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At the very least, the attention and devotion given to Mary by Catholics is fraught with danger.

It is perilously close to worshiping her if they actually don’t as they insist.

If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned. Unless someone is some kind of spiritual giant with exceptional discernment and self-control, I don’t see how one can avoid slipping over the edge in that matter.

Jesus told us how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. We have everything we need in Christ. On a purely practical level, there’s no point in praying to Mary or giving her that kind of attention since it detracts from time and attention that belongs to God alone.

INDEED. INDEED. QUITE SO.

SCRIPTURE teaches us

as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

God keeps him in perfect peace who’s mind is

FIXED ON . . .

GOD.

Another focus yields different results.

Thank you so much for sharing your insights and concerns, dear sister in Christ!

If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned. Unless someone is some kind of spiritual giant with exceptional discernment and self-control, I don’t see how one can avoid slipping over the edge in that matter.

An example of playing with fire is Santeria which merges some Catholic belief with African Yoruba and Native beliefs. It seems to me that whoever evangelized the slaves in the Caribbean dropped the ball.

Somewhere on the forum I recall a missionary pointing out the same thing happening in the Philippines where some have merged Catholic beliefs with Buddhism and perhaps other beliefs. Again, I suspect someone dropped the evangelical ball.

Protestant evangelizing has also spawned false religions when it didn't follow through, showing the converts the absolutely necessity of not corrupting the words of God. Scientology, New Age beliefs and LDS come to mind. And some of the majors even now have gone off the deep end calling bad good and good bad.

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. – Deuteronomy 4:2

Paul warned us this would happen:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him]. - 2 Cor 11:3-4

God's Name is I AM.