Sean Brady Steps Down

[T Fearon]

By living a good life,free as far as possible from sin, and believing, trusting that this will save you from such a horrendous fate.No other approach (certainly not discounting its possibility or ignoring it completely) would keep me sane.

[Hardy]

By living a good life,free as far as possible from sin, and believing, trusting that this will save you from such a horrendous fate.No other approach (certainly not discounting its possibility or ignoring it completely) would keep me sane.

But the teaching is that everybody is a sinner. Practically nobody escapes purgatory. You and I and our families, past, present and future - 99.9% of us anyway -  are CERTAIN to be undergoing now or about to undergo in the future the tortures of fire. That's what I'm asking whether you can contemplate and live with?

Do yourself a liberating favour and accept the obvious.

[T Fearon]

It's like asking how do I prevent mortal death in an earthly fire.I take as many precautions as I can practically,to minimise the risk.I don't simply say it's statistically very unlikely to happen or I don't believe it will happen.

Similarly with one's eternal fate.Do as best you can to avoid the worst possible outcomes.

[Hardy]

But, statistically, as we are all sinners, there is a minuscule possibility of avoiding that fate. And an even more minuscule one that ALL your closest family have avoided/will avoid it. That can't be an acceptable thought to contemplate.

Come on. You can do it. I'll help. repeat after me ...

It's

all

bollocks.

Doesn't that feel great?

[T Fearon]

That's wishful thinking,what if it is true,and you have not prepared? Why take the risk? Any form of bearable torment that has a finite ending is easier to contemplate than eternal torment.

Simply denying the possibility of something scary does not mean you avoid the actual scenario

[Hardy]

That's Pascal's Wager again. It's just a statement of fear. As Stephen Hawking put it - heaven is a fairytale for people who are afraid of the dark. The wishful thinking is on the part of the faithful. Wishing it to be true doesn't make it true.

Accepting the possibility that it might be true must raise the question of why one would think it is true. Accepting it just because you were told it as a small child is not a logically sound way of reaching a conclusion on its potential veracity. Have you ever tested the hypothesis in your imagination?

[T Fearon]

No,it comes from the very real concept that everything has a creator and a karma like instinct that doing wrong inevitably results in punishment.Furthermore I believe that Jesus existed and rose from the dead,and his mission in doing so.

As I said before if it's bollocks I have lost absolutely nothing anyway

[Eamonnca1]

http://www.catholic.com/blog/tim-staples/is-purgatory-in-the-bible

The basis of catholic belief in purgatory.

Why cannot people who don't believe not tolerate if not respect the opinions of those who do? What niggles those who react ferociously against believers? Could it be they are just not 100% convinced about their atheism?

You made a point that catholic doctrine is permanent and unchanging.

I made a point that it is not.

Instead of whining about people criticizing your beliefs, why don't you just stay on point and debate the topic?

[T Fearon]

The fundamentals never change,the emphasis and means of communication may.

[Eamonnca1]

So the existence or otherwise of purgatory is not a fundamental?

[Zip Code]

No,it comes from the very real concept that everything has a creator and a karma like instinct that doing wrong inevitably results in punishment.Furthermore I believe that Jesus existed and rose from the dead,and his mission in doing so.

As I said before if it's bollocks I have lost absolutely nothing anyway

Who created the creator?

[Lar Naparka]

No,it comes from the very real concept that everything has a creator and a karma like instinct that doing wrong inevitably results in punishment.Furthermore I believe that Jesus existed and rose from the dead,and his mission in doing so.

As I said before if it's bollocks I have lost absolutely nothing anyway

Oh. bollicks!
Tony, do you think the Church have a policy on retrospective redirection?

If there is no Purgatory, then I wasted thousands of Hail Marys, praying for the poor souls who are poor no longer because they weren't there in the first place.
All my childhood years wasted!
But I was thinking that if I contacted someone up there and asked that my prayers be re-directed to the "Please God, let Mayo Win an All-Ireland" department instead, it might be enough to get them over the line next year.
AS you know far more about those things than I do, would you please tell me who I'd need to pray to see justice being done at long, effin' last

[T Fearon]

Dont dwell on purgatory.Aim high,believe and avoid sin and you will go straight to heaven

[johnneycool]

Dont dwell on purgatory.Aim high,believe and avoid sin and you will go straight to heaven

So you don't need to go to mass, confessions and all that, thats good news..

[Zip Code]

Dont dwell on purgatory.Aim high,believe and avoid sin and you will go straight to heaven

So you don't need to go to mass, confessions and all that, thats good news..

Or be a catholic, it gets better!