Essay
A* essay on purgatory
- Institution
- OCR
This essay crucially examines whether it is more logical to understand purgatory or hell. IT includes all the content needed to approach this question as it is a difficult subject.
[Show more]
Content preview
Discuss the view that purgatory makes more sense than hellIn Christian eschatology, teachings about life after death are the focal point of the understanding of
Christians. The issue of what occurs after death has plagued Christian's thought throughout history;
the typical idea is after demise Christians are sent to heaven, hell and purgatory after the final
judgement. In this essay I will argue whether the concept of purgatory is more comprehensive than
hell.
The concept of purgatory may appear to be more logical than the idea of hell. Purgatory is
understood to Catholics as a post-mortem state prior to heaven in which a person has a foretaste of
the beatific vision and continues the process of purifying before entering heaven. The mere fact, the
beatific vision is perceived as the ultimate goal for Catholics to experience thus further emphasises
how Catholics want to eternally enjoy the presence with God enabling them to further develop and
flourish in their Catholic faith and acts as an insensitive to live a morally good life. As such, the idea
of purgatory is plausible to some due to the biblical references in the Catechism, ‘Purification, so as
to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven’. This strengthens the argument how
during the process of purgatory, purification is necessary as ‘nothing impure will ever enter’ , further
indicating purity of the sin will be prohibited to be in the presence of God eternally in heaven. This
insinuates once one has undergone the purification of purgatory it will enable Catholics to live their
ultimate goal with the Classical Theistic God as they will be able to thrive in their desired world in
the afterlife. Thus, this argument is weakened as Catholic thinkers refute this concept and assert
that instant transformation of purifying one's sin in purgatory would be overwhelming rather than
modifying them. This conveys this process needs to be gradual purification as one needs to respond
to it freely rather than a sudden change by God’s power. As such it may propose if one undergoes
this purification too quickly it will not have the same effect as if it was carried out cautiously and
perhaps even experience a better result of flourishment if it is done in adagio. Thus, further
emphasises after demise it has to a time of slow but sure modification and ascent towards God – as
this notion illustrates why Catholics have Masses for the deceased. This strengthens the argument as
it implicitly alludes how the prayers of living are beneficial to those who are in their state of
purgatory as they are bestowed the grace to purify themselves at a quicker pace to enter the
presence of God. As such this notion is developed by the Catholic Church as they hypothesise the
Catholic teaching demonstrates how purging of sin started in earthly life through confessions and
redemption - perhaps this signifies how Catholics will voluntarily purge themselves by correcting
through moral good (helping those in need) to have a quicker process of purification in the afterlife,
thus allowing them to be in the presence of God quicker. The critical issue here is when we compare
this view with the protestant theologian David Brown there are similitudes in this view. Brown
postulates there is a need for some sort of purgatory as he defines this state as ‘place of moral
preparation... involves some kind of purgatorial pain that is seen as a necessary consequence of
rectification of moral wrong doing’. Perhaps this signifies we have to face our wrong doings in life in
this state as it will allow one to prosper in the beatific vision. This shows how this concept of
purgatory is logical as this stage of purification will allow people to become better Christians as they
will ultimately be sin free.
On the contrary, some people may find the concept of hell as a literal place more convincing than
purgatory, where one encounters after death. The traditional depiction of hell is a place of
everlasting punishment with the absence of God. The idea of hell is highlighted in the parable of 'the
Rich Man and Lazarus', where 'the rich man died and was buried. In Hades(Hell), where he was in
torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side'. Perhaps, this parable
suggests the damned will suffer endless pain if they do not concede the teaching of God and follow
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller monaemarie. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
59325 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now