So, I've read that whilst he was in France in exile, before the restoration, James II met two Catholic soldiers who opened his mind up to Catholic doctrine and consequently alienated him from his brother's Anglican advisors, and that around 1668/1 669 he properly converted to Catholicism. What would happen and change if James II either never meets those two Catholic soldiers or to put it bluntly never converts to Catholicism?
If he remains an Anglican, does this remove the fear of growing Catholic influence at his brother's court, thus removing the Test Act? If it doesn't, and James being an Anglican agrees to the Test Act, that removes the controversy around him I imagine.
And as King, I imagine he'd still pursue some absolutist style policies, but might not be so thing about having Catholics everywhere. Might he try the Declaration of Liberty and Indulgence as he did otl? And would Parliament even consider removing him ala Glorious Revolution, if say he had a son in 1688?