Replies

It’s making the point that baptism of the dead is in vain and the result of false teaching, just as believing that the dead will not be resurrected is false teaching. Both are being rebuked by Paul as being nothing he ever taught or preached, to the church at Corinth or any other.

You do bring up an interesting point, though. So, under the beliefs of your church, people die, some die unforgiven and go to punishment and Hell, a small number of others are deemed righteous and in no need of refinement and go straight to heaven, but everyone else goes to purgatory, to be refined by fire for varying lengths of time depending upon the severity of their sins and transgressions while alive. Is this a fair assessment?

Then, upon resurrection, these people, those not condemned to Hell at least, are then put back into fleshly bodies at the resurrection after being in Heaven? And, these bodies are not like unto the body of Jesus Christ after resurrection, glorified, they are something less than that?

Pardon if there are errors in the above and pardon the casual, laymans language, but it’s the impression I’ve gained of Catholic belief over the course of years of reading, both here and elsewhere.

There is a particular and final judgement which I think you're describing. I also think your description of Purgatory is correct, to be more exact, here's a fuller quote from the Catechism:

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. 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:
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.

As I mentioned earlier, the scripture I've seen most often referred to concerning Purgatory is St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15:

"For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble: Every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire."

Thanks for your courteous reply.