10).

Answer 5

This is purely a Catholic thing from the Old Testament of the Bible. Many people today believe that your soul goes directly to either heaven or hell but in my opinion that would rule out the need for a rapture of souls upon the return of Christ. I'm interested in proof of where souls remain after a person dies and before the rapture. Is it possible that they are the ghosts that roam the earth?

Answer 6

The bible never speaks of people going to Heaven or Hell. The word hell is not even in the original Greek or Hebrew bible, it is a translation error of the Greek words Hades and Tartarus and the Hebrew words Sheol and gehenna. The ressurection takes place here on Earth as cleary stated in the Lords Prayer..."The Kingdom Come" The belief in Hell is from pagan origins and later incorporated with Christianity. Fire in the bible is spoken of in two ways 1.symbolic of purification in the old testiment and Literal in ways of distruction. It is never used in a way of turture. Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed by fire and brimstone and are now set forth as "an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 7 cf. Gen. 19:24). Do these cities still burn today?

Answer 7

No
http://home.elp.rr.com/endtimeprophecy/catholic.htm

Answer 8

well since i have done some travelling into the other realms i can confirm that purgatory does exsist. and it has a few levels to it. and heaven for catholics is there and its a lot like they say but there are also many many other places there too. like i saw a muslem heaven and this one guys looked like the bottle from i dream of jeine and it had a harem of women in it. and i saw some hells too. and they are perfect for the people that go there and they are not stuck there for eternity but do stay a long *** time. just until they get the lesson they are supposed to be learning.

Answer 9

No. It supposibly is taken from a few phrases in the Apocrypha ( I think 1 or 2 Macabbees). From what I read in the New Testament, there is no purgatory. Jesus said to the thief on the cross that on that day he would be with Jesus in Heaven.

Answer 10

I'm very non-religious and don't believe in purgatory at all, but intermission, where we look at our life without judgement and choose our next. Life never ends, death is the idea you have about it, so make it a good one, as you create your reality here so will you in intermission. Make it your truth, but if it works for you to belive in purgatory-go ahead.