What's "laughable" is the blatant ignoring of the many examples that are given that prove there IS a cult of Mary in Catholicism. A simple reading of the prayers, books, encyclicals, bulls, words supposedly said BY Mary in so-called apparitions, the parades, statues, kneeling, kissing, bowing down to, guilds, groups dedicated to her...I could go on. It's obvious that no matter how many of these references are given, posted, pictures shown, books cited, it will NOT be accepted because there is as much spiritual blindness about Mary as there is about Jesus in Catholicism.
It's there, plain as day, for anyone who hasn't already shut their eyes to it. It's fine and good to say your religion doesn't teach "Mary worship", but actions speak louder than words. Denying it exists won't make it go away.
“If the titles meant the same thing, then why was there so much fighting over them?”
There wasn’t any. You are making the mistake of thinking fighting in the East in the 5th-6th century over Theotokos means fighting over “Mother of God” elsewhere. It doesn’t. The Nestorians didn’t believe in Jesus properly. That led them to deny the title “Theotokos” to Mary. Theotokos - God-bearer - really means mother of God (Mary bore God in her womb). There was no fight over “them”. It was one title. You keep separating them as if they are two DIFFERENT titles. They aren’t.
“I’ve read Catholics’ own words saying they prefer the title “God-bearer” over “Mother of God”. Are they wrong for thinking that?”
So now you’re asking me if someone is wrong over having a preference? Do you even think about these things before you post them? I prefer the Divine Liturgy in Old Church Slavonic rather than Ukrainian. Is that wrong? NO! It’s a preference. There’s no issue there.
“Arguing for the Deity and humanity of Jesus Christ isn’t hindered at all by sticking with how the Holy Spirit referred to Mary in Scripture - the mother of Jesus. People made it an issue.”
Scripture says, “mother of my Lord” too. I don’t know why some of you keep avoiding that point or making excuses for how it doesn’t mean what it says. Jesus is the Lord and the Lord is God. Jesus is God.
“What’s “laughable” is the blatant ignoring of the many examples that are given that prove there IS a cult of Mary in Catholicism.”
Wrong. Of course there is cult of saints when the term cult is used properly. http://www.svspress.com/cult-of-the-saints-the/ Every saint in the Church has a cult. But when I use the term I use it correctly and not as a “cult” like Jim Jones’ cult. Veneration of Mary is very common among orthodox Christians. I don’t deny it for a second. What I do deny is this claptrap BS that we worship Mary. I have never done it even once. Mary is wonderful, but she isn’t God and I have never once confused the two and I have never met any other Catholic who has.
“A simple reading of the prayers, books, encyclicals, bulls, words supposedly said BY Mary in so-called apparitions, the parades, statues, kneeling, kissing, bowing down to, guilds, groups dedicated to her...I could go on.”
You could go on - but you would be wrong. Mistaking veneration for adoration is not helping your case. It just makes you look like you don’t know one thing from another.
“It’s obvious that no matter how many of these references are given, posted, pictures shown, books cited, it will NOT be accepted because there is as much spiritual blindness about Mary as there is about Jesus in Catholicism.”
The spiritual blindness is entirely that held by Protestant anti-Catholics. Post all the pictures you want. None of them show anyone worshiping Mary. Praying for Mary’s intercession in front of a statue of Mary? Absolutely! Worshiping her? Nope. Knowing the truth is not spiritual blindness. Anti-Catholics posting things over and over again that they distort to try and convince people who already know better that they are examples of something they’re not THAT is spiritual blindness!
“It’s there, plain as day, for anyone who hasn’t already shut their eyes to it.”
No, it isn’t there. That’s the whole point. Think about it:
prayers - not worship (prayer for intercession, which is what we do with Mary, is NOT worship)
books - not worship
encyclicals - not worship
bulls - not worship
words supposedly said BY Mary - not worship
so-called apparitions - not worship
the parades - not worship
statues - not worship
kneeling - not worship
kissing - not worship
bowing down to - not worship
guilds - not worship
groups dedicated to her - not worship
Not one, NOT ONE, of the things you mentioned is actually worshiping Mary as god. NOT ONE.
“It’s fine and good to say your religion doesn’t teach “Mary worship”, but actions speak louder than words.”
Right. And there are no actions which show a worship of Mary in the Church. I have never once seen a single approved prayer, liturgy, book, Mass, song, that any Catholics used to worship Mary ever. Not once.
“Denying it exists won’t make it go away.”
Repeatedly insisting it exists when there’s zero evidence of it and every Catholic here says it doesn’t exist won’t make it exist either.
Before there were MORMON crickets; there were CATHOLIC ones...