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Well, I would say we have done hit a irreconcilable issue here. You say we are worshipping her. We say we're not. I think we have to table it.

No question that God COULD have ravished Mary and impregnated her against her will. Do you really think he WOULD have?
First of all, the imagery that you used, Mad Dawg, was deliberately inflamatory as if God would rape Mary. No such suggestion was made. Rather, the issue is the Sovereignty of God. As Paul said in Romans 9, hath not the Potter power over the clay to make of it what he will (paraphrased)? God doesn't ask permission. God directs what is going to happen. He doesn't say "Abraham, will you leave Ur and go someplace where I'm going to lead you?" He directs Abraham and tells him what will happen. He doesn't say to David, will you be my king over Israel? He anoints David when David isn't even looking to be King and says "You will be King." He doesn't go to the Apostles and say "will you follow me?" He commands, "Follow me." I know you don't see this being an Arminian Catholic. However, if you look at Scripture, I don't know of a single instance where a person, being, or anything else HAD TO give God permission to do anything that He willed to do. Mary included. There is no question. There is a statement of what is going to occur. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Mary's exclamation is not "I give you permission to do this." But "Let it be so!" So the idea that Mary gave God the permission to use her is not really biblical in the actual words of the encounter nor in the way we see God operate in Scripture. And, if he did impregnate her without even letting her know, it would have been within His rights as God. He made the vessel. He can do with her as He wishes. Still, He chose to reveal what He was going to do (at least in part) to Mary and she was genuinely humbled and astonished by it. To say, however, that She gave us the Word and She somehow contributed to us being saved is also antiscriptural and ventures into Mariolatry.

Jesus gave His life. He gave Himself to die on the cross. He gave Himself to become a man so that He could take our penalty. It's all about God and the reason we Protestants react so strongly is because Mary is getting much of the credit and focus where only focus on the Savior is due.

As I say, I think this is irreconcilable.
In the current mindstate of Catholics where Scripture is not held as the rule of faith and practice, I would agree with that.

I do not recognize myself or my actions in what you say.
Honestly Mad Dawg, I haven't seen a lot of it in you myself. Others on this thread I have, and you yourself are well acquainted with the overfocus on Mary in most sectors. Anecdotally, I go to the Catholic Store online and click on Statues. There are 8 Jesus statues. There are 20 Mary Statues. There are 12 books on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are 44 on Mary/Rosary. There are 13 Catholic pictures. 7 of them have Mary in them or are all about Mary. It goes on and on. Mary IS worshipped in Catholicism. And the worship of Mary takes the focus off of her Son. Irreconcilable. Short of the Holy Spirit, I agree.

Still the idea of anyone, even Paul, saying "be imitators of me as I am of Christ," is just a non-starter these days. I think in earlier times no one would have a problem with giving "all" one's allegiance to a lady whose first command is, to nobody's surprise, "Give all your allegiance to my Son."
By the very words which you attribute to Mary (and others, not trying to single you out here), Mary would be appalled at such a statement. Mary was a humble faithful woman. The apparitions of her are not. They demand the glory be given to "Mary" and Scripturally illiterate Catholics follow (regardless if the Church officially sanctions the apparition or not) by the MILLIONS. Idolatry by any other name is still the same, Mad Dawg.

First of all, the imagery that you used, Mad Dawg, was deliberately inflamatory as if God would rape Mary. No such suggestion was made. Rather, the issue is the Sovereignty of God. As Paul said in Romans 9, hath not the Potter power over the clay to make of it what he will (paraphrased)? God doesn't ask permission.

I wasn't trying to be inflammatory. But if somebody got impregnated against her will, ravishing and seduction and the overpowering of will come to mind, at least to my mind.

God doesn't ask permission.

Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone opens I will come in and sup with him and he with me." (Revelations 3:20)

In any event, it is a dream of mine to be able to say, "Be it unto me according to they word," so Mary will always be a heroine of mine. It was the notion that assenting to God meant she had a part in bringing Love into the world that first led me to admire her, and to seek, in that way, to imitate her -- as she imitates Christ.

AS for the rest, I don't know what to say. My parish is a university Parish. This is a church recovering nicely, and under excellent leadership, from the excesses and chaos of the post Vatican II period. Yes we do have an "idol", and I have seen some people kneeling in its vicinity. But from the conversation I have with these folks, I can't imagine their worshipping her whom the image represents.

(And of course, what with my being former Episcopalian, the worst thing to me is that it's in dreadful taste! But at least most of the textiles are good.)

When we hit the wall, the thing to do is pray. That's what I think. God loves us and has already turned everything upside down to get to us and set us free. He can get us through this.

"Anecdotally, I go to the Catholic Store online and click on Statues. There are 8 Jesus statues. There are 20 Mary Statues. There are 12 books on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are 44 on Mary/Rosary. There are 13 Catholic pictures. 7 of them have Mary in them or are all about Mary. It goes on and on. Mary IS worshipped in Catholicism. And the worship of Mary takes the focus off of her Son. Irreconcilable. Short of the Holy Spirit, I agree."

Take a look at these:

http://store.holycrossbookstore.com/

http://www.svspress.com/

You won't find any statues at all, but that's not really our thing. I'd be interested on your take on the offerings of the seminary bookstores. As a pratical matter, aside from a few other presses and monasteries, these are where our books, sacramentals etc come from.