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Thanks for your post and that prayer!

And, thanks for the advice. You would not believe the number of times I've heard that or something similar.

Purgatory, as a conceptual "place" with a purpose, fits in my growing understanding of the Heavenly Hierarchy.

First, let me say that I know that my ways are NOT His Ways. Using my human mind, I barely understand people and I've been one all my life. How am I to understand Him and His Ways, right?

However, I can see that, just like with any Bell curve look at humanity, there is a spectrum of believers from sinner to saint, according to my human perspective.

As it is, I've never been able to get my head around the idea that someone could mouth the Word, but not live the Word, and still be every bit as forgiven as someone with a truly repentant and confessed heart. Just walk right on through the Gate and into Paradise. No problemo.

Not saying it doesn't happen, just that I don't understand the mechanics of the process of how Heaven gets all the stains out before welcoming a soul home.

With some, life's most stubborn stains either remain or come back in spite of a seemingly effective baptismal cleansing.

Others have never even taken that bath, but instead just did a splash and go at the Holy Sink and went back to work.

I have friends who claim their belief when asked and similarly know what Jesus said about loving your neighbor, but that's not how they live. Not even close.

Hey, who am I to judge, but "loving their neighbor" is definitely not revealed by what they say and how they drive in heavy traffic, for example.

And, yes, that's been my face in that mirror, too. Let's be honest, there's no foolin' God and people are known to do what they mean more often than they say what they mean.

And some people are mean. There are the "holier than thou" types somewhere on the spectrum closer to a Pharisee-type Christian, who aren't a bit shy about detailing the ways that you're a sinning, wretched mess riding the world's rails straight to the Gates of Hell.

They know the Bible, but it doesn't feel like they live the Bible. You know what I mean? For them it's like it's all head stuff, but not much heart stuff.

For good decisions, a truer understanding and a better life experience, you need both the head and the heart. Or said in a bigger picture way, the Law and the Love. One without the other leads to error.

So, what of the proud of heart believers or the ignorant believers who've never examined their beliefs or learned His sayings or what of those who have but have never lived His sayings?

What of the unrepentant believer? What of those believers who still perhaps unknowingly have one or more of the Serpent's invisible spawn coiled within doing their ego's bidding?

There seems to be many classes or degrees of believer, yet I've read that as believers we all pass through the same door. I accept that as fact without knowing what that means. What is "the door" experience like?

All believers aren't the same. Once freed of its earthly body and realm, I figure that the more stained a soul is, the "heavier" the soul is and the lower its rise and resting place in the heavenly hierarchy until the Son lifts it up and washes it clean enough for Heaven. The heaviest souls sink all the way to the bottom.

For me and my understanding, purgatory, conceptually and as described in what I've read so far, is sort of like a found missing puzzle piece. It fits with the surrounding pieces I've found so far and, though the puzzle is still incomplete, with it in place I think I have a better view and understanding of the cosmic heavenly hierarchy.

As such, purgatory as a concept satisfies both my head and heart and hopefully has lead me to a better understanding to go with a now stronger faith and belief.

Works for me. Thanks for the help!

Purgatory, as a conceptual "place" with a purpose, fits in my growing understanding of the Heavenly Hierarchy.

Here: grow some more...

HEAVEN-The Mormon church teaches there are three levels of heaven (three "degrees of glory"):

Celestial - for Mormons who have kept ALL of the laws and ordinances of their church.

Terrestrial - for religious people who aren't Mormons and for Mormons who have not met the requirements of the Church.

Telestial - where unbelievers go

HELL: A place of torment from which the worst of sinners are resurrected (if they repent) into the Telestial kingdom; only a limited number remain in hell forever, - the devil and the demons and apostates who consciously reject and work against Mormonism.

SALVATION: A word that Mormons qualify in one of three ways: unconditional or general salvation is simply resurrection from the dead, granted to all through Christ's atonement; conditional or individual salvation involves entering the celestial kingdom through works of Mormonism; full salvation means exaltation to become a God as a result of temple ceremonies and other works. The word 'salvation' can have a two-fold meaning: a) forgiveness of sins and b) universal resurrection:

"There will be a General Salvation for all in the sense in which that term is generally used, but salvation, meaning resurrection, is not exaltation" (Stephen L. Richards, Contributions of Joseph Smith, LDS tract, p.5).
"All men are saved by grace alone without any act on their part, meaning they are resurrected" (Bruce McConkie, What Mormons Think of Christ", LDS tract, p.28).

The Mormons have several different levels of "salvation".

General salvation- in Mormon theology, the death of Christ ransoms men from the effects of the fall (Mormon Doctrine, p.62), except for a few sons of perdition who fell with Lucifer. Thus, all mankind will eventually receive general salvation because all men will be resurrected.
Individual salvation - to obtain individual salvation, the standards set forth by the Mormon church must be met. This comes by grace plus baptism plus works.
Exaltation - different degrees of exaltation
Eternal life on the other hand is reserved for the elite few who qualify and are found worthy of this "honor" or "reward" and who will move on to be "exalted." This salvation is in fact the personal "exaltation" or the fast track of the "eternal progression" process in attaining your own self-made status of godhood in order to people your own planet.