(January 29, 2018 at 4:53 pm)SteveII Wrote:(January 29, 2018 at 4:33 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: For the record, I do agree that Heaven is a state of perfect holiness and we cannot be in that state until our hearts are completely pure.
Steve, what are your thoughts on Purgatory? Purgatory makes sense to me, personally. It allows the person to transition into a state of perfect holiness before reaching Heaven, since I assume the vast majority of us are not there yet when we die.
I'm not sure any Protestant group believes in Purgatory. Almost all doctrine in Protestant churches is supported directly with the Bible (sola scriptura) and I don't think there is a reading of the Bible that gives us Purgatory.
Most don't realize the most significant difference between the two main branches of Christianity is that the Catholic Church follows the doctrine that the Catholic Church (via the Pope--the direct spiritual successor of the Apostle Peter) continues to be a conduit for new revelation from God that can add to the NT with the authority of Christ himself. The protestant branch believes that nothing should be added to the NT. Understanding this helps in understanding why there are added layers that Catholics believe.
Ok. Yeah, I was aware that purgatory was mainly a catholic belief, but didn't know if there were still denominations of protestant out there that thought it might be a possibility.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
