Purgatory? I'm writing a script for college and I'm struggling with this?

Question

Im writin a script for college & I want to make it as correct as possible in terms of the religious beliefs etc.
Im wondering if someone could explain purgatory 2 me simply? as Im having many problems trying 2 understand-

1. Why people go there? Why isn't it a simple good= heaven bad= hell kinda thing?
2. How do people get to heaven/hell via purgatory? or is there no way out?

On the net i have got
'purgatory is for for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions'

from that, all me & my parents can decipher is that its where you go if you have sinned but aint bad enough to go to hell? or havn't fully repented before death?
possibly babies with original sin? Or do ppl still believe in limbo. i heard that belief had been eradicated O_o

I dont quite understand alot of the words so id like it in simple terms & without people telling me 2 accept Jesus Christ.

the whole thing seems like a bit of a loophole O_o

thanks in advance everyone :)

tenji
xxx

[sorry for bad grammar and seeming rude in the first post- i wanted it all in one box]

Answer 1

Purgatory is not a biblical teaching. The second chance doesn’t make sense. We have to make our choice now in the present life. After death, it’s so late.
Jesus died in my place to save me. If I didn't accept it in life after death there is no way.

Answer 2

I think it's a Catholic belief. I never quite understood it either, but always thought of purgatory and limbo as the same thing.
As a Mormon we believe that when people die they go to the Spirit World, which is a place where their spirits go and they wait for Christ to come again. When Christ comes again, and after the Millennial reign, when everyone is ressurected, that's when the spirits will be reunited with their perfected bodies. While waiting for this to happen, the righteous help those who haven't accepted the full gospel of Jesus Christ, so that when the ressurection does happen they can go to heaven too. We believe that only a VERY, VERY few will not make it to heaven.
So in a way, the Spirit World is our version of purgatory, except that everyone is there, and we feel like we know a little bit more of what goes on there, whereas everything I've heard about the Catholic purgatory seems to be as clear as mud.

Answer 3

Purgatory is not real... Catholics came up with the idea. If you follow what the Bible says there is no mention of it. Maybe you should rethink your script if you want to be clear on it. The Catholic religion is much different than that of the Christian religion. Most Christians believe one of two things. Christians believe, like you said, that you die and it is good=heaven, bad=hell. The difference comes between us as to when this happens. Some believe that you go to heaven or hell right after you die. Others believe that your soul kind of sleeps and you will go to heaven or hell when Jesus comes the second time. Either way, the ones who have accepted Jesus at their personal Savior go to heaven, the ones who have heard of Jesus and chosen not to accept Him go to Hell, or Hades as it is called in the Bible, so unless you are in a Catholic based college, you might want to leave purgatory out all together.

Answer 4

Purgatory, or final purification, is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church; according to the current Catechism: "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned."[1] The doctrine includes, and is indeed based on, the belief that these elect may be aided by the prayer and sufferings of the faithful and the Sacrifice of the Mass.[2]

Belief in the purification of the soul after death and the efficacy of prayers for the dead are found in Christian antiquity. During the Middle Ages, the doctrine of final purification developed distinctive features in the Latin-speaking West and the Greek-speaking East, and the differences became a matter of debate. Also, during the Protestant Reformation, certain Protestant theologians developed a view of salvation (soteriology) that did not include purgatory.

While Eastern Orthodox Churches generally continue to see "purgatory" as a matter of contention, the Eastern Catholic Churches (which are in full communion with the See of Rome) understand the Greek articulation of a "final theosis" and the Latin articulation of "purgatory" to be essentially equivalent — a final purification.[3] Protestants, with a few exceptions, do not believe in a process of purification after death.

Answer 5

I can only answer from a Catholic perspective. Purgatory is a second chance. You're not free from sin, so you can't go straight to heaven, but you're not evil so no hell for you. This is where a majority of people end up. Through prayer of both those in Purgatory and their familes left behind here on earth, you move closer to heaven as your sins are forgiven. I think it is only moving up, since you are asking for forgiveness. Hell is reserved only for those who are evil. If you're in Purgatory, you are not evil and still have the potential for good.

Answer 6

According to Dante, purgatory is the most outside ring of Hell. Hell was made up of 'rings' (think racetrack) and that the 'badder' you were the farther towards the center and Satan you went. In purgatory were unbaptaized children, unlearned 'natives'. well behaved non-believers.

Basically you and your parents have the right grasp. "They' didn't believe/know of Heaven so they went Hell but were not wicked enough to be placed in one of the bulgias (rings) so were left in purgatory. Not exactly punishment but not a reward either.

I hope this helps. Try reading the Divine Comedy by Dante (the original is in Italian so look for a translation) or a fantasy book called "Inferno" by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle (they wrote about a writer who died and went to Dante's Hell)

Answer 7

I am Catholic, and I think purgatory is primarily a Catholic thing, but I don't think there is any specific reference in the bible to purgatory. Now here's my belief, take it or leave it. I think there IS a state of purgatory, for people who maybe are not willing to accept heaven, but have not been cast to hell. Why would people not be ready to accept heaven? Maybe they still have business here on earth to take care of? Maybe their soul will not be cleansed until their "business" is handled. I think spirits or ghosts are in purgatory. There is pretty strong evidence of ghosts. They are not in heaven, and not in hell, yet not alive. To me, that leaves purgatory.

I don't think purgatory is a permanent place, but more like a waiting room until Judgement Day.

I think babies, and children too young to understand God, or to have a conscience, go to heaven. For Pete's sake, their little soul just came from heaven, I doubt they are going to purgatory just because their parent didn't baptize them.

Answer 8

Purgatory is a Catholic belief, not a Biblical belief.

Why if Jesus died for the sins of the whole world would anyone who accepts His gift of eternal life go to purgatory? Either Jesus' sacrifice wasn't enough, or purgatory is a lie.
Nowhere in the Bible is the word purgatory mentioned.

Neither good nor bad people go to heaven, only those who have believed in Jesus and have accepted His gift of eternal life.
So, if you are saying: good= followers of Jesus = heaven;
and bad= rejecting Jesus = hell
you are correct.

John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."

1 Cor. 3:12-17 is misinterpreted by the Catholic church. Here is that passage: "11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

This passage talks about the work we did as followers of Jesus. If we did it to seek glory for ourselves it is wood, hay and straw. If we did it to glorify Jesus it is gold, silver and costly stones. You can also see that this passage talks about REWARD, not salvation. In fact, it says, HE WILL BE SAVED, only his work will be burned.

Answer 9

Simple...

It was made up by a group of people who say they worship a jesus, but the jesus they worship was not strong enough to pay for their sins so they had to have this make believe place of purification.

For a true christian..."To be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord"!

If I were you, I wouldn't give this lie any more glory than it's already gotten!


Read "pinkrose" up there, she explains it perfectly.. (Nice job)

Answer 10

When you go for final judgment, you are rated. If you are found truly wanting, you go to hell.

If you are found wanting, BUT it isn't as bad, you are sent to purgatory to get purfied, then allowed into heaven.

If we think of heaven as hawaii and Hell as detroit, purgatory is like Cleveland or Sacramento.

You do your time and then you are out