All Comments on 'Purgatory'

Love of money is the root of all evil!

4

Another Cliffhanger. Oh well. Thanks for an inspirational story. Plenty of food for thought.

One quick, just-imagined, possible follow-up:

Julia found herself in the same place, in front of the same office. She walked back in, "Why am I still here?" . . .

"Well, your understanding, remorse, and desire to try and make things right were enough to let you into heaven, but apparently, your personal feelings of guilt and sense of responsibility are preventing you from getting in. We aren't stopping you, YOU are stopping you.", Peter explained.

"What do I do?", Julia asked.

"Well, we could always use help around here. It's rare we get a lawyer with a conscience and sense of personal responsibility, as well as wanting the best for others! That type usually goes straight to heaven . . . the others, not so much." . . . He laughed . . . Actually, for the most part, there have been and are many good attorneys in the universe . . . but still, we could definitely use someone like you. Perhaps you can work off some of the 'evil' you feel so responsible for. Purgatory's not a great place . . . but it's not all bad for those stuck here (which is more than you might imagine). Perhaps you can help change some of them, help get them pointed in the right direction! Maybe eventually you'll forgive yourself too, and can move on . . . or maybe this IS where you can do the most good!".

Julia thought to herself, "I'll be here a long time . . . I can never forgive myself, but I can be better, I can learn and help others. I'll do right this time. I wonder if my kids and Tony will someday forgive me, and maybe I can see them again. Can I watch over them from here? So many things to learn about this place . . . Time to get started!".

Peter smiled to himself . . . Good intentions are easy to find in purgatory, but carrying through on those good intentions is a lot tougher, and competent help and intelligence was also somewhat rare. He was actually a bit optimistic about Julia though. If she could hang on to her newer convictions, she could be a real boon here, but he too suspected it might be quite a while before she could forgive herself, if ever - which in such cases, is as it should be. He was actually in a good mood until his next entrant walked in . . . some football player named LaValliere. This could turn out to be a rotten February!

It's strange, because it's pretty much always the same.

Just like in a restaurant.

When it comes to the bill, nobody ever wants to pay.

Excellent read and a great ending. 5 Stars - CindyTV

Interesting

Nice ending. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Great story. One comment about the purported negative of Julia defending a guilty rapist. All civilized countries require lawyers to defend clients to the best of their abilities. It is up to the judge/jury to determine in an adversarial proceeding whether a person is guilty, not the lawyer.

5*s + for a superb little tale. It makes my favorites list!

5***** Stunningly Great Story!!! Redemption through true repentance based on love for others. You mentioned the religion dogma correctly. The Commandments apply to the religious ... and atheists as well.

Left it ripe for a continuation, if desired, for Julia to awaken at some point in her past and make new choices. OR she could be returned to help out some other selfish soul that was headed down the path of destruction. Lots of options for a continuation. Consider this a humble request.

5* -- superb tale .... It's added to my favorites too. I loved how you ended it.

Excellent tale! 5 *s from me. I suspect the paper gave Julia a thumbs-up for heaven. But Julia took it and walked through the door without looking at it and not knowing her ultimate fate.

Very well done. Tight writing with a lovely twist. Thank you.

Yeah a rewrite of another authors story and not as good as original not by a long shot

I agree with Boyd love of is root of all evil but not the war type evil alas that comes from religion that is the root of all wars if money and religion never existed then evil and war would never be what it is today

WTF? This is literally the SECOND sequel TODAY where the woman dead because of her cheating goes to purgatory! At least (unlike Linebacker's sequel to saddletrump's story - which I hated for being a useless RAAC), this one is actually OK, if a bit meh. I don't see any reason for it to exist, honestly, but at least she's sorry for her choices without forcing herself onto her husband as an undeserved reward for her being sorry. And it was short, so reading it didn't feel like a waste of time. So, 4 stars, but honestly I wish you wrote something BTBish and good like your other stories, instead of this sequel that didn't add much to the original.

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Also, "money is the root of all evil" is a dumb disgusting saying, mostly by far left wing idiots who don't understand anything about either money OR evil (being they worship the socialist ideology which killed 100M people last century, twice as much as nazis). All money is, is a convenient way to normalize voluntary exchange of goods, so that you don't have to barter the nails you made for bread, butter, meat, cloths and housing. I especially like that this saying comes from Catholic church representative in the story... y'know one of the wealthiest organizations in the world, which pioneered LITERALLY selling "get out of hell" cards for money - getting so bad that it kick started Reformation.

I smiled. Thank you for that, dear author!

Yeah….that was good.

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It was odd that even dead and getting things explained to her by St.Peter she was STILL deluded about the guy that killed her:

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“That he is a violet womanizer. He hated women and he was probably just using you."

"No, that isn't true. I admit he wasn't the nicest of men, but he isn't like that," Julia objected.

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4 ****

First, it’s not “Money is the root of all evil.” That’s a false twisting of the actual verse, which says “The LOVE of money is the root of all evil.” The best translation replaces “love” with “obsession”. If someone is so driven for money, which is power, that they will do anything for it, then they are mired in evil.

Next, Christianity doesn’t teach that we are judged by balancing our good acts vs our evil ones. That was the belief of the ancient Egyptians as represented in The Book of the Dead. Rather, The New Testament is quite clear that even one sin condemns us, and only repentance can allow us to be made clean. As for adultery, the NT is also clear about that. Jesus didn’t forgive the woman taken in adultery. He suspended her death sentence, and told her to start the repentance process.

The wife in this story knew that she had promised herself to her husband. She betrayed him of her own free will, knowing it was wrong. She didn’t repent before her death. She would NOT be given the opportunity to repent after death. Her eternal torment will be to look up at her husband, happy with his new, younger, prettier, faithful wife, who her children love, and who gives him more children. She will know that they are happy, and she will never be happy again!

ZK

Yah mean, she fell through!

Captcha

A well told story but it does promote the disinformation that is religion. It gives voice to the lies pushed by those who promote such rubbish.

Well written but it's as believable as the story "The devil in Miss Jones"

Great short story Very promising for followup stories thanks 5 big stars

I take it that there will be no ending

Just a nit here:

"I wish God had been clearer to Moses that the Ten Commandments applied to everyone and not just the Jewish people. You are bound by the Ten Commandments, as is everyone, and you broke clause 7,"

I get that it's effective story-telling, but your theology is faulty. According to Torah, Jews are bound by the 10 commandments (and all the other commandments - a total of 613). Jews believe that all humanity is bound by the 7 Noahide laws (according to Talmud, given to Adam and subsequently to Noah). Don't worship idols. Don't curse G-d. Don't commit murder. Don't commit adultery. Doin't steal. Don't eat flesh from a living animal. Establish courts of justice.

End of sermon. Good story!

@inka2222 (and @Dalton402) The FULL bible quote is "The *love* of money is the root of [all evil]." Money is not the problem. Greed is.

So, I can only give you partial credit for a refreshing read. I fully expect part 2 shortly - LOL! 4.0* for now...

Oh No… Where is the writer FTDS (Finish the Damn Story) when you need him? *3* until Ch 2 arrives!

Partial credit for unfinished story.

Also, "Yes, they do say money is the root of all evil" is pure bullshit. It never says money is the root of evil. I hate how modern bullshit distorts that. Don't believe me ?

Hebrews 13:5 "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have. . ."

Ecclesiastes 5:10 "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless."

1 Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

I don't insist on people living by the Bible. But if you're telling stories including St. Peter, I'd assume HE'd know the scriptures well. He was part of Jesus' original posse.

The 10 commandments are not just binding on a Jews, the Hebrew Scripture is part of the Christian Bible so at least is binding on Christians as well. I am not traditionally religious, but Christ specifically says he is upholding Jewish law.

The quote is that love of money is the root of all evil, basically it is when you covet money for money's sake, rather than being able to get the things you need. The person with 200 billion in stock who wants it to be 300b is exactly that. This follows what Christ taught , he told people that wealth should be given away. When wealth itself becomes the object is what that statement is about, bc that money itself has no meaning.

Cheaters don't deserve any chance of redemption, period. Took a 5 star story to 2 stars. I gave 2 because of this unique presentation. Otherwise, I would have struggled with 1 star.

An interesting little story just so long as all realize it's just that--a story with absolutely no biblical base. You'll spend eternity in Heaven or Hell depending on your relationship with Jesus Christ--period. Nothing you can do will earn you salvation--it's a free gift to all who accept Christ as their savior.

Dlh143, I hope you give careful consideration to your viewpoint. Are you really so perfect you don't need forgiveness?

Dlh143 wrote:

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"Cheaters don't deserve any chance of redemption, period."

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But they get it all the time, don't they?

Wow, lots of very personal narrow-minded views of politics, religious beliefs, and self-righteousness stirred up by this tale. That's a sign of a successful story! Good work, Dalton!!

Actually, it's the love of money which is the root of all evil. Money itself is not, or poor people would never be evil.

Good story, but I don’t believe that it would be quite that easy for her to turn things around. She broke at least 3 commandments. She committed adultery, she coveted Quinton’s lifestyle and money, and probably told a few lies along the way. It was fun to read, but Regguy had a good idea for continuing the story.

One page flash stories, Nah.

FTDS. Cheating wives buy a non-stop ticket. Remorse after the fact is not genuine remorse...

C24J, great comment.

I think c24j’s continuation is awesome. It has the right flavour and gets the idea of purgatory right. I always loved the idea of purgatory because it is the most human of the parts of the Cosmos. I say this because the emotion most on display there is hope. If you are in purgatory, it means that you are guaranteed entry into heaven—eventually. If god can see all in the Catholic vision here, then god can see into the heart. And know whether repentance is real. Purgatory is a place of WORK. A place to remove the carbuncles that have accreted on an otherwise good soul. And what of her lack of remorse before death? How are we to know what happened in the seconds before her death in her own mind. It is possible that the conversation with Peter is a representation of what she was thinking just before she died. As for those who suggest that the only people saved are those who believe in Jesus Christ? As the Dude Who Abides once said: “Well, that’s like your opinion, man.”

There an only be another chapter.

I like this story, but not as page at a time. If there is a part 3 Peter could send her back to previous decision point with memory intact. And when she doesn’t do it she never has done it. I think everyone has a decision or 2 they would like to have a do over on. 4⭐️ because 1 page at a time sucks.

Great story, she’s still a lawyer that should automatically put her in Hell. Enjoyed that she finally understood she hurt so many people for her selfish actions.

Thanks for writing.

So what was her fate?

This is a porn site. Leave the religious baloney out.

In the end the ending was a misfire. The repentance is meaningless since it was not done to Tony and her children. 2 stars

An awful lot of theology and bible quotes in the comments for a porn site. :-D

Husband after he dies: "Ugh...I guess they just let anybody in."

What moron sent to purgatory wouldn't repent when given the chance? Zero people would be going to hell if that was the way it was setup.

She got in. I think it was her line about repenting but forgiveness that won it for her because it gives proof of her remorse.

It bugs me that she didn't know about her lovers history though. She's a criminal defense lawyer and her lover has a long history that required the service of criminal defense lawyers. And from the sound of things he hired some of the best. There's no way that either she, someone she works with at her firm, or another lawyer, didn't know about this dude and warned her. She's like an oncologist that smokes asbestos flavored vape.

Regguy nailed chapter 3...

@muskyboy, I agree. It's like a deathbed confession where you're just trying to save yourself.

With her eyes closed the sensation of falling was even greater.

@ZackStevens - I was very specifically responding to the wording in the story, not the original wording; but you are correct about the original

This is nice if you are a Catholic but for those who are Christian it is a different story if you don't ask for forgiveness while you're still alive after you die you are going straight to hell!

@c24j: Thanks for bringing Marc into the purgatory scenario. Popular opinion, myself included, is probably holds 99% to 1% that ML is destined for a one way, no stop ticket to the fiery pit to receive the ultimate BTB roasting. But as the preachers often remind us only God knows what is in the heart of a man. Perhaps Marc's extenuating circumstances will get a Purgatory term limited sentence. Or not. I hope someone pics on your February Sucks riff and spins a tale out of it. Dalton402; thank you for a clever and most entertaining follow on to the original story. 5 stars.

-- @Anony . . . Thanks, glad you enjoyed some of those after-thoughts I had after reading the story. I don't believe in an afterlife actually, but if there is one, when purgatory is brought to bear, it certainly opens up TONS of possibilities.

Marc did terrible things, but was it because of something terrible done to him that left him messed up? He ruined perhaps a few dozen or more lives, but he made tens of thousands (or more) happy on a regular basis with his skills as a sports star/entertainer. He may have been an ass to some, but might also have cared for and loved his fans. So maybe he was misled into his need to go after married women, that can not all be on him . . . and it might be just one terrible (maybe fatal) flaw in what would otherwise have been a decent person, who did a lot of good. How can we know? Yes, the idea is that it would fall to someone or something better than us to judge.

And yes, Dalton did a great job on this one!

-- @Slider, not all Christians believe as you do . . . Catholic or not. It's probably best not to generalize and judge. Leave that for a higher power perhaps.

-- @other Anony who asked 'what moron wouldn't repent?' That was the beauty of Dalton's version (which for all we know may reflect the reality) . . . The repentance MUST be sincere, and she was warned NOT to repent immediately if she couldn't truly mean it. Yes, any moron would say the words, but the words possibly lead to damnation if not sincere . . . so one had to be think about it, by sympathetic, empathetic, AND honest, and many sent to purgatory may not be capable (at first) of sympathy and/or empathy and/or honesty . . . even to themselves. It might be some time before some had learned enough in purgatory to sincerely repent.

-- @those pointing out this is a porn site (sort of) . . . well, in many ways, to many of us, lots of scripture from the various major religions is pornographic. Some biblical stories should be right at home here.

-- @onlythelove - Thanks, I just kept thinking about this story. I would, if it's okay, debate one point . . . it seems to me purgatory would NOT necessarily 'guarantee' salvation (though it should make it MUCH more likely). Those who never learned to be truly empathetic, or remorseful, or repentant, along with those who can not learn to be honest to themselves, and may think they can get by by claiming to be repentant when they weren't, might still be destined for an eternity in purgatory, or even a less desirable sojourn to lower levels, as it were. Purgatory as a place where the NOT hopelessly corrupted can work on themselves is actually comforting. But along with that, I'd think the idea of 'eventually' (getting into heaven) may never come for those unwilling to put in the work called for.

@kage440 & @onlythelonelylove & Anony . . . I also kind of like the idea (which could be real, who knows) that at a certain point, it wasn't and judge keeping her out . . . it was only her own realization and feelings of being undeserving that prevented her from moving on. She became her own harshest . . . which is as it should be for good and decent people.

She deserves a nice BTB treatment, that's for sure... and then..., lover Quentin should suffer even more...

Gardenshed should be in hell for being a moron

Is god getting more tolerant bc of the degression of morality and population increase lol

@c24j, Thank you for all your kind comments

As an author, it does mean a lot when someone likes your work and gets the message behind the story. Not everyone likes my writing because I put a lot of grey in my stories and my penchant for happy endings but I think more do than don't. A permanently burnt cheater is more popular than a redeemed one it appears. The Loving Wives category can be a bear pit sometimes. I left the ending open so the readers can decide if Julia went to Heaven or Hell because the ending works better that way, I think.

What do they say half of marriages have had cheating by at least one over the years and the divorce rate probably higher. I guess most would wind up in hell. Lol

ROFLMAO... "This is nice if you are a Catholic but for those who are Christian".... I'm not even any kind of Christian denomination but I have enough brain cells to know Catholics, for all their literal and figurative sins, are, y'know, "Christians". Like, the ORIGINAL kind, sorta. All'y'all Baptists and such are just offshoots from Catholics, after Reformation. Even Mormons are the same church as you, much as y'all like to pretend they ain't

A wise man once said: "Woe to us humanity if there really is justice in the universe!"

Well done!

I guess the Christian’s would love this one.

Great writing and well paced 5stars

@Dalton402, It was a really fun and interesting follow-up story you provided.

Frankly, I'm often a bit put-off by after-life pleasure or punishment stories, but in this case, purgatory is a great take, and you handled it well. In many ways there is a strong sense of tragedy . . . a life screwed up by a bad decision that can't be undone, mixed with the desire to somehow make things right. Working one's butt off for (perhaps) ages helping others (in an attempt to atone for something for which one can't quite forgive oneself) is how I'd see it playing out, if such a playing field existed. I suppose, progress through reincarnation somehow slowed by one's guilt would be another possibility.

When it comes to BTB, one's personal guilt and remorse always seemed the most meaningful (and in many ways the most severe punishment) . . . and what a great venue for that purgatory provided.

This story and how it might play out just really got stuck in my imagination! Nicely done!!

Dalton, what you are missing is that LW readers have a fundamental difference of opinion regarding what constitutes a “Happy Ending”. You seem to imply that a happy ending requires forgiveness, regardless of repentance. For many of us, a happy ending requires consequences at a minimum, and preferably punishment. Obviously you can write what you want, but don’t be surprised by vociferous criticism.

ZK

RePhil, you would be wrong. Anyone with a basic understanding of Christianity knows that Adultery ranks just below premeditated murder in the hierarchy of sins. The woman in this story died unrepentant. Her only unhappiness regarding her choice is that it didn’t work out the way she wanted. There’s no second chance. She would actually spend eternity separated from God, and her family. Endless misery, knowing she could have had joy, if only she had chosen wisely!

ZK

Hell- a pathetic Christian myth officially put forward a millennium ago that offended the conscience of so many they had to modify it with Purgatory to make it sellable. This was a very witty take on this idea. Wonder what Vandemonium would do with this?

Screw you guys. The Bear is disappointed in the hypocritical bullshit heaped on the story and the author. Great story, but you need to finish it. 6 stars, because I can. It costs more, but it's worth it. Please, a part two. I hate endings like this. Thank you, the Bear approves. Tony, move on. good luck. They're not all like this.

The BEAR

Saw a lot of comments about this being a porn site leave religion out of it. What is more pornographic than sex and religion? What are causes for people willing to kill for?, sex and religion. Many who wouldn't kill for sex do kill for religion. The crusades, ISIS terrorists, Hitler, Jim Jones. What inspires more passion, more pleasure, more pain? Why do you read erotic lit if not for stirring said passions, the same as the religious zealots.

The last few paragraphs turned it from a four stars story to five stars. An ending I did not, and could not predict. Well done.

JPB

Good pair of stories. My only criticism is for me it was left unfinished we don't know what happens to Julia (my guess is Heaven as she is truly repentant) and Tony, does he get a 2nd chance at love. There's nothing wrong with how you left it at all but personally I'd have liked a longer part 2 or a part 3. But its a very good pair of stories. BardnotBard

Oh, not an appreciated ending!

Hold it that's the ending? Call me a little thick, and not to much on Religion, but where the "hell" is she going??

So why didn't St Peter just send her back as another woman? And see if she really did Repent. And she if she could make her kids and Tony happy again. As a stepmother and second wife..

Like the story, just no ending! AAAA+++

Where's the dam ending. Shit I hate stories like this. 5 star til end now 3.

People - that IS the ending! And a good one!

5-stars