What are reasons for and against belief in purgatory?

Answer 1

A:Benedicta Ward and G R Evans (A World History of Christianity, The Medieval West) say that when, as frequently happened, people died penitent but with penances uncompleted or even with their sins unconfessed, they could hardly go to hell but if they had done no penance they could not go straight to heaven. There had, for centuries, been the germ of an idea that somewhere between heaven and hell there might be a place where the work of refashioning souls could be completed to make them fit for an eternity in heaven. The twelfth century developed this idea, now described as 'purgatory'. This developed the underlying reason to believe in purgatory, which became Catholic dogma. 2 Maccabees 12.40-46 provides some vague support for the doctrine of purgatory, referring to the offering of prayers and sacrifices in behalf of the dead, "that they might be delivered from their sin."

A reason against belief in purgatory is first of all that Second Maccabees 2 is designated by biblical scholars as a historical novel, in which case the sole deuterocanonical support for purgatory is destroyed. True, purgatory fills in the apparent gap between heaven and hell, but there is no good reason to believe every explanation that comes from the mind of man.

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Catholic Answer

There are no sins in purgatory, purgatory is just the purifying that God accomplishes in us after we die. All possibility for merit or sinning is gone after we have died, we have already been judged. The purifying is painful, and that pain is due to the removal of the effects left in us by sin - not by sin. To have reached purgatory one is guaranteed of heaven as one's sins have already been forgiven. An analogy might be helpful, if you hit a softball through a neighbor's window and break the window. You go over, knock on the door, and tell what you have done (confession), then you ask pardon and your neighbor forgives you (absolution). THEN you have to pay to fix the window, which is still broken (penance). The broken window is a result of your sin, not your sin per se. All sins affects the whole body of Christ, and some of this is obvious - stealing, adultery, murder, lying, slander, detraction: even if we are sorry, and forgiven, we still have to make restitution.

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So the argument for purgatory is simple - nothing imperfect can enter heaven, and few of us die imperfect. And as we are all members of the Body of Christ, our every sin mars the entire Body of Christ, so to enter heaven we must be perfect, and God's Mercy grants us this cleansing so that we are able to enter heaven if we have no mortal (deadly) sins on our soul. Even protestants believe in this process, although they think it to be instantaneous and certainly don't call it purgatory. Catholics do not believe have to believe in time in purgatory as we understand. Time is only a measure of change, and to a certain extent, no one can change after they have died, but to the extent that they are being purified there must be some kind of time involved as that is a change of a sort.

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The concept of purgatory is all through the Scriptures, although like many Christian beliefs (the Trinity, for instance) the word is not in the Scriptures. The clearest reference to praying for the dead in purgatory in order to help them is in 2 Maccabees (which is every bit as canonical as the rest of The Bible. Deuterocanonical books, such as Hebrews, James, II Peter, II and II John, Revelation, and Mark 16:9-29, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, I and II Maccabees, parts of Ester, and Daniel are every bit as much canonical as the proto-canonical books. Just because they were accepted at a later date into the Canon makes them no less inspired by God). See the references as the end of this answer.

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from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994 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.

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1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. (Cf. Council of Florence (1439): Denzinger-Schonmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, defniitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965) 1304; Council of Trent (1563) DS 1820; (1547); 1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336): DS 1000: . 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: (Cf. 1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7.):

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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. (St. Gregory the Great, Dail. 4, 39; J.P. Migne, ed, Patrologia Latrina (Paris: 1841-1855) 77, 396; cf. Mt 12:31)

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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." (2 Macc 12:46) 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. (Cf. Council of Lyons II (1274): DS 856) the church also commend almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

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Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that the 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. (St. John Chrysostom, Hom. In 1 Cor. 41, 5: PG 61, 361; cf Job 1:5 .

from Where is That in the Bible?, by Patrick Madrid Purgatory, like the Trinity, is a doctrine that is not mentioned by name in Scripture. It is, however, well attested to in the Old and New Testaments. The Catholic Church teaches that purgatory is a temporary state of purification that takes place after death for those who die in the state of grace and friendship with God (cf. Rom. 11:22), but who still have the vestiges of temporal effects due to sin, inordinate attachment to creatures, and whose will is not fully united with God's will. This purification involves suffering (St. Paul uses the analogy of fire to emphasize this), as the process of God's fiery love "burns" away all impurities that may remain. Once this process of purification is complete, the soul enters into God's presence, the beatific vision, in which the perfect bliss of beholding God face to face lasts forever.To explain purgatory, it's helpful to begin with this passage in Revelation 21 and show the need for being spotless and pure in God's presence. Purgatory is God's merciful and loving way of helping us to prepare ourselves to enter into the wedding feast of the Lamb.

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+ Revelation 21:27: "But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life."

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+ Matthew 22:1-14: "And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast." But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find." And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?" And he was speechless. then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." For many are called, but few are chosen.

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'"Other Citations

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Matthew 12:32 is not only helpful in showing that some sins are remitted in the "age to come" (i.e., in purgatory), but it also illustrates that Christians can lose their justification (i.e., "right standing before God") through serious sin.

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In Matthew 18:21-35 we see evidence of purgatory as well as the fact that a Christian can forfeit his justification by serious sin: "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

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In Luke 16:19-31, we see Lazarus in a place of tranquility and rest (Abraham's bosom). The Rich Man, however, finds himself in a place of fiery torment. Clearly, neither of these places was heaven (the two men were in two separate sections within Hades [Hebrew: Sheol = the underworld]), since Christ had not yet died on the cross and heaven was closed to all the righteous, who waited patiently for that day (cf. Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 3:18-20). Notice too that the Rich Man was interceding on behalf of his brothers still on earth. This is a clear example - given by the Lord himself - of intercession being made after death for those still alive on earth.

see also:

2 Maccabees 12:38-46

Matthew 5:21-26

Matthew 12:32

Matthew 18:21-35

Luke 12:58

Luke 16:19-31

1 Corinthians 3:10-16

1 Peter 3:19; 4:6