I’d echo this for the most part. I think the divine status given to Mary and Saints is extremely questionable.
But I’d say my main issue is the infallibility. It’s a problem the various Orthodox churches avoid by having only a titular head who is still revered and looked upon, but widely acknowledged to be as fallible as anyone else.
And this idea that Catholicism keeps people more united and in tune with God’s message does not hold water. How can it be explained the fact that the Amish have been far more devout in pretty much every area of adherence to God’s moral code than the majority of Catholics. Baptists for example have not seen such a horrific amount of heresy. I mean, Pelosi? Biden?! Why are these people still granted communion? Both are infanticide-proponents. It’s not so say there aren’t a great many good Catholics, but a lot of these people just go to the church on a Sunday and then donate to Planned Parenthood the next.
In the so-called ‘Culture wars’ it seems to me that while many churches have fought tooth and nail and risked a lot doing so, the Catholic church has at times squandered its rather large influence. You have John Roberts, a Catholic, about to vote to PERSECUTE the church by forcing it to provide contraception, and no threat of excommunication is brought?
Catholics do not give a divine status to Mary and the saints. I suggest you need to study more about what Catholics actually believe from their own sources than rely on half-truths handed down in anti-Catholic polemics.