We Catholics believe that Purgatory exists. This is not merely my “interpretation”.
I have not told anyone where he must go either before or after death, and you are free to believe what your particular denomination proclaims.
It can't be an *interpretation* from Scripture because Scripture does not teach it.
The Catholic church is teaching as truth, something with no basis, with no Scriptural support. You certainly are free to believe what you want. Nobody said you weren't.
However, there is no such thing as purgatory as God did not tell us that it exists and that sin must be purged there.
He has revealed to us in Scripture everything that is needed for life and godliness and has given us great and precious promises and that is for forgiveness and life, not bondage and suffering and torment to try to pay for our sins.
Suffering doesn't cleanse us from anything anyway because without the shedding of blood, there is NO forgiveness of sins. Your sins cannot be cleansed by any other means, no matter how long a time you spend in torment in purgatory.
Paul tells us in that for born again believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Born again believers are in the presence of Jesus. Unbelievers go to hell.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Why do you have this belief?