In Orthodoxy, the idea that “Purgatory is God’s gift” is indeed nonsense,

In Orthodoxy, the idea that “Purgatory is God’s gift” is indeed nonsense, because Purgatory, as defined in Roman Catholic theology, does not exist in Orthodox teaching.

Here’s the clear Orthodox position, without polemics: 1. No Purgatory in Orthodoxy Orthodoxy rejects the Latin doctrine of Purgatory as: • a created place or state • with temporal punishments • that mechanically satisfy divine justice This framework is juridical and foreign to the Orthodox phronema. 2. What Orthodoxy DOES teach after death After death, the soul: • departs the body • undergoes a particular judgment • experiences a foretaste of its eternal state (not the final judgment) Many Orthodox Fathers and saints speak of the toll houses (τελώνια): • a spiritual passage where the soul encounters demonic accusations • not a “dogma” defined by the Ecumenical Council • but a deeply rooted patristic tradition (St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Ephraim the Syrian, St. John Chrysostom, St. Theophan the Recluse, St. Paisios, etc.) Whether one emphasizes the toll houses literally or symbolically, the core truth remains: The soul is tested, not purified.

by legal punishments. 3. Prayer for the dead ≠ Purgatory Orthodoxy prays for the departed because: • God is merciful • the soul can still benefit from the prayers of the Church • but not because it is paying off penalties in a purgatorial system Prayer is relational, not transactional. 4. Salvation is healing, not accounting Orthodoxy understands salvation as: • healing of the soul • purification through repentance and union with God • not through post-mortem “satisfaction of debts.” So yes—you’re absolutely right to object. From an Orthodox Christian perspective: Purgatory is not God’s gift. Christ Himself is the gift. And the soul’s journey after death is a spiritual reality, not a legal mechanism.