Besides, what if a person is on his or her deathbed and cannot be baptized?
Believing that the unbaptized go to hell, they initiated infant baptism. Problem solved. Well, except for the fact the sins committed after baptism were deemed much more grave than those committed unbaptized, because the baptized were supposed to be living in a state of grace.
So they put off baptism as long as possible. Problem solved. Well, except for the fact that a prince of the church who fell off his horse and died unbaptized went to hell.
What to do? Well, let’s go back to practicing infant baptism, to guarantee a pleasant afterlife, but devise a means to work off our post-baptismal sins after death but before heaven.
We’ll purge our sins. And that’s why we have purgatory, children. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll make up something else.
Have you ever investigated Baptism of Desire?
Baptism of Blood?
There is evidence of Baptismal practices in the old testament in both Ezekiel and Leviticus, just sayin.
John 3:5
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
And you do believe the Bible, don’t you? (Plus these are the words of Jesus!)
After span of time enough for various reasonings among men (purely derivative, secondary "sources", not entirely unlike the processes which took place within rabbinical Judaism) to take center stage, the rest came naturally.
Deformation --- Sola ecclesia --whatever we say --do as we say --we have the true knowledge --we have the authority, and Power to command(!) --We Alone have "the secrets"
We’ll purge our sins. And that’s why we have purgatory, children. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll make up something else.