Why Do Christians in India Pray for the Souls of the Deceased Relatives and Others?

The Following are the Beliefs of the Christians about Birth, Death and Life After Death of Human Beings:

According to Christianity, the human beings have been created by God the Almighty, out of out of mud or dust by giving a soul and blowing His spirit.
As per the Christian Doctrine the  'soul is immortal and there is 'No Re-Incarnation or Re-Birth' and a Soul would be born only once and die only once..

When a human being dies, the 'Aavi'/ 'Spirit' goes back to the 'Creator-God the Almighty' and the Body goes back to the original place from where it had come, the mud or dust and the 'Soul' would be dealt with separately.

In general, according to Christianity, the soul would go to one of the two eternal places of 'Heaven' or 'Hell'  after death.

For the Good Deeds / 'Punniyams' done during the life-time, the souls would get an ‘Eternal Reward’ and enter ‘Heaven’ –the abode of God the Almighty, where the Son of God, Jesus Christ would be seated on the right of His Father-God.
For the sins / ‘Paavams’ and 'Eternal and Unforgivable Sins' the souls would get ‘Eternal Punishment’ and would be trashed into the ‘Hell’, the abode of Satan and its group of rebelled angels.

Some sections of the Christianity, such as the :

• Roman Catholics,
   
• Anglican Christians,
• Lutheran  Christians,
• Orthodox Christians,
• 'Methodists' Christians, 
• The 'Free' Christians and 
• The Later Days Saints (LDS) Christians

believe that there is an Intermediate Place called the 'Purgatory', where the souls of the deceased persons would be kept for temporary and minor punishments for the ordinary pardonable sins committed during the life time and purification.
According to the above belief, the souls would be placed in the ‘purgatory’, before they get the eternal bliss of 'Heaven'.

Prayers for the deceased souls in Christianity:


The Christians who pray for the souls in the purgatory would remember, not only the souls of their relatives, but also all the souls for which, nobody would make prayers for repose.

As it will not be known to any as to which souls would be in 'Purgatory', which souls would have been thrown down into the 'Hell' and which souls would have entered the ‘Heaven’, the Christians usually pray for the repose of the souls of all the deceased.

The day, on which common and collective prayers for the deceased souls are performed, is called the ‘All Souls Day', observed on the 02nd November every year, by the Christians who believe in the doctrine of 'Purgatory'.

The All Souls Day is observed on the 02nd of November every year by most of the Christians, who believe in the doctrine of ‘Purgatory’, and repose of the souls there by the prayers and penances done by the living Christians, for remembering and praying for close relatives, relatives, friends and all the deceased human beings, not remembered and prayed for by any.

On the All Souls Day they clean the cemeteries of their relatives and decorate them with flowers &  garlands and light candles and incenses and offer prayers and masses for the repose of the souls.
Christians who do not believe in the Prayers for the souls of the Deceased:

Many the ‘Protestant’ Christians, especially, the ‘Pentaghasts’ do not believe in the doctrine of ‘Purgatory’ and they believe that the souls of the deceased would be kept in a sleeping statue / 'paradesh' in a common place without either reward of heaven or punishment of hell.

On the Second coming of the Son of God Jesus Christ on the ‘Final Judgement Day’ the souls of those who have already died and kept sleeping in pardesh  in a common place and the souls of all those who live at the time of the Final Judgement would be resurrected and transformed instantly and get either ‘eternal reward’-heaven or ‘eternal punishment’-hell.
According to such Christians, and every man and woman born on this earth must be re-born by 'immersion in water-baptism' by accepting Jesus Christ as their own Savior and they would be redeemed prayers, masses and penances of any kind after their death would not be of any benefit.

It is their belief that by the prayers said, masses performed and penances undertaken for the repose of the souls suffering in the ‘purgatory’, the punishments and sufferings of the souls at the purgatory would be reduced and the souls would be ready for entering ‘Heaven’.