But why is Purgatory an idea in your church? I mean no offense, but I find it strange and frightning that you guys would believe that you wouldn’t go into God’s hands directly after your death, for all of us are his creation but into a fiery place to wash yourselves. And since you said “strive to live a life of virtue,” shouldn’t that mean Catholics believe in good works saving them? and you mention “God’s judgement” and how it’s Just, you seem to miss the whole point of Christ’s existance on earth: To redeem us from our sin through his grace[/quote:xa065037]
Why Purgatory? Well first of all it is Biblical. The Catholic Faith being Scriptural teaches what Jesus taught. No Catholic who knows his faith would say that Salvation is possible without Christ. Our works are of no use if we are not living a life of sanctifying grace, and do not unite our intentions with Christ. It is ignorance of the authentic teachings of the Catholic Faith that they are taught that Catholics do not believe Jesus is the source and reason for our salvation. Follow the link below, as it would be redundant to retype the various verses, and historicity of the teachings of the Church on Purgatory, as evidenced by the Christians from the time of the Apostles down to our present day.

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/purgatory_qa.html

If we look at what many Protestant sects teach, it is a trunkated Bible, a “proof text” here or there, ignoring the other references in Scripture that give one a whole picture of salvation.

The main difference between Catholic and Protestant doctrine is that many Protestant sects isolate “proof texts” out of historical and lingustic context, they ignore the rest of Scipture and make one text say what they want it to say.

If I told you that my car runs by Gas, it would be true. However it runs by Gas, a carburator, spark plugs, points, rotor, wires, condensor, any any number of other parts. When a Catholic looks at the Scriptures, he looks at it as an entire history of salvation, not as a dead book of rules, but a living text, not living on it’s own but by the very Church through which God gave the Scriptures through, guided by the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus. The Scriptures themselves do not tell us to decide for ourselves the meaning of Scipture, after all the Ethiopian was intelligent (and spiritually decserning enough) to know that he could not understand the Scriptures unless someone teach him. The scriptures also tell us the St. Paul had become a Father to those he converted. We are also admonished in Heb. 13:17, [quote:xa065037]Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.[/quote:xa065037]
In this passage we see two things, first the notion held by many Protestants that Christian is the arbitrator of the truth himself, and you will not, that those who have rule over us will have to give account of what they have done. Just as in Scrioture Jesus tells us that we have to give account for ourselves. If there is no personal responsibility, and consequence for our actions because we just deliver ourselves to God and no longer have any responsiblity, than we had better get out the whiteout so the Scriptures will conform to the theology of modern-day evangelical/Baptist/SDA etc.