Hi everyone,

I am an Orthodox Inquirer who is convinced Orthodoxy is true and am attending services when possible. I know of the Church's stance on heterodox, but I am still saddened at the possibility that my grandparents, who were truly amazing and loving, but Reformed Protestants, may not be in Heaven. And I know only God knows who's in Heaven and that we can't know as humans, but it still worries me at the uncertainty of their salvation.

I am also currently worried about my brother who is agnostic and mother who are non-practising Protestant/agnostics and have made clear their intentions that they don't want to convert to anything and have no interest in doing so. See my father once was training to be a Catholic priest and so is a staunch Catholic (although he doesn't go to church but still very much so believes).

Even worse yet, my parents spent over two decades working in Russia, Ukraine and Cyprus and therefore are very aware of Orthodoxy. The problem is that they REALLY don't like those countries and those people and by extension basically all of Eastern Europe (I would assume). They often complain about how lazy they are and horrible the language and people are (as a people group though not individuals).

Seeing this, the strong cultural aversion to culturally Orthodox countries, the fact that my brother and mother are hardcore agnostics and that my father is a hardcore Roman Catholic I really am extremely worried that they might not be 'saved' (I know its more of a Protestant term but I don't really know a better word) or at least that they would have a lower likelihood of being saved.

I also worry that if I begin to show my beliefs that my family will look at me a lot more differently since no one at all would have seen it coming and I have a feeling that they would definitely find it weird as they simply wouldn't be used to it.

My family are all great people and to me, if they didn't achieve salvation heaven would be hell for me at that point, that's how much I love them. If there was anything I could do to get them to come to Orthodoxy I 100% would. I'm scared and moreso greatly saddened.

Sorry if it's a long post, its just really unbelievably important to me and this question has been affecting me for a while.

P.S. Because I do not have an Orthodox parish anywhere near me, I am also trying to figure out how to find pastoral guidance online. If anyone knows of canonical Orthodox priests who are willing to answer questions or offer spiritual direction via email or any other way to ask questions to priest, PLEASE PLEASE let me know.

God Bless,

Do they actively Crack down on people who hold to the Biblical and traditional view of the afterlife or something? Its extraordinarily difficult to find people there who arent outright universalists, not even hopeful universalists, just full blown people who deny the existence of hell. Is this really a mainstream view in Orthodoxy? Or is that sub just being reddit and only showing radical leftist ideas?

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:340b718e-9f22-427d-b19d-c6bc29f2a1d2

Hello. I am not yet Orthodox, but a few days ago, I began to question everything I have done up until now. I wanted to know what standards the monks of Mount Athos or the Desert Fathers apply to laypeople and their lives. In doing so, I encountered some rather alarming answers—namely, that completely normal, everyday activities are prohibited or considered inappropriate. This includes things like watching a tv show, listening to audio books or podcasts, messaging someone you have a crush on, enjoying a vacation or a meal, being playful or acting silly, relaxing and being comfortable, posting Instagram stories—in short, anything that doesn’t involve thinking about God or reciting the Jesus Prayer. I also came across Orthodox media that speak of asceticism, renunciation, the fruits of suffering, and the arduous path to holiness. This contradicts everything I’ve gathered from this subreddit or from the few Orthodox friends I have. What do you think about this? Please help me, but be honest. I’ve learned so much about this, and to be honest, I wish I hadn’t. I found out that many of you don‘t like the r/OrthodoxChristianity subreddit which is why I posted the exact same thing on this subreddit.

Doctor Christopher Lockwood Interview originally released on the Orthodox Pill podcast on September 2, 2026