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There are many reasons why you don’t have to go to be a good Christian.

One of them is that church isn’t the only way of praying and it is possible to pray at home or at friend’s house. People may not like the formality of church or may find it hard to pray in the church environment. Praying at home may be the only way they feel they can pray to god. Going to church isn’t the only way to live a good and caring life, and Matthew 25:31-46 the parable of the final judgement shows us that we will be judged on our actions not how much we pray.

There can be a lot of good reasons for people not going to church. They could be bed-ridden and unable to move from their homes or hospital. They could have to work shifts during church hours. If someone has a serious illness that prevents them from going to church, this doesn’t make them a bad Christian.

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From Vatican II, “What the faithful have received…in the celebration of the Eucharist should have its effect on their way of life…everyone who has participated in the mass should be eager to do good works”. This extract from Vatican II means that just going to church is not enough; we have got to behave in a caring way.

Christians are called to be “imitators of Christ” in the gospels of Thomas a Kempis. This means that we should do the things that Jesus did, such as care for the poor.

At the end of Mass the priest says “go in ...

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