Do Catholics believe in Purgatory?

Question

I am a Protestant, and I want to know what Catholics believe in regards to the afterlife. I might convert to Catholicism, since I heard it offers valid sacraments and greater hope for salvation than any other world religion. I have also heard it is the "true faith". It is Jesus Christ's original religion, correct?

Answer 1

From early days, the church has seen itself as a community of "saints" (The term just means "holy" or "separate"). When members of the community died without seeing Jesus' return, survivors were concerned about their ultimate fate. From this, the Catholic church developed the idea of a continuity of "church" known as the "communion of saints". There are those on earth (the "Church militant" to use an old phrase), those already in heaven ("Church triumphant") and the ones we're not sure about, being purified in "purgatory" ("church suffering"). From these ideas came the ideas of praying for the faithful in purgatory and praying to the saints in heaven for intercession with God. We can't be sure whs's "made it", nor do we believe that heavenly saints can do anything of themselves except pray. If you can stand the theology, welcome aboard.

Answer 2

The original religion of Christianity was the Catholics. The Protestant, Baptist and other branches of Christianity all had their roots in the Catholic Faith. Catholicism is the original faith and so the true faith of Christianity. The other brands of Christianity came from the Roman Catholic Church. Until that point it was the only form of Christianity, as preached by Jesus, and the apostles.

Jesus Christ wasn't a Christian, because the religion really didn't get its start until after Christ rose from the dead. Up until that point he was a profit that could perform miracles, like Moses, but Jesus is so much more.

When Guttenberg built the first printing press with movable type his first work that he published was the Bible, and it was a best seller like no book has ever been since. For the first time all of the people, including the religious leaders could have a standard text (Usually, the revised version the King James Bible; which turned all the holy figures into white people, instead of black or Arabic). Guttenberg was looking for another work to publish when a German Monk got angry with the Catholic Church. He posted a list of wrongs that the church was committing (like selling indulgences; permission to commit a sin). He wanted to start a religious conversation and air his grievances. However Guttenberg took his list and published his second best seller. This is how the Lutheran branch got its start.

In Catholicism there are seven sacred sacraments which are celebrated;
Baptism, First Communion, Confession, Confirmation, the Vows to be a Priest, Marriage, the Final Service for the dead. For more information read this article: http://florian.hegewisch.net/school/sacraments.html

Answer 3

Catholics are expected to accept ALL that the Catholic Church teaches, because all Catholic beliefs and practices are founded on the original teachings, that sacred deposit of faith, which Jesus Christ gave to his apostles and disciples.

Purgatory, Paradise, or whetever else it might be called, has existed as a place that was not heaven and not hell, but a place for souls who didn't warrant either.

All the righteous souls were detained there prior to our redemption by Jesus, and no where in scripture, or anywhere else do we find it closed, destroyed, or otherwise done away with.

The Catholic Church, based on it's power of binding and loosing, among other things, makes use of Purgatory as the only alternative to hell, for those who die in an imperfect state of personal sanctification, yet still friends of God.

Purgatory is a temporary state, which always results in ultimate admittance to heaven.

As such, the concept of Purgatory is a doctrine of the church, and it is not subject to change, at least until Judgment Day, when Purgatory is officially scheduled to be closed forever.

For more on this and every related subject, go here:

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm

For a free Catholic Resource CD, send me an email with a mailing address, and it's yours.

Answer 4

Purgatory is something from the deposit of faith in the Catholic Church. Depending on what your particular Protestant background is, you may have been taught sola fide (faith alone). what this implies is that no one is really ever cleansed of sin, rather, every person puts on the cloak of Christ's righteousness, and thus enters heaven. How the Catholic Church looks at it is that sin entails for us a double consequence. Not only does it deprive us form communion with God, but it also exhibits an unhealthy attachment to created things (temporal punishment of sin). Christ forgives our sins and, through His blood, restores our communion with God, but we must still be purified of our attachments to creatures. This purification can only be accomplished through purging, either in this world or the next, from such attachments. This purging can be accomplished in this world, through a spirit of fervent charity, or in the next, through bathing in God's consuming fire (ie, Purgatory)

Some scriptures to meditate on: Heb 9:27, Mt 12:32, Rev 21:27, Phil 3:11-12, 1 Cor 4:4, Mt 5:25-26, Lk 12:58-59, Lk 16:19-31, Is 6:6-7, Heb 12:29, 1 Jn 4:8, 1 Cor 12:26, Sir 7:32-33, Gal 6:2, 1 Tim 2:1, 2 Tim 1:16-18, 1 Jn 5:16, 2 Mac 12:41-46, Job 1:5, Rev 20:12, 1 Cor 3:10-15, 1 Pet 1:6-7, Wis 3:1-8, 1 Pet 3:18-19, 1 Pet 4:6, Rev 20:13-14

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Yes, Catholics believe in Purgatory.

The concept of purgation is hinted at in the Bible. Here are a couple of places:

"But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:15)

"So that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7)

Are you perfect now? Most people would say no.

Will you be perfect in heaven? Most people believe yes.

Purgatory (or purgation) is the process of God's love changing our imperfect selves into perfect beings.

Depending on the amount of change needed by different people this can be an easy or slightly harder process.

Everyone in purgatory is on their way to heaven.

I don't think Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a very hard time of it.

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

I don't think it is possible to be an aethist and a "believing" Catholic. Yes, I do believe that there is a state of being after death when I become fully aware of the things I have done in my life that have hurt God and others. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that through Faith in Him we will gain eternal life. God has already forgiven us.

I am not perfect and I mess up every day. So, purgatory is where we can shed the things that hold us back. Sometimes we are probably the ones who are holding ourselves back due to shame or guilt, but we know that all will be OK, because God loves us and we will be with Him forever.

This is probably a poor explanation. There is a better "theological" explanation. Most Catholic churches have an inquiry class of group of folks who meet just to ask such questions as yours. There is no pressure to "join" up, just call up or look online for one in your area. Someone will be happy to talk with you and answer your questions.

Answer 7

You are right. The catholic church was enstablished by Christ himself through the first pope, Saint Peter
In the Catholic church you get all the graces and sacraments you need to be saved and live a full and holy life.
And Yes, The church believes in purgatory because the bible says that "Nothing unholy will ever enter Heaven" and no one is Holy. So thats why we get the privilege of Purgatory.
Contact me if you have more questions: [e-mail]
God Bless

Answer 8

"Btw i believe the above member that Purgatory is a falsehood and in no way taught contained in the bible, till perhaps i ignored something......" nicely, it truly is effective to attraction to close from the initiating that you're probable going to dismiss each and every thing that Catholics inform you or argue with us that we do not comprehend what we believe. a minimum of we can't have our hopes dashed that only for once, a Protestant will hearken to us. And your nameless member will be good -- in the adventure that they were speaking about unique Sin. In that sense, we received't upload or detract from Christ's atoning lack of existence on the go. We must be baptized into Christ and set freed from the sin nature that we inherited from our dad and mom. he's our in problem-free words recommend contained in the remember of sin, and that is exactly what the Catholic Church teaches. those sins which we willingly and knowingly dedicate after Baptism are yet another remember. The Bible says that God can't seem upon sin, and death doesn't make us acceptable -- it purely makes us useless. We nevertheless have attachments to the international and issues that are not worth of Heaven. it truly is the position Purgatory is provided in. imagine that you've been out operating all day, and also you come back abode coated in airborne dirt and dust and sweat. You stink, your body and garments are filthy, yet you've a get at the same time to bypass to that nighttime. Do you go as you're, or do you're taking a bathtub and positioned on sparkling clothing so that you slot in with the different partygoers? maximum folk would settle on on the tub, even if the cleansing soap and water sting somewhat. Purgatory rids us of worldly attachments and something that would keep us from playing Heaven to the fullest. it truly is easily one of God's best presents to His human beings: the flexibility to change into thoroughly like Him in purity and holiness. various of my fellow Catholics the following have a good list of Scriptures that help the concept of Purgatory. with any luck easily one of them will spot this question and reply. yet even if or not they don't, you at the moment have a logical foundation for the concept in a cleansing state after lack of existence. i'd favor to imagine that you'll appreciate us and a minimum of evaluate what we ought to say. you do not ought to believe us, yet a minimum of consider it. it truly is all we ask.

Answer 9

hope you join in the church truly founded by jesus himself. we have the fulness of truth within the catholic church. the catholic church and its followers do believe in purgatory. i could write a little about it but instead i think you might get better understanding and the bible quotes to show why we believe in purgatory. scripturecatholic.com is very useful on alot of topics that will be of interest to you,especially as you are considering becoming catholic, this site will also help you with other teachings and prepare you for the rcia classes you will have to take to become catholic and participate in the sacraments. ewtn.com and americancatholic.com are also very useful. hope this helps and god bless.

Answer 10

the concept of purgatory was not actually formally catholic, it was an adaptation of the mode of thinking elicited with the literary novel dante's inferno which was gaining popularity and acceptance during those times, and in order to be acceptable to catholics rather than having mere 2 modes: hell or heaven, nothing in between, they included purgatory from the root word to purge, giving chance for those who departed to still cleanse themselves and be able to reach heaven and righteous to God through prayers from the living, the concept of purgatory resulted in several abuses by the Church with indulgencias, salvation through prayers of the cleric which sadly was taken advantaged of to get more money from people, modern Catholic thinking though scrapped indulgencia formally, yet the concept of purgatory remains to remain in synergy with other religions, such as Islam, Confucianism and Judaism.
if you ask whether it is in the bible? the answer would be no, it is an interpretation of the bible, and common thinking that were adapted by the Catholic Church for compromise among emerging religious thoughts, and only through practice and tradition, sacraments, and other formalities are not written as well but were adaptations of the Church, thus it kind of moves away from the original scriptures of the bible.