[Ohioan from Florida]

A relative of mine has a large statue of Mary situated in the corner of the living room. Statue of Jesus...nowhere to be found.

I'm surprised by your comment. Does this relative have no crucifix? No pictures of Jesus anywhere? Of course, not all Catholics adorn their home with articles of their faith, but in my home, the likenesses of Jesus are in every room downstairs, and my bedroom. They outnumber the images of Mary 8 to 1 (I just took a tally to be sure I wasn't overestimating). I did not include 4 pictures/statues of the two of them together (Mary holding Jesus as a baby or the Pieta). I also have scripture passages and prayers, and a few pictures of angels. I don't inspect everyone's home when I visit, but I have rarely found a Catholic home without a crucifix of Jesus, at the minimum. Perhaps your family members are nominal Catholics, I don't know. But your charge that Mary is given higher esteem than our Lord by Catholics is nothing short of outrageous!

I'm glad I left the Catholic church.

How old were you when you left? How long had you been practicing the faith? I know a lot of people who are surprised when they return to the Catholic faith. They can't believe what they've been missing all that time!

All this dependence on fallible men as popes and extra-Biblical sources never led me close to God.

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with Catholicism. It certainly comes through in your commentary. However, it could possibly have been that maybe you didn't have quite the shining example from your elders just as much as the Church at-large.

Then I learned how to study the Bible and everything changed.

I credit my Protestant counterparts for teaching me about Bible study as well, but it has not taken me one step further away from the Catholic faith. To the contrary, it has only confirmed the things I've been taught as a Catholic.

[what's up]

I don't know if they have crucifixes...perhaps...perhaps not. My point was there are no statues of Christ. They are extremely devout Catholics. And my family was extremely devout growing up, particularly my father who prayed with us every night, and was the epitome of gentle, and who was educated in a Catholic school.

However, the problem is the lack of solid answers Catholicism provides, and rarely leads into true Bible study. As some of your answers indicate; you do not refer to the scripture. Many Catholics on this thread I've noticed say things like "I can't imagine Joseph doing this" or "Can you imagine God doing this" instead of referring to what the scripture says. The scripture clearly states what many here refuse to believe, yet the Catholics prefer to believe otherwise.

This is why I chose to leave at age 18. It is also why none of my 7 siblings worship any longer in the Catholic church. Also, my father no longer worships there and he was the most devout of all.

If Catholics would teach and debate more from the scriptures they would make more sense on doctrinal issues, instead of relating on an emotional level. Taking intensive Bible study full time for 5 years made me even more glad of my decision to leave the Catholic church. I was never satisfied there as a child and have had not even an inkling of a desire to return.

Oh, and that family that has the prominent statue of Mary? Another of their 10 children has now chosen the Protestant faith. It has disturbed my devoutly Catholic aunt and uncle, but maybe they should consider not believing any longer the perfection of Mary and such and begin teaching their children that only one has sinned in history as the Bible over and over states in Old Testament and New.