Purgatory is considered a state of limbo where the souls of the dead go who are denied entrance to heaven but are not sent to hell, either. It is a temporary state of punishment and purification. Purgatory plays a prominent role in Catholic religion, but is it just a construct of Catholicism or do its roots go further back?
History
Roman Catholics, among other Christians, believe in the existence of purgatory as a realm of the afterlife, as well as heaven and hell. The Catholic faith has been accused of the invention of purgatory for purposes of monetary gain through prayer performed by priests for the souls of the deceased in purgatory. It is usually pointed out that purgatory does not exist because the word is not found in the Bible, but some early Christian writings mention a type of limbo and stress the importance of praying for the dead. Praying for the dead seems to only make sense if there is another realm besides heaven and hell. There would be no need to pray for those in heaven nor would prayer help those condemned to hell if there were no hope of redemption.
Features
Although purgatory is often portrayed as a realm, it is most often viewed as a state of existence. In this state, the souls are still unclean and must be totally cleansed of all sin before being admitted to the heavenly realm. Fire is also associated with purgatory, although it is not a fire of eternal damnation but rather a cleansing fire. Purgatory is also associated with a realm of punishment, but the punishment is temporary. The intensity of the punishment and time spent in purgatory is affected by the good deeds done on earth, love of God, true repentance and the prayers of friends and family members.
Function
Purgatory functions as a type of purification that removes every last vestige of sin so that the soul can attain heaven. Souls that are not sinful enough to be condemned to eternal hell, yet are not totally free of sin, must enter the purifying realm of limbo before they can be admitted to heaven. But those souls are destined to unite with God in heaven, which is why they must go through the cleansing process. Souls in this sort of limbo go through a painful suffering and various trials. The fire associated with this realm is thought to be different than the type of fire we know.
Geography
So where is purgatory? Heaven is depicted as being above or in the realm of the sky, while hell is depicted as below or within the bowels of the earth. These locations are thought to be physical. Purgatory is often depicted as a mountain mostly due to Dante's Divine Comedy, but it is also sometimes depicted as a middle realm between heaven and hell or a level beneath hell. In most instances, purgatory is simply seen as a type of limbo perhaps suspended between the upper and lower realms of heaven and hell.
Benefits
The benefits of purgatory are substantial. Even though there are varying amounts of pain and suffering to be withstood in the realm of limbo, the final results are an eternity in heaven with God. Once cleansed of all sin, the soul is free to spend eternity in paradise. Not every soul will experience the same amount of suffering in purgatory, nor will every soul spend the same amount of time there. Both of these factors will be dependent partially upon the acts performed in the earthly life. It is believe that praying for the dead can expedite the time spent in purgatory. All souls are released from limbo at the final judgment.
Significance
Catholics are not the only ones who believe in purgatory? Other Christian denominations believe in a type of limbo also. Hinduism believes that souls reincarnate until they reach a state of union with God. They do not adhere to a belief in eternal damnation, but do believe in a type of limbo where souls are punished for misdeeds in between reincarnations. In Islam, hell is often viewed as a place of temporary punishment for some souls, while it is eternal for others. Judaism refers to Gehenna, which is often considered to be another name for hell. In Gehenna, the sinner undergoes a purification for a portion of time. Whether purgatory actually exists or not is impossible to say, but many religions mention different levels of both heaven and hell. The basis for the doctrine of purgatory may very well lie in one of those levels.
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