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Just as I bridle when Protestants tell me that I am an unwitting idolater because I have been seen kneeling before a statue of the Mother of God, so I expect most intelligent Protestants of good will to bridle when we stomp all over Luther without any understanding, or at least acknowledgment, of the plausible aspects of his position.

I think the big difference is that as a protestant we don't look at Luther as anyone more special than the janitor of our church inasumch as Mary, Luther and the church janitor are only special to us in the sense that they were called by God to do a certain task and they were faithful in that task. The gifts and the callings of Mary, Luther and the church janitor all belong to God and the Glory for their accomplishments goes to God and not to them.

We don't erect a statue of the church janitor and bow before it simply because he was faithful in his calling. If the church janitor was faithful in his calling, the glory for that accomplishment belongs to God and God alone. And yes, we would "bridle" if we saw people prostrating themselves in front of a statue of the janitor, or at the sight of some relic of his accomplisments, such as an old mop or an old broom that someone claimed was used by him in the accomplishment of his mission on earth.

I think the big difference is that as a protestant we don't look at Luther as anyone more special than the janitor of our church inasumch as Mary, Luther and the church janitor are only special to us in the sense that they were called by God to do a certain task and they were faithful in that task. The gifts and the callings of Mary, Luther and the church janitor all belong to God and the Glory for their accomplishments goes to God and not to them.

I can hear you say that about Luther. Can you hear me saying it about Mary?

Also there's a certain requisite mutatis mutandis here. I might talk to the Janitor about spiritual matters, and I might learn from him or her. I would have little hesitation in asking the janitor to pray for me. (Come to think of it, I worked as a church janitor for a month or so in Carmel, CA in 1971.)(But I certainly wouldn't recommend talking to ME about spritual matters.)But I wouldn't necessarily ask his or her advice on, say, the stock market. I would go to Luther for theological conversation, and I do go to Mary when I want her to let me see her baby.

But yes, all of them like moons, meteors, and lesser satellites, reflecting the light from the Sun of Righteousness, none with any gifts other then by derivation.

I think the big difference is that as a protestant we don't look at Luther as anyone more special than the janitor of our church . . .
We don't erect a statue of the church janitor and bow before it simply because he was faithful in his calling. If the church janitor was faithful in his calling, the glory for that accomplishment belongs to God and God alone.

Statue of Luther in Wittenberg

Statue of Luther in Dresden

Luther's Tomb (Note the flowers at the tomb and in the background the statue of a man praying to another statue.)

Another view

Katherine Luther's Tomb