‘There is no such thing as purgatory.’(15 marks)

Question 1

 Purgatory is not explicitly referred to in the Bible but is part of
Catholic teaching and tradition.
 Purgatory reflects the practice of praying for the dead, something
which happens less often now. At some funerals people celebrate
the life of the person who dies, rather than simply praying for their
soul.
 If God is all-loving and all-powerful, why does a person who has
died have to go through purgatory?  There are some references in the Bible to people being purified by
fire after they die.
 Catholics still pray for the souls of the dead and this implies that
the souls still need help even after they have died.
 Nobody dies perfect, so in order to respect human freedom, God
has to allow those who have died to be cleansed and made new
before they enter God’s presence for eternity.
 If something is true, the changing times do not make any
difference – things do not stop being true just because the world is
different to what it used to be.
Possible sources could include:
 1 Cor 3:11-15, being purified through fire; reference to the prayers
of the Catholic funeral rite.