checked. it's just a concept, a way to try to understand the process of the soul cataclysmically leaving the body at death, and the weight of one's sins being hooks that demons can use to drag you down.  saint anthony the great had a vision of a gigantic demon in the sky, which grabbed onto the sins of unrepentant people as their souls tried to ascend to heaven. but people who were stainless (from baptism and constant confession, repentance) could easily slip through the demon's fingers and ascend to heaven. this is another (imperfect, flawed, human) understanding of the process after death. in the end it is truly a mystery, one of many. but we do have insights from such experiences and teachings.
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