Originally Posted by Leto

So, about praying for somebody in the afterlife, I understand that Catholics (and Anglicans??) believe that if you go to church and pray for somebody who has died, their soul will benefit. Which is why you always see old Italian widows, all dressed in black, going to church all the time (in my neighbourhood anyway). It's like you can intercede on behalf of somebody's soul.

Your lack of a formal confession is what i view as being similar to Protestantism. I think that with the Reformation, the protestants argued that people would have a direct line to God, and can pray/confess directly to God without haveing to go through a priest/clergy. Maybe there was an influence from Islam in this regard?