Purgatory: Purifying Fire or Fatal Fable?

Catholics who believe a purifying fire will purge away their sins are deluded victims of a fatal fabrication. The invention of a place for purification of sins called Purgatory is one of the most seductive attractions of the Roman Catholic religion. Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church described this deceptive hoax brilliantly. He said: "Purgatory is what makes the whole system work. Take out Purgatory and it's a hard sell to be a Catholic. Purgatory is the safety net, when you die, you don't go to hell. You go [to Purgatory] and get things sorted out and finally get to heaven if you've been a good Catholic. In the Catholic system you can never know you're going to heaven. You just keep trying and trying...in a long journey toward perfection. Well, it's pretty discouraging. People in that system are guilt-ridden, fear-ridden and have no knowledge of whether or not they're going to get into the Kingdom. If there's no Purgatory, there's no safety net to catch me and give me some opportunity to get into heaven. It's a second chance, it's another chance after death" (from "The Pope and the Papacy").

There was no mention of Purgatory during the first two centuries of the church. However, when Roman Emperor Theodosius (379-395) decreed that Christianity was to be the official religion of the empire, thousands of pagans flooded into the Church and brought their pagan beliefs and traditions with them. One of those ancient pagan beliefs was a place of purification where souls went to make satisfaction for their sins.

The concept became much more widespread around 600 A.D. due to the fanaticism of Pope Gregory the Great. He developed the doctrine through visions and revelations of a Purgatorial fire. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia (CE), Pope Gregory said Catholics "will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames," and "the pain [is] more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life." Centuries later, at the Council of Florence (1431), it was pronounced an infallible dogma. It was later reaffirmed by the Council of Trent (1564). The dogma is based largely on Catholic tradition from extra- biblical writings and oral history. "So deep was this belief ingrained in our common humanity that it was accepted by the Jews, and in at least a shadowy way by the pagans, long before the coming of Christianity" (CE). It seems incomprehensible that Rome would admit to using a pagan tradition for the defense of one of its most esteemed "Christian" doctrines.

Purgatory comes from the Latin word “purgare,” which means to make clean or to purify. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines purgatory as "a place or condition of temporal punishment 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." They must be purified of these "venial" sins before they can be allowed into heaven. Here we see Catholicism perpetuating the seductive lie of Satan by declaring "you will not surely die" when you commit venial sins (Gen. 3:4). The Council of Trent dares to declare that "God does not always remit the whole punishment due to sin together with the guilt. God requires satisfaction and will punish sin...The sinner, failing to do penance in this life, may be punished in another world, and so not be cast off eternally from God." (Session 15, Can. XI). Those Catholic Bishops had the audacity to declare that the suffering and death of God's perfect man and man's perfect substitute was not sufficient to satisfy divine justice for sin.

Over the centuries billions of dollars have been paid to Roman Catholic priests to obtain relief from imaginary sufferings in Purgatory's fire. The Catholic clergy has always taught that the period of suffering in Purgatory can be shortened by purchasing indulgences and novenas, buying Mass cards and providing gifts of money. When a Catholic dies, money is extracted from mourning loved ones to shorten the deceased's punishment in Purgatory. When my dear old dad passed away as a devout Catholic of 79 years, I was amazed at the hundreds of Mass cards purchased for him by well-meaning friends. We have heard of other Catholics who have willed their entire estates to their religion so that perpetual masses could be offered for them after they die. It is no wonder that the Catholic religion has become the richest institution in the world. The buying and selling of God's grace has been a very lucrative business for the Vatican.

Another motivation for Rome to fabricate the heretical doctrine of Purgatory is its powerful effect on controlling people. Ultimately, the enslavement and subjugation of people is the goal of every false religion, and Purgatory does exactly that. The concept of a terrifying prison with a purging fire, governed by religious leaders, is a most brilliant invention. It holds people captive, not only in this life but also in the next life. Catholic clergy will not say how many years people have to suffer for their sins or how many Masses must be purchased before they can be released from the flames. This dreadful fear and uncertainty is the most ruthless form of religious bondage and deception!

There is absolutely none! In fact, neither the word nor the concept of sin-purifying fire is found in Scripture. The Vatican was confronted with this in the 16th century when the Reformers protested its practice of buying and selling of God's grace through indulgences. Backed into a corner, the Council of Trent added the apocryphal books to its canon of Scripture. Rome now declares there is scriptural support for purgatory in the apocryphal book of Second Maccabees. The council ignored the fact that the Jewish scribes never recognized the apocryphal books as inspired or part of the Hebrew Scriptures. They were never included because of their many historical, theological and geographical errors. Since God is not the author of error, He obviously did not inspire the writers of the Apocrypha. This is why the Apocrypha was never included in the original canon of 66 books. ..........."

God's Word leaves absolutely no possibility for sin to be purged away by anything other than the blood of Jesus Christ. The beloved apostle John penned these words with irrefutable clarity. He wrote, "The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" and "all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:7, 9). John did not say "some" sins or "most" sins, but all sin! This soundly rebukes the need for a sin-purging fire. God's Word also declares, "All things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22). When Jesus "made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3). Those who desire to have their sins purged need to trust a person, not a place. The blood of Christ is the only cleansing agent for sin! Those who come to the cross of Christ must come with empty hands of faith, bringing nothing but their sins.

Every blood-bought believer is instantly present with their Redeemer at the moment of death. To be "absent from the body" is to be "at home with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:6-8). This good news was affirmed by the Lord Jesus with the promise He gave to the repentant thief at Calvary. He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). This habitual sinner did not need a fire to purge his sins.

Catholics who believe in Purgatory need to be asked: "Who is in charge of releasing souls from the purging fire?" It cannot be God because of His promise to believers. "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more" (Heb. 10:17). After conversion, God no longer counts sins against His children (2 Cor. 5:19).

Purgatory is a travesty on the justice of God and a disgraceful fabrication that robs Christ Jesus of His glory and honor. He alone satisfied divine justice, once and for all, by the perfect and finished sacrifice of Himself. The fatal deception of Purgatory blinds Catholics from the glorious Gospel of grace. It is one of Satan's many lies which keep his captives from knowing and trusting the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. It is Christ alone that will present us "faultless before the presence of his glory" (Jude 24).

>>When you think you’re “saved” after a pathetic walk down an aisle when you’re 12 or 13.<<

“Pathetic walk”? You obviously didn’t have the same commitment that I had as I freely dedicated myself to Jesus for life. Are you sure you met the same life altering Jesus I did? The Jesus that suffered beatings so bad He was unrecognizable, who then was nailed to a cross and left hanging there until He willingly gave His life that I might have an eternity so glorious no one can even imagine? Did you meet the same Jesus who said that He understood that even my best works were as filthy rags so He took all of my sins as His responsibility even though He never once sinned? Was it that same Jesus who then sent the Holy Spirit to dwell inside me as a guide and counselor after He went to heaven to prepare that glorious place for me? Maybe you haven’t met that Jesus who promised to forgive and forget my sins and to keep me from spending an eternity in a place so awful even the demons shudder to think of it.

I can assure you sir that when I understood the amazing love that Jesus had for me, the horrific suffering He willingly went through for me, and the glorious future He secured for me even though I didn’t deserve it that walk to dedicate my life to Him was not a “pathetic walk”. I shudder to think what that Jesus thought as you walked “down that aisle” if you consider it a “pathetic walk”. May God have mercy.

>>Saved for all time?<<

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

That would be the promise, yes sir!

>> And then you sin without regret<<

“Sin without regret”? How preposterous. To even think that would indicate to me that one would have to have completely misunderstood what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is. Or missed out on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit entirely.

>> Your Jesus isn’t the real one.<<

I talk to Him daily and I can assure you He is the “real one”.

>> Salvation is not assured, not in this life.<<

If you don’t know that you may want to take heed.

1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Not only do we know but we can be assured of safety in that.

Romans 8:38-39 say, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Nothing can separate a child of God from their Father.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Perhaps you don’t understand for a reason and need to re-evaluate who it is that is teaching you.

John 10: John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

My Jesus made promises to me. I take Him at His word. I can rest assured that the Jesus I serve is the “real one”.

(I don't think one can be prayed out of limbo, according to the hypothesis/conjecture/whatever. In Dante, whose poem is, in a way, more a study of virtue and vice than a conjecture about heaven,purgatory, and hell, limbo is the top circle of hell. It's not so bad, kind of like San Francisco in the off season -- joking, but it ain't much either.

(Dante's idea is that hope is the virtue that those in limbo never had. So they end up in a perfectly okay place, but there's no hope there.

(But -- is this a long parenthesis, or what -- it was in Hell, and you don't graduate from Hell, though for the sake of his poem, Dante gave Virgil a furlough.)

For the rest, your post makes me want to nominate myself to PapaBenXVI as Lord High Maximum El Supremo Censor Librorum.

And what I would do is go through texts like the one you quote and scrawl across them, "D00d, Reverend D00d, you don't KNOW that, there is no authoritative teaching that the suffering in Purgatory is all Horrible all the time. That is just a conjecture. So you need to identify it as such, R U Feelin' me, Reverend buster?

I think "Mad Cardinal Dawg" has a certain je ne sais quoi to it ... On the other hand, red is NOT my color.

As to the Church v Jesus thing, don't forget we REALLY believe that the Church is the Body of Christ. She cannot, we cannot, "pray souls out of Purgation" unless Christ does so in and through us.

There are reasons, bad ones, that this doesn't get stressed enough. One is, I don't know how to say this properly so I shall koff, koff, sin boldly and trust my Lord to handle my errors:

A lot of Catholic writers have the pastoral and apologetic skills of Brillo. They write assuming "Everybody knows ..." when, no, actually, everybody does not know, or they forgot. And when they are writing exhortations, they end up presenting theology in a slightly (or awfully) twisted way, because what they are trying to get is ACTION. IMHO when they do that, they betray their own need to go on retreat and to get re-grounded. Their vision is narrowing perilously.

Even before I was Catholic, I tried to stay away from this slip common to a lot of Christian writers --and to lay-people, especially to parents.

I did not consult your source. I am as weak as a puppy this morning. But I almost feel I don't have to. I know where this guy is coming from. When this happens where I worship, I always wince. I really admire our friars, but I think from now until our Lord comes again, we must begin and end our exhortations with declarations of HIS love and power; we must ALWAYS make CLEAR that "it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do," and, if we summon people to spiritual or corporal works of mercy, that we are summoning them to draw on Christ, not on themselves, and least of all on their feelings of guilt.

But when I saw a Mennonite trying to guilt her four-year-old into something, I concluded that I'm going to be fighting this battle my whole life.

-face palm- I mean, people, darn it! We call it a GOSPEL, Good News! When you say, "Okay, now I want you to feel guilty!" how are you teaching GOOD news? Mere guilt feelings do not strengthen, they cripple UNLESS they are felt and understood in the wider context of the miracle of God's Love.

Mad Dawg growls, circles, and plops down on his bed again, and groans with doggie groans.

CynicalBear asks?

What is it that you think?

An odd question - if you want to know what a Catholic believes, why not look to the source? We believe what the Bible teaches and what the Apostles and their successors teach from the Bible that THEY wrote as commanded to by God.

If you follow the link, you will see what the Church teaches us from Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition in answer to your odd question: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm

1030 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.
1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.606 The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:607
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.608
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin."609 From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.610 The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:
Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.611

606 Cf. Council of Florence (1439):DS 1304; Council of Trent (1563):DS 1820; (1547):1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336):DS 1000.
607 Cf. 1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7.
608 St. Gregory the Great, Dial. 4,39:PL 77,396; cf. Mt 12:31.
609 2 Macc 12:46.
610 Cf. Council of Lyons II (1274):DS 856.
611 St. John Chrysostom, Hom. in 1 Cor. 41,5:PG 61,361; cf. Job 1:5.

>>1030 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.<<

“Imperfectly purified”? That’s a fail of Catholic Catechism right there.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (John 5:24)

Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 1 Corinthians 6:11 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are >b>sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Hopefully you noticed the “perfected for ever”. Perfected would indicate there is not more perfecting to be done. The RCC lies to you. Unless of course if you don’t believe that God inspired the writers so it’s His words we read.

I will put the words of God above the RCC.

Indeed! why, this past night was made more than usually interesting for me by my body's dramatic efforts to respond to some infection by purging the living ... well, by purging in every possible direction. LOL

God gives persuasive humility lessons, doesn't he? Too bad I forget them the minute I feel better.

But certainly, If you think that freedom is to do what you PLEASE you will end up with a very different worldview from the one held by those who think that freedom is that ability to know and choose the Good and to act on that choice.

Rnmomof7: look here.
Suppose: I have a torn sub-acromial ligament. I am, in the petty sense, free to go to PT and free to skip it. That is, generally, the common view of freedom, even among some Catholics.

But, if I do not go to PT, I will be weak, even crippled for the rest of my life. To choose NOT to go to PT is to choose evil.

To YOU, that is an exercise of freedom. Freedom may, you hold, choose to compromise itself, even to kill itself.

To US, that choice is a failure to be free, a failure of free will. Either the chooser is ignorant of the necessity of PT, OR he is ignorant of the importance, the excellence, of strength and health, or he is so fearful of the pain of PT that despite his longing for health he cannot 'make himself' go. (OR maybe he spent the medicine budget on floozies and cheap whiskey -- an entirely reasonable alternative to health, right?)

In other words, in our view the choice NOT to go to PT is probably a defective act of will, because the actor is ignorant, fearful, imprudent or intemperate. And if his family needs him to be strong, he also lacks the virtues of justice (he OWES support to his family) and Love (he should love his family enough to try to give them their due.)

A will that is beset with vices and ignorance is,in our view, not free. The saved and holy soul still in need of purgation willingly submits because his will, enabled and directed by God, knows the good, chooses the good, and acts on the choice. That is what I mean when I say "willing participation."

CHRISTUS VINCIT
Christ King of Glory

Acclamations VIII Cent.
Ambrosian Chant (Variant)

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!
Exaudi, Christe. Ecclesiae Sanctae Dei salus perpetua. Redemptor mundi, Tu illam
adjuva!

Christ Lord of glory, Christ Prince of nations, Christ our King of kings! Christ Jesus,
hear us. Perpetual safety and welfare to the Church of God. Redeemer, Savior. Assist
and strengthen her.

1. Sancta Maria: Tu illam adjuva!
O Mary blessed Mother. Assist and strengthen her.

2. Sancte Joseph: Tu illam adjuva!
Joseph holy guardian. Assist and strengthen her.

3. Sancte Michael Tu illam adjuva!
Blessed Michael patron Assist and strengthen her.

Optional (Sancte Patricii: Tu illam adjuva!)
Blessed Saint Patrick: Assist and strengthen her.

All repeat: Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

Exaudi, Christe. Pio summo Pontifici et universali Papae vita! Salvator mundi, Tu illum
adjuva!

Christ Jesus hear us. Life and health and blessings to Pope Pius our Holy Father.
Redeemer Savior, Assist and strengthen him.

1. Sancte Petre, Tu illum adjuva! 1. Rex regum!
Blessed Peter, Assist and strengthen him. King of kings.

2. Sancte Paule, Tu illum adjuva! 2. Rex noster!
Blessed Paul, assist and strengthen him. Christ our King

3. Spes nostra!
Christ our hope.

Repeat: Christus Vincit! etc.

Gloria nostra, Misericordia nostra! Auxilium nostrum! Fortitudo nostra, Ar ma nostra
invictissima! Murus noster inexpugnabilis! Defensio et exaltatio nostra!

Lux, Via, et Vita nostra! Ipsi soli imperium, Laus et jubilatio per infinita saecula
saeculorum. Amen.

Jesus our glory, Fountain of grace and all mercy. Source of all our blessing. Defender
in battle, Strong arm of our God invincible. Our stronghold and our exaltation. Our
captain leader who has won our salvation.

Christ Jesus, our life and light eternal. To Him only is victory all praise and jubilation.
Through all the endless ages of eternity. Amen.

Tempora bona veniant! Pax Christi veniat! Redemptis Sanguine Christi: Feliciter!
Regnum Christi veniat! Deo Gratias! Amen.

Abundance of good things be ours. The peace of Christ be ours. Redeemed by the blood
of Jesus. Proclaim our joy. May His holy kingdom come. Praise be to our God Amen.

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