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WHAT IS IDOLATRY ACCORDING TO GOD'S WORD?

"I am the Lord your God...You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself and idol...You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." (Exodus 20:2-5). "You shall have no other gods before Me" or literally, "before My face." He demands undivided loyalty. And devotion. No other gods "in addition to Him".

So where does the line of idolatry get crossed with Mary in the Catholic Church? Kneeling before a statue of her, kissing her feet, offering her praise and petition. All of these things belong to God and God alone. He is to be praised. He is to be adored. He is to be the One we petition. Saying that Mary was "immaculate in every respect" and that when speaking of sin, the Church teaches that "the holy Virgin Mary is not even to be mentioned." Only by degree is she distinguished from the Lord Jesus, who was without sin (1 John 3:5).

Another only by degree difference: Jesus pleased the Father in all that He did (Luke 3:22). Mary, according to the Church",,in her was the Father well pleased with singular delight".

Another: As Jesus suffered and died for our redemption, so Mary "suffered in the very depths of her soul with his most bitter sufferings and torments..and in her heart died with him, stabbed by the sword of sorrow."

Another, because of their physical union, the Church says "The blood of Christ shed for our sake and those members in which he offers to his Father the wounds he received as the price of our liberty are NO OTHER than the FLESH AND BLOOD OF the Virgin.

Thus.."she with Christ redeemed mankind."

Another: As Christ died NOT for His sins but for the sins of others, the Church teaches that Mary did not die for her sins, rather that she "..should in all things resemble Jesus; and as the Son died, it was becoming that the mother should die also." Another: Just as Christ was bodily resurrected, Mary was bodily resurrected.Another:Even as Christ sits at the right hand of God (Heb.1:13), THe Church teaches that "Mary sitteth at the right hand of her Son." Another: According to the Church ,In her heavenly position at the right hand of her Son, Mary's dominion is the same as Christ's. "She is Queen of Heaven and of earth. According to the Catholic Church Her glory can be compared to non but Christ's:

...God has lavished upon this loving associate of our Redeemer, privileges which reach such an exalted plane that, except for her, nothing created by God other than the human nature of Jesus Christ has ever reached this level. - Munificentissimus Deus. Pope Pius XII

Biblical descriptions of the Lord Jesus has a parallel in the Church's descriptions of Mary. She is called the "inexpressible gift of the Almighty," the "Cause of Our Joy", the "Morning Star", the "Gate of Heaven", the "Refuge of Sinners", and "Our Lady of Perpetual Help." The Catholic Church promises that "all those who seek Mary's protection will be saved for all eternity. - Pope Benedict XV. Inter Sodalicia.

This is the Mary of the Catholic Church, a woman whom the Church has exalted above every other created being and has assigned attributes, titles, powers, and prerogatives that in Scripture Belong to God ALONE.

Statues, shrines, churches, cathedrals and basilicas have been erected to her by the Catholic Church. To Mary the Church calls all the faithful to lift their prayers, petitions, and praise.

Is there any Catholic Church which does not have an image of Mary? In its doctrine, the Church enthrones Mary in heaven at the right hand of Christ.

The Catholic Church claim idolatry does not exist for Mary. Based on facts and teachings of the Catholic Church regarding Mary, The Word of God says differently.

Leaving aside the fact that you toss most of these quotations out there without any sources, I will try to address some of them, asking the help of the Holy Spirit and also praying to Our Lady of Good Counsel for assistance.

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“Kneeling before a statue of her, kissing her feet, offering her praise and petition. All of these things belong to God and God alone...He is to be the One we petition.”

Have you never kissed your mother or offered her praise? Does a man not kneel before the lady he is asking to marry? Have you never petitioned a friend to pray for you to God? How are these things idolatry?

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“Just as Christ was bodily resurrected, Mary was bodily resurrected.Another:Even as Christ sits at the right hand of God (Heb.1:13), THe Church teaches that “Mary sitteth at the right hand of her Son.
“In her heavenly position at the right hand of her Son, Mary’s dominion is the same as Christ’s.”

Mary was not resurrected on her own power. She was “assumed” into heaven, body and soul, by the power of God. That is is the clear teaching of the Church.
Mary sitting at the right hand of Christ is of a lesser order than Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father in glory and majesty. He is omnipotent. Mary is not, in the strict sense of that word. She is still a creature, she has not become Divine.

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“God has lavished upon this loving associate of our Redeemer, privileges which reach such an exalted plane that, except for her, nothing created by God other than the human nature of Jesus Christ has ever reached this level.” - Munificentissimus Deus. Pope Pius XII

What’s the problem here? Mary is a creature, yet the highest of all created things other than the human nature of Jesus. This exalted level is still infinitely less than that of God’s. Her virtues and gifts are all from God.
“He who is mighty has done GREAT THINGS for me”, she says in her Magnificat, a great prayer praising God for His goodness to her. She gives God the credit. We do, too. We love Mary in a special way because God loves her in a unique way.

Luke 11: 1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“ ‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’ “

Nothing about Mary there. Jesus taught us to go straight to the Father.

The RCC tells people to pray to Mary and all manner of saints, and they do pray to them ( as evidenced by that massive number of hits to prayers to them if you do a google search) all contrary to the teaching of Jesus.

When Mary approached Jesus about the wine running out at the wedding of Cana, Jesus didn’t even call her *Mother* but rather *woman* and while He complies and rectifies the situation in a way that I’m sure no one expected, her response to the servants was “Do whatever he tells you.”

Funny how people don’t seem to feel that that applies to them any more.