gilgames <GlgAs@netscape.net>
Re: Limbo, purgatory
<<
davewheeler1@ntlworld.com
If the Holy Spirit guides the Church's interpretations, one would
expect that guidance to be infallible. How come, then, that the Church
recently did a u-turn on limbo? Does it not suggest that the Holy
Spirit 'got it wrong' either recently or when the Church originally
promoted limbo as a real place?
Would you so kind to explain when and who changed the concept on the limbo?
Here is the Catholic Encyclopedia entry about the limbo
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09256a.htm
Here are two entries about the unbaptized children in the CCC
Current official Catholic teaching:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in CCC 1261: "As regards
children who have died without baptism, the Church can only entrust them
to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed,
the great mercy of God, who desires that all men should be saved, and
Jesus' tenderness toward children, which caused him to say, 'Let the
children come to me, do not hinder them' [Mark 10:14, cf. 1 Tim. 2:4],
allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have
died without baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to
prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy baptism".
The Catechism of the Catholic Church also states in CCC 1257: "The
Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation...The
Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry
into eternal beatitude...God has bound salvation to the sacrament of
Baptism..." Just because the Church is unaware of any other means does
not necessarily mean that such means are not available.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/limbo2.htm
Here is the result for the word purgatory in the CCC:
http://ccc.scborromeo.org.master.com/texis/master/search/?sufs=0&q=purgatory
Hello,
The Bible tells us that God seeks out worshipers who worship Him with
the truth. Joh 4:23,24,
"4:23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers
will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father
seeks such people to worship him.
4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit
and truth." (NAB)
"Limbo" in not a Bible doctrine, and the word is not found anywhere in
the Holy Bible.
Limbo was copied from Greek mythology. French scholar Salomon Reinach
wrote of the Greeks:
"A widely spread belief was that [the soul] entered the infernal
regions after crossing the river Styx in the boat of the old ferryman
Charon, who exacted as the fare an obolus [coin], which was placed in
the mouth of the dead person. In the infernal regions it appeared
before the three judges of the place . . . ; if condemned for its
crimes, it had to suffer in Tartarus. . . . The Greeks even invented a
Limbo, the abode of children who had died in infancy, and a Purgatory,
where a certain mild chastisement purified souls." (Orpheus-A General
History of Religions)
With regard to Limbo, Rome's Cardinal Ratzinger admits that it is
"only a theological hypothesis." Thus the Catholic Church considers
the doctrine of "limbo" as "not official Catholic teaching." (New
Catholic Encyclopedia)
Yet when I was in Parochial school, I was never told that. I believed
in Limbo with all my mind and heart. No nun or priest I was around
ever disputed it. I guess at that time they didn't care about Jesus'
words at John 4:23,24.
Concerning Purgatory, that doctrine is also not found in God's word,
the Holy Bible. (2 Ti 3:16) And the RC Church even admits that it is
not based on Scripture. The concept comes from men. Notice this
statement from the New Catholic Encyclopedia,
"The Catholic doctrine on purgatory is based on tradition, not Sacred
Scripture." (Vol. 11, p. 1034.)
Purgatory actually contradicts the Bible. The Bible teaches us that
the "dead know nothing". (Ec 9:5) That a soul can die. (Eze 18:4) The
dead are awaiting a resurrection of the "righteous" and the "wicked".
(Ac 24:15) Since death removes all past sins (Ro 6:7,23), the
resurrected one's will be judged on their conduct during the 1000 year
reign of Christ, not what they did in their previous lives. (Re
20:7-15)
Nowhere in any Catholic Bible translation is purgatory even named. No
Scripture text makes mention of a soul in purgatory. Who, then,
invented purgatory? From the years 590 to 604 Gregory, known as
"Gregory the Great," was pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the
first man to establish the doctrine of purgatory and to advance it as
a place of fiery elements to torment souls. Under the title
"Purgatory," Volume VIII of the McClintock and Strong Cyclopędia says:
"But whatever the views of some Church fathers on the subject, as a
doctrine it was unknown in the Christian Church for the first 600
years, and it does not appear to have been made an article of faith
until the 10th century. . . . 'Purgatory as a burning-away of sins,'
said Doellinger at the Bonn Conference of Old Catholics in 1875, 'was
an idea unknown in the East as well as the West till Gregory the Great
introduced it. . . . Gregory the Great added the idea of a tormenting
fire.'" (Edition of 1879.)
So in conclusion, since God actually "seeks" out people to worship Him
with the "truth", then those involved in religious organizations that
teach doctrines contrary to the Bible, would be wise to follow the
example of the ancient Bereans at Acts 17:11,
"These Jews were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they
received the word with all willingness and examined the scriptures
daily to determine whether these things were so." (NAB)
Sincerely, James
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