I even believe they are motivated by what they see as good reasons.
But as Gamecock said, it looks very different to outsiders and even to some insiders.
If the RC church is sincere about not worshiping Mary, then it seems like a good idea to...
***Stop praying to her because God was clear in His instruction that "thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14);
***Stop erecting statues of her at the front of your church which look a lot like the idols of silver and gold we are cautioned against in nearly every book of the Bible, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21);
***Stop saying Mary was sinless because only one man was sinless who was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15);
***Stop asking her to be a mediator between yourselves and God "for there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5);
***And start directing ALL your veneration, admiration, worship, reverence and attention to the Holy Trinity because only then will it be clear that "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Luke 4:8).
To the outside world, the veneration of Mary appears to be a compromise the church of Rome made with pagans. A real no-no and completely unnecessary.
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." -- 1 John 4:10 "Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go." -- Isaiah 48:17
Ping to 89.
It's HOT here.
In the April '06 (I think) edition of National Review, Fr. John Nehaus reviews a book about Catholicism, can't remember the specifics, but in the review he mentions that he knows of a parishoner that said 'why should I go to the Son, when I can go directly to His Mother?' He chalked that up to 'muddled theology', and pretty much said he didn't think such muddled theology was really harmful.
I'm not sure if she's the only Catholic who thinks that way, but I doubt it, because the role of Our Lord's Blessed Mother is such that the Pope asked for her intervention concerning the hostilities in the ME, instead of that of Our Lord's. It's hard for me to say what the cut off point is between veneration and worship, and I think probably most Catholics view their relationship with her as veneration.
Do you guys remember that scene in the Godfather, with the procession in the streets and the statue with all the money pinned on it? IIRC, that was a statue of Jesus, but the same was done with statues of Mary. My boss (who is Catholic), who grew up in Conneticut was telling me about it the other day by way of explaining that his mother absolutely hated those processions, and that she would always say to him how much she thought Our Lord's Blessed Mother would dislike such shows.
For a couple of reasons I never felt like I could approach Mary, being that she was considered to be conceived and preserved in sinlessness. But in addition to that, if and when I did attempt prayer I never knew how to place my thoughts, my dialogue was schizophrenic.
All that being said, I do have affection for her as I do for John The Baptist, Peter and Paul. Even now when I read the Scriptural passage that tells how John leapt in the womb at the sound of Mary's voice, I'm touched so very deeply by that. I'm touched very deeply by Paul's exhortation to find that love and peace there is to be found in the freedom of Christ. So, if there is a communion of saints, it is with this affection that I formulate my thoughts about them. Included in this communion of saints would also be the wonderful Deitrich Bonehoffer, the Churchmen he was associated with, Jean de Brebeuf and Damien the Leper. All of whom were and continue to be incredible examples of the gift of faith and the preservation and final fruition of that faith: they are profiles in courage, par excellence.
>> If the RC church is sincere about not worshiping Mary, then it seems like a good idea to... <<
No thanks, we're not about to stop doing something we'd done for 1500 years just because it's a point for the Protestants to attack. If we did, the counter-Catholics out there would just invent some new thing to complain about.
The facts, to any Catholic, are quite plain that we don't worship Mary. You see it as you want to see it because you believe your salvation depends on seeing it that way.
Just read post #37.
Faced with historical evidence that the title, "Mother of God," is found among the most ancient documents of Christendom, GWB sees that evidence only as proof of all sorts of wild things not at all in evidence, because he holds those presumptions as first things.
If we tore down every statue, banned every Marian piety, you'd still insist that the Eucharist itself was idolatry, no matter how directly the gospel contradicted your position.