Purgatory is where people think other people go if they are not good enough for Heaven, but not bad enough for Hell. It is not mentioned in the Bible.

Roman Catholics and Purgatory

Roman Catholics believe in Purgatory and pay priests to say mass which they imagine eases the souls of deceased loved ones through that place. If you are a fearful faithful Roman Catholic you will hope that these Masses will help ease the time your departed loved one spends in Purgatory or get your loved one out faster. Naturally the RC Church gains financially from this. Naturally the RC Church is totally unmotivated by any possible financial gain but does all this solely as a service for departed souls and their relatives, just somehow they have not got round to providing this very valuable service free of charge.


Most Protestants don't believe in Purgatory and some have no clear idea what happens to those guilty of small sins. Some extreme Protestants believe that all sins even minor sins merit Hell and they spend their lives constantly just that bit frightened that they will end up in Hell over something or other. Of course their church uses the fear to control them. Then people imagine that believing in Jesus makes us happy.
