Let’s look at the word rocket. It, too, doesn’t appear anyplace in scripture. However, it has an etymology. It appears the distaff that held thread was cone shaped and was the Italian word rochetto which means bobbin.
One can see the similarity appearance: rocket/rochetto. These are non-biblical words.
One can also see a similar appearance with venerate and venerari, the Latin. The first, In English, means to pay respect to. The second means to worship. These, too, are non-Biblical words.
The argument appears to be, “Since venerari is the source of our word venerate, that means that veneration is actually worship.”
Using that same logic: “Since rochetto is the source for our English word rocket, that means that a rocket scientist is a tailor who uses a bobbin on a sewing machine.”
All that said, veneration should not look like worship. Do you agree with that? That leaves us with having to agree on what worship looks like, but we I see no way an honest person can perform certain acts and call them worship, and then perform those same acts and call them veneration. That would strike me as a tap dance.
Are you sure you're not Catholic? The tactics and logic are eerily similar.
“All that said, veneration should not look like worship. Do you agree with that?”
No, for what I assume your premise is is flawed. Two things can look alike and be dramatically different when we know what worship is, what prayer is.
“That leaves us with having to agree on what worship looks like, but we I see no way an honest person can perform certain acts and call them worship, and then perform those same acts and call them veneration. That would strike me as a tap dance.”
So you’ve created a false premise, populated it with a logical development based on that false premise and then come to a false conclusion and say others are tap dancing.
It seems to me that Protestant anti-Catholics have not the faith of children but the minds of children - I mean childish minds. To reduce all worship to what it “looks like” to the eyes of someone already anti-Catholic is laughable. I know of former Protestants, some once very anti-Catholic, and some people who are still Protestant who used to be horrified by the Rosary, statues of Mary, paintings of the Last Supper, crucifixes with a corpus, and so on. They aren’t like that anymore because they actually read about it, thought about it, prayed about it and realized none of the Catholics they know were actually worshiping any of those things. Sometimes I have been stunned at the stupid bigotry commonly accepted by Protestants I know when they say things like, “Well, I know Joe [a Catholic who is kind and generous to them] loves the Lord, but other Catholics are just idol worshipers.” When I respond with, “But Joe does the same things and believes in the same things as those Catholics you call ‘idol worshipers’,” I get comments like, “Well, I know Joe loves Jesus in his heart.” And that idiot can say those other Catholics don’t?
Yesterday, I talked to a mostly Catholic group in a town nearby. The members of the group who were Protestant also prayed a Hail Mary with the Catholics after I talked to them for a while. Those people are open to the truth unlike the Protestant anti-Catholics on FR.
Let's review the greek word used for worship in the NT at the start of this thread.
4352 proskynéō (from 4314 /prós, "towards" and kyneo, "to kiss") – properly, to kiss the ground when prostrating before a superior; to worship, ready "to fall down/prostrate oneself to adore on one's knees" (DNTT); to "do obeisance" (BAGD).; suggests the willingness to make all necessary physical gestures of obeisance.]
In no instance in the NT accounts regarding Mary do we have anyone falling down on their knees before her, or offering prayers to her. For that matter no one does this for Peter or Paul or James or any of the Apostles or disciples.
In Matthew 2:11 we have the maji come to Joseph and Mary's home to see Jesus. The account in Matthew notes clearly:
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The maji could have fallen down before Mary, but they didn't.
They could have brought her gifts but they didn't.
They had ascertained it was His star they were looking for....not a star for Mary.
Everything about this account is about Christ.
Any "devotion" to Mary is unbiblical.
Paul really focuses us on these "devotions" to other people in 1 Corinthians 1:11-12
For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
What if we substituted Mary for Paul in these verses?
For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Mary’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Mary,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Mary was not crucified for you, was she? Or were you baptized in the name of Mary?
See how it sounds when you sub in Mary's name? Blasphemous.
The Holy Inspired biblical examples show we are to worship Him and Him only.