What is Purgatory and what are your opinions about it?

Question

I am Catholic and I wanted to find out more about my religions belief (and those of others as well) on Purgatory, and what exactly it is.

Answer 1

Purgatory does not exist, but was created by the church as a scare tactic. For example, if you die and you have been a "bad girl" then you go to purgatory and wait to be judged by God. It's a load of crap...don't mean to offend you or your beliefs, but if it's not in the Bible, it's a load of crap.

Answer 2

Hi, I am a Catholic as well, though I dont practice. Purgatory is an unforgiving place otherwise known as hell. Times have changed since I was taught the Catholic religion. (20 years). I believe there is ONE God or "higher power" in which we believe. The Catholic religion has let things slide that are undescribable. You can also get creamated as a Catholic now..... Come on!! Dont you worry about where you will go after this, noone knows, for that is what "faith" is for.
Chrissy

Answer 3

Purgatory is a belief that if someone isn't totally at grace with God or completely forgiven by God, they aren't necessarily condemned to hell, but may instead sent to purgatory where they can be cleansed, or choose to be...

It is both based in the Bible and follows from Tradition. Judaism has a similar teaching about cleansing in the afterlife. It must be understood that their afterlife beliefs are somewhat different than christianity. Also, not all Jews believe in the afterlife.

Protestants left the teaching of purgatory when they chose to ignore Tradition and believe solely in the bible.

Here are two links link:

Answer 4

Purgatory was invented by the Catholic church as a way for them to get more money out of the peasants back in the middle ages. If you read your bible you will see that nowhere in there does it mention a place called Purgatory. Just like you will find no mention of penance, or hail Mary's... Catholic church is good at inventing things that were never in the bible.

Answer 5

It's a place of cleansing before entering heaven (nothing impure can enter there). It's a really consoling doctrine when you consider your own sins and shortcomings.All who go there are saved and will eventually enter heaven. The "fires" of purgatory are considered God's burning love that purify the souls there until nothing remains except "the pure gold of charity" ( St. Catherine of Bologna, has written a lot on the subject.) The souls there are totally at peace, since they are confirmed in grace and their wills are totally in conformity with God's will but since they long for the vision of God they are also in pain.

After time has ended only heaven and hell will remain.

God bless

PS I've heard of a woman from Austria: Maria Simma or something like that , she claims to recive visitors from purgatory, they want prayers and masses and also somtimes to get her help in returing money and so on that they never did. The local Bishop supprts her claims and says these visitations are authentic.
http://www.solt3.org/mariasimma.htm

Answer 6

Look at 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).

Answer 7

Catholicism traditionally teaches that Purgatory is a place between Heaven and hell. However, that belief has no Biblical support. The Bible teaches that in fact there is heaven and hell, and you choose where you want to go while you live. If Jesus is your Lord and savior, you have chosen to go to heaven, but if you refuse to believe that Jesus is the Son of God you have chosen to go to hell. The concept is similar to a woman being pregnant, she either is or she is not, there is nothing in between. Now, as for the Catholic belief that once you are dead your loved ones can pray the rosary to get you out of purgatory, that is nothing but a lie. The Bible teaches that once you are where you have chosen to be, no one, not even God himself is allowed to move you to another place.

Answer 8

One Priest told me Purgatory was like lukewarm cream soda and cheese whiz- tolerable, but not exciting.
Another interpretation I enjoy far more is that Purgatory is like the dressing room where we get ready for the great Feast God's prepared for us. When we get to his door, we are ragged and covered in the dirt of sin- no way to go before a king. Our souls must be purified before we may stand in the prescence of God.
It also may be like the grief after the loss of a loved one. Once we are in Purgatory, we see how much more we could have done with our Earthly lives to advance God's Kingdom. We go through shame, and guilt, and self-loathing, and grief, and these emotions take time to be cleased from our system. Only when we love and forgive ourselves with this hindsight may we carry on to our eternal rest.
Hope this gave you a few things to think about, and God Bless You!


WAIT!
some of the above answers are FALSE. Our Catholic Church does not believe, to the best of my knowledge, that Purgatory is the first level of hell, or that is is a waiting room before you are judged. These are OVERSIMPLIFICATIONS. If you are in Purgatory, you will eventually be with God in heaven, it is simply a passage that must be traveled. Nobody on earth can fully understand the mystery, but please don't oversimplify.

Answer 9

Purgatory can be whatever you wish because the Bible is just a man-made play script, with several actors God, Devil, Jesus, Satan, Adam, Eve etc, and of course some intriguing imaginary places like Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and Limbo.

I certainly don’t believe in the Bible and I doubt any reasonably intelligent person would either. However, if you view the Bible as a man-made play script, with several actors God, Devil, Jesus, Satan, Adam, Eve, Noah, and so on, then you can certainly start to see a clever interwoven plot, that the audience is unaware of. It’s really just a drama thriller with clever twists.

You see, if you seriously think about it in an unbiased manner, then clearly the actor God in the Bible could really be the Devil, and the audience (religious believers) are being sucked into being the bad guys, who then use religion to get everyone fighting each other.

On the other hand, the more intelligent audience (Atheists) spot the plot and try their best to teach believers that this is just nonsense, stop getting sucked in. Some people have over time decided that the play is real. That's very sad.

Answer 10

Hell-lite... sort of like a county work form, where you work off your venial sins, before going on to heaven. Maybe this will help (written by my brother):

Purgatory

by LH

I've consorted with women of dubious fame
The low-lifes and grifters all know me by name
I've drunk me some whiskey, and I've told me some lies
And for that, I apologize.

But I'm not a bad fellow, I think you'd agree
I never have hurt anybody but me
I'm too seedy for heaven, but I'm too good for hell
So I guess Purgatory would suit me quite well

CHORUS 1
If the good Lord don't want you and the devil don't know you
If they're too high above you or too far below you
There's only one place that a poor boy can go to
It's old Purgatory for me.

I'm too fat to fly and to stubborn to learn
I'm too tough to fry and I'm too wet to burn
I'm too old to change and too lazy to grow
If they're ready to take me, I'm ready to go.

CHORUS 2
If the good Lord don't want you and the devil don't need you
They got nowhere to put you and nothing to feed you
There's only one place that the good life can lead to
It's old purgatory for me

BRIDGE
Right there in the middle is the home of my dreams
I never have been one to go to extremes
I don't want no pitchfork and I don't want no wings
I just want to be like I am

So when your ticket is punched and you pass on to glory
Stop by and see me in old purgatory
If the sun ain't too hot and the water is cool
I'll be havin' a daquiri, down at the pool

CHORUS 1
CHORUS 2
END
©2004