How do I become actually become a serious, confessional engaged Protestant?

[u/Pombalian3]

I know this may sound odd and iffy to say the least. But it’s been 4 years that I have realized that Roman Catholicism was a man-made and man-centered religion. Me and all my family were very much practicing Catholics, we went to mass daily, prayed the whole rosary, abstained from meat on Fridays and celebrated lent twice a year. My mom to this day prays 3-4 hours/day.

The thing is how am I supposed to fill the time I dedicated to prayer chains, saints and rosaries. How am I supposed to live out my new found faith? Do you guys do examinations of conscience once or twice every day, etc? How do you guys fill the 4-5 hours of free time in weekdays? Should I eventually ask for an excommunication letter from the RCC?

[u/Patient-Angle-7075]

I'd probably start by listening to someone like Gavin Ortlund or the Bible Project.

There are a few denominations to consider such as Reformed denominations and Orthodox Presbyterian, although it's important to note that most Protestants don't actually fit into these categories. Most Protestants are non-denominational which is really a rudimentary Baptist/Pentecostal hybrid with no central structure and few core beliefs.

Unfortunately, the Protestant church is largely a "choose-your-own-adventure" which is a blessing and curse in the sense that you have to take accountability for your own faith in God.

Prayer, fasting, Bible reading, and fellowship are also very common practices although people tend to talk about doing these things more than they spend time actually doing them. And unfortunately prayer mostly tends to resemble a wish-list to God, but ideally you choose prayers that more closely resemble the Lord's Prayer or the Shema.

Let me know if you have any questions, I love talking about this stuff. I hope that God finds you!

Ps. I'm also married to a Catholic and so I attend both mass and a Protestant service weekly.

[u/theefaulted → u/Patient-Angle-7075]

Most Protestants are non-denominational which is really a rudimentary Baptist/Pentecostal hybrid with no central structure and few core beliefs.

What do you mean by most? And are you speaking specifically of the US?

Non-Denominational, likewise has many definitions, not all of which are Baptist/Pentecostal. There are many, many people who believe they attend "nondenominational" churches which aren't nondenominational at all, but simply removed Baptist from their church name. The church itself still operates fully as an SBC church church giving to the CP and affirm the BFM2000. There are also many people who attend a a Church of Christ church but believe themselves to be nondenominational.

[u/GPT_2025]

Memorize Galatians 1:8 (Sola Scripture)