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Jibaro
Well firstly, the word Purgatory is not significant but the existance of it is. Even if the word does not exist in the bible doesn't mean that Purgatory itself does not exist...the word BIBLE isn't in the Bible but we have no problem with that. However depending on the version of the Bible one is using and the denomination of Christianity one believes in, the existance of Purgatory can be controversial. I have a gut feeling you will challenge me on the existance of Purgatory but it will be pointless if we are using different versions of the Bible (mine is the NAV) as reference because the deuterocanonicals, which support the believe in "Purgatory", are not in the NIV or the modern King James Version(I say modern since they were in the original King James translation but were removed in 1827 by the British and Foreign Bible society).
Anticipating a rebuttle stating "well if the deuterocanonicals were removed then they musn't be true inspired words of God". However lets get some history here. The final decisions on what will be included in the Bible (New and Old Testament) was done at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage in the years 393 and 398 respectively. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German he translated the entire Catholic Bible including the deuterocanonicals. But as most people know, his Protestant revolution protested the Catholic belief in praying for the dead (i.e Purgatory) fiercefully and in turn he removed from his translated Bible the books that the Church used to justify its belief. These books were the deuterocanonicals, Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation and were first placed as an appendix to the KJV but then the appendix was dropped in 1827 and deuterocanonicals where removed where as the rest were inserted into the New Testament. But what I find funny is this...how can one justify beleiving that the Councils of Hippo and Carthage's inclusion of the New Testament was inspired by God but the Old testament was not. If one rejects the Old then it should place doubt in the New Testament. SO, I feel that the rejection of the Old Testament books was done to help Luther justify his rejection of the Purgatory belief. So please don't state that since it is not in the NIV or KJV it is not inspired words of God because I find that argument flawed because I find the exlusion of books in those versions not justified. (But what is included in those versions is Awsome though, don't get me wrong)
As a side note, I think you misinterpereted me when I said "do you have to be Christian to get into heaven". I was saying do you have to believe in Christ to enter heaven. I was not saying will one enter Heaven if you are just branding yourself Christian while not actually believing.
But I'm glad at the end you stated "the FIRST THING you have to do is BELIEVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY IN JESUS" because it's so true.
Rachel
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