Gary Michael Voris: One of the things that we hear a lot, particularly in America, is this idea that almost everybody goes to heaven, and that almost nobody, if anyone, goes to hell.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Well, this is a lie. It directly contradicts the words of our Lord and Divine Teacher, Jesus Christ. We have, for example, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. It clearly shows that eternal condemnation is a real possibility.
Then there is the central parable of the Last Judgment in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25. Jesus clearly states that those on the left go to eternal hell, which is prepared for the devil and his followers. This is a real danger.
To speak as you mentioned, that nobody should worry because everyone goes to heaven, is very irresponsible. It is like observing a person approaching the edge of a cliff. If I see them in danger and do not warn them, I bear responsibility for the possible fall. The person may not fall, but they could, and failure to warn them would be negligent.
Speaking lightly about the eternal destiny of a human soul in this way is like making a joke about it. When clergy say, “Don’t worry, you all go to heaven,” this is extremely irresponsible. I would even consider it a serious sin against the love of neighbor.