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Some Eastern Orthodox sources, including the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]], consider Purgatory to be among "inter-correlated theories, unwitnessed in the Bible or in the Ancient Church" that are not acceptable within Orthodox doctrine,<sup>[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7076.asp]</sup> and hold to a "condition of waiting"<sup>[http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/reading/ortho_cath.html]</sup> as a more apt description of the period after death for those not borne directly to heaven. This waiting condition does not imply purification, which they see as being linked to the idea "there is no hope of repentance or betterment after death." Prayers for the dead, then, are simply to comfort those in the waiting place.
Other Orthodox believe in the "[[Aerial Toll-Houses|toll gate]]" theory by which the dead go to successive "toll gates" where they meet up with demons who test them to determine whether they have been guilty of various sins during life and/or tempt them to further sin.<sup>[http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Seraphim_Rose#Criticism_.26_debate]</sup> If they have not repented and been absolved of those sins, or if they give in to sin after death, they will be taken to Hell.
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*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Purgatory]
*[http://www.suscopts.org/literature/literature.php?subaction=showfull&id=1084916893&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3& Coptic Orthodox lecture about Purgatory, adapted from ‘''Why Do We Reject Purgatory?''’ by H.H. Pope Shenouda III]
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/death/stmark_purg.aspx The Orthodox Response to the Latin Doctrine of Purgatory]
[[Category:Heresies]]
[[Category:Non-Orthodox]]