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That is true for most branchs of Protestantism, yes. The Orthodox and the Catholics have the notion of Purgatory, where a soul goes through a transition of det

That is true for most branchs of Protestantism, yes. The Orthodox and the Catholics have the notion of Purgatory, where a soul goes through a transition of detachement of what prevents him/her to actually enjoy the close presence of God (ie. heaven). They also hold that people are not qualified to make a statement whether a person will go to hell (or heaven for that matter); hell defined as being away from God forever: those who repeadedly persist in not wanting to love God will not be forced to be with him. What is perverse is the attempt at bringing this judgement of the will on earth. If someone is in prison, is deepely remorseful and asking for help to ammend their ways, it should be our duty as a society to assist that person. Attempting to "play God" is in opposition with Christian dogma.

gspetr 9y ago
> The Orthodox and the Catholics have the notion of Purgatory What kind of orthodoxy are you talking about in this context? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church#Eschatology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church#Eschat... This one explicitly rejects Purgatory.
- athenot 9y ago
  You're right, the doctrines are not the same. But it's more nuanced: > Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Kallistos Ware acknowledges several schools of thought among the Orthodox on the topic of purification after death. This divergence indicates that certain Catholic interpretations of purgatory, specifically the satisfaction model, more than the concept itself, are what is universally rejected. Also, there are Orthodox sources that indicate some sins can be forgiven after death; but which also reject the teaching of purgatory because of the doctrine of indulgences and idea of literal purgatorial fire that are tied to it. Still other Orthodox hold to the notion of the Toll Houses and that those who pass through them after death have no assurance of final salvation. > Rather than say that the doctrine of Purgatory is a heresy, it is more accurate to say that it is an ancient ecumenical tradition which, due to the mysterious nature of the subject matter, Christians throughout history have interpreted and explained in a very wide variety of ways, some of which were strongly rejected by Eastern Orthodox Christians. from https://orthodoxwiki.org/Purgatory https://orthodoxwiki.org/Purgatory

gspetr 9y ago

> The Orthodox and the Catholics have the notion of Purgatory What kind of orthodoxy are you talking about in this context? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church#Eschatology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church#Eschat... This one explicitly rejects Purgatory.

athenot 9y ago
You're right, the doctrines are not the same. But it's more nuanced: > Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Kallistos Ware acknowledges several schools of thought among the Orthodox on the topic of purification after death. This divergence indicates that certain Catholic interpretations of purgatory, specifically the satisfaction model, more than the concept itself, are what is universally rejected. Also, there are Orthodox sources that indicate some sins can be forgiven after death; but which also reject the teaching of purgatory because of the doctrine of indulgences and idea of literal purgatorial fire that are tied to it. Still other Orthodox hold to the notion of the Toll Houses and that those who pass through them after death have no assurance of final salvation. > Rather than say that the doctrine of Purgatory is a heresy, it is more accurate to say that it is an ancient ecumenical tradition which, due to the mysterious nature of the subject matter, Christians throughout history have interpreted and explained in a very wide variety of ways, some of which were strongly rejected by Eastern Orthodox Christians. from https://orthodoxwiki.org/Purgatory https://orthodoxwiki.org/Purgatory