There are many Protestant churches where the formal ritual of confession has been entirely eliminated, and it has been replaced with personal confessions to God alone. No church officials need to be present, and the person can confess wherever they happen to be at the time. These churches claim every person has a direct connection to God, so there is never a need to confess to another human being. As for penance, many of them preach that God does not require it.
While the Catholic Church has possibly overstated the formality of confession, newer sects have completely rejected their rules. They believe that the love of God is all that is necessary for a confession to be complete, so there is no reason to perform any sort of penance when a sin has been confessed. The sinner’s repentance is felt within their heart as they speak with God alone, and this completes any necessary atonement to wash away their sins.
