The Roman Catholics believe that purgatory is a place between heaven and hell. It is a place where people that are to good for hell and to bad for heaven go. Factoid #15- Roman Catholics believe that Moses was sent to purgatory.

As a child learning about my faith as a Roman Catholic, I was taught that purgatory is a place between heaven and hell where the newly deceased wait until judgement is made as to whether or not they go to heaven or hell. It is also believed that those in purgatory have not had enough people praying for them.

The Roman Catholic Church no longer believes purgatory to exist, but it was Church dogma until the Second Vatican Council. Purgatory was a kind of "way station" on the way to heaven, where people were punished for their sins until they were fit to enter Heaven. The difference between Purgatory and Hell was that the souls in Hell did not accept Jesus as their Saviour, which damned them to eternal torment. The souls in Purgatory had accepted Jesus, but they needed to be punished for their sins to "balance the scales" as it were -- their stay in Purgatory was only temporary. For a more poetic account of medieval Roman Catholic doctrine about Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory read Dante's Divine Comedy: Il Inferno, Il Purgatorio, and Il Paradiso. Note that until the Second Vatican Council, the RCC held that the so-called "virtuous unbaptized", like Moses or Socrates, went to the First Circle of Hell, known as Limbo. Limbo was eternally dark, but the souls there were not punished. Limbo would also hold the souls of infants who died before baptism. Since the Second Vatican Council, the RCC's official stance on the virtuous unbaptized is that it does not know where their souls go, although it hopes that God treats them well.

Purgatory means, " to purge" thus it is a "state of purification" where the souls of those who have attained Heaven go to be cleansed of the temporal punishment due to sin because scripture tells us ," nothing unclean shall enter Heaven." We believe in the doctrine of purgatory because we believe scripture teaches about it, especially in Maccabees and in Matthew, and it follows the quote from Revelation sited above. The Catholic Church has never changed it's beliefs in 2000+ years. She may promulgate new understanding but she has never added to nor taken away from the "deposit of Faith".

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 'The Final Purification, or Purgatory '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 (cf. 1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7): '"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, d. 604) '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. 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." (St. John Chrysostom, d. 407)'

Definition of purgatory: "According to the teaching of the [Roman Catholic] Church, the state, place or condition in the next world...where the souls of those who die in the state of grace, but not yet free from all inperfection,make expiation for unforgiven venial sins or for the temporal punishment due to venial and mortal; sins that have already been forgiven, and by doing so, are purified before they enter heaven." (New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol XI, p. 1034) Not a Bible teaching!

Here is one very clear passage that implicitly shows that a place of "purging" or paying off does indeed exist... Matt 5:23-26 "23 If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee; 24 Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift. 25 Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.26 Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing." If a sin can be forgiven in the next age, as implied by this following verse, then what is that if not "purgatory" (name is a name...) Consider this about the "unpardonable sin". Matthew 12:31-32 "31 Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." What world to come will that sin not be forgiven in? Oh? So there is an implied forgiveness of some sins (veniel in nature) sometime after death. This is what "purgatory' is about, not some post death second chance! There is no such thing. A person in "purgatory" is being cleansed of sins "not unto death". (1st John 5:16-17) "16 He that knoweth his brother to sin a sin which is not to death, let him ask, and life shall be given to him, who sinneth not to death. There is a sin unto death: for that I say not that any man ask. 17 All iniquity is sin. And there is a sin unto death." All you "Bible scholars" out there explain what St. John is speaking of in that passage right there! You can't! Because it clearly tells us that there is a difference between sins (Mortal and veniel we call them). You have no answer for this...I know because I was one of you for over 34 years and your preachers won't preach on this because it plainly shows a BIBLICAL basis for the Catholic teachings on mortal and veniel sins and in the context of the other verses I have cited will most definitely lead you to conclude (if you are honestly seeking truth!?) that the Catholic Church is teaching a Biblical doctrine that you have been led astray from. This is exactly why I left your churches after so many years. You are the ones that have the new winds of doctrines that you are being blown all over by as you heap to yourselve teachers having itching ears. You cannot trace your teachings back beyond the so-called reformation...a mere 487 years ago. This particular teaching goes all the way back to the NT and further because the Orthodox Jews also believe in a place of cleansing from sins after death. (I talked to one about it!) Could that not be part of why you have been cheated out of some of the books in your Bible, so that you have no access to 2nd Maccabees 12:46 which says, "46 It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." Please note the commentary of the DR-Challoner OT "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead"... Here is an evident and undeniable proof of the practice of praying for the dead under the old law, which was then strictly observed by the Jews, and consequently could not be introduced at that time by Judas, their chief and high priest, if it had not been always their custom.

There is another word that is not in the Bible either and that is the word Trinity. How many non-Catholics believe in the Trinity? A lot! They believe in what the word represents being; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The same goes with the word Purgatory. The Bible gives evidence of the state of Purgatory as follows: According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "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." In Purgatory all remaining love of self is transformed into love of God. As Rev. 21-27 states, nothing defiled can enter heaven. Prayers from those still living on earth can help free those who are in Purgatory who are unable to pray for themselves. The Bible shows the following: (Mt. 12-32) - that some sins are forgiven in the next world: (Mt. 12-32) - And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come (some sins can be forgiven after death-where? Purgatory) (1 Cor 3:13,15) - Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. (15) If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. (the fire is the purification of Purgatory). (1 Peter 3:19-20) - By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah…(After Jesus' death he went and preached to the spirits in prison that were disobedient. Now, these prisoners were not in Heaven or Hell, where were they? These spirits are in a waiting place being purified for their disobedience, the place is called Purgatory.) (2 Machabees, 12-46) - It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins. What proof do we have from the early Christians? We have the graffiti in the Catacombs. On the walls above the graves of the early Christians during the first 3 centuries, there are many references for prayers for the dead. Why would there be prayers for the dead if they were already in Heaven? If they were some where other than Heaven or Hell, then they would need prayers. Also, there is no evidence in early writing that there was a struggle with this belief, it was accepted and well known. To this day Orthodox Jews still pray for the souls of their dead friends and relatives. So the notion of Purgatory is far from being an invention of the Catholic faith, it goes back way before Christ.

I dont beleive in the trinity except the trinity of Shiva. Purgatory is the supposed place people go(according to the catholics) to await judgement. No proof whatsoever supports the existance of such a place. also referred to as limbo. a place between.