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"That allows the Catholics to pray to (and even "worship") Mary

We do NOT worship or pray to Mary."
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How many Catholics pray, or have prayed the following:

"Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women & Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, now and at the time time of our Death. Amen."

If this is not praying to Mary, what is?

Mary WAS a great woman! But she is NOT God and she is dead. It is blasphemous to pray to anyone but Jesus!

"Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women & Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, now and at the time time of our Death. Amen."

Let's Break it down, shall we?

Hail Mary, full of Grace

We salute you Mary, filled with the Grace of God (God's Grace)

the Lord is with Thee

God's GRace shows through Mary

Blessed art Thou among women

And who wouldn't be considered blessed if they were chosen by God?

Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.

Of course.

Hail Mary, Mother of God,

Proven in a good post above

Pray for us sinners, now and at the time time of our Death. Amen

This seems to be the part you have a problem with.

Well, firstly, this is asking her to pray for us, not praying to her. When we pray to God we ask him to save us. When we beseech Mary we ask her to pray for us to add along to our prayers.

SEcond point: She is dead. But you do believe that she is in heaven as per scripture, correct? Well then, another person to pray for my soul, and I need all the help I can get!

"Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our Death. Amen"

That's how us really good Catholics say the last part of this prayer...........

What you consider blasphemy we consider exhaulting the woman who bore Christ. Whereas you trivialize her role to be little more than "born of a virgin"....we consider it to be serious stuff, worthy of prayer. Yes, prayer.

I don't pretend to speak for all catholics, but that's how I've always viewed this whole Catholic/Protestant argument over her role in the faith. If there is any woman in recorded history who's worthy of prayer, she is.

You may of course disagree.....which you do.

Regards;

If this is not praying to Mary, what is?

Oh dear, you've caught us reading scripture!

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee (Luke 1:28 with 'Mary' gradually added by the Church).

Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus (Luke 1:42 with 'Jesus' being added by Pope Urban IV in 1261).

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen (based on the declaration of the Council of Ephesus in 431, this part of the prayer appeared in the mid-15th century, being codified by the Council of Trent in 1568)

And all this time, you probably thought catholics did not know their scripture.

and she is dead.

Apparently you don't believe in the Gospels. She is alive! See for yourself:

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.(John 3:15-16) [See also:1 Cor. 15:22; Rom 5:12-21, among others]