metmom:
You are entitled to your view, the weight of the Christian tradition stands against your views.
Honoring Mary to me is akin to honorin my Mother and Father, which we are morally obliged to do so, and me honoring my Mother and Father in my view does not detract from my Worship of the Holy Trinity as worshiping God and honoring my Mother and Father, and honoring The Mary the Mother of God are not things that are in conflict are to me, are at odds with each other.
You can chose to do what you want but if all us who don’t share your theological worldview would take your views to the extreme, then none of us could honor our parents at their wedding anniversay or honor our Mothers and Fathers on Mothers and Fathers day or honor each of them on their birthdays because according to you, that detracts from God and puts focus on human beings such as our Mothers and Fathers.
Sorry, that to me is fundalmentalist nonsense and has no basis in the Scriptures or Apostolic Tradition of the early Church as expressed by the Consensus of the Church Fathers and 4 Great Councils of the early Church [Nicea 325 AD, Constantinopile 381AD, Ephesus 431AD, Chalcedon 451AD].
Only the weight of CATHOLIC tradition.
Which is not necessarily CHRISTIAN.
Catholics have an unfortunate tendency to conflate *Christian* and *Catholic*.
They are not synonyms nor interchangeable.
*Christian* does not by default mean *Catholic* .
*Catholic* does not by default mean *Christian*.