And Catholics can argue semantics til the cows come home and they can do it like no others.
But the long and short of it is God commands us to NOT bow down before graven images and there are countless images on the internet of Catholics, including priests and popes, doing exactly that in violation of the second commandment.
They can claim it’s not worship and while that is up for debate because nobody knows what’s in another’s heart, the actions are verifiable and undeniable.
They can deny it’s worship all they want but if it looks like worship, and sounds like worship, they’re going to have a hard time convincing others it’s not.
But then that allows them to play the poor, innocent, misunderstood, persecuted victim because we don’t *believe* them.
Hey, actions speak louder than words. talk is cheap and I judge based on what I see, now what words come out of a person’s mouth.
Second, as you know, once a group dethrones the Living and Active, Spirit-inspired Scripture and replaces it with anything else, they can rationalize anything to justify paganism.
While I think you are right, Catholics are masters of propaganda, you might change your opinion slightly, if you ever have the misfortune, of dealing with the Iglesia ni Cristo. They run circles around Catholics.
When Catholics marry Iglesia ni Cristo members, it is almost 100% guaranteed that the Catholic will join the Iglesia ni Cristo. They are extremely hard core, and I have dealt with enough of them, that I can't deal with them anymore.
Where I live, however, the Catholics seem to have an openness to the truth, that I did not see in the states. Part of that may be cultural. Most of them are fascinated by Americans, but they are more open.
Indeed, like as abortionists do. Want to defend your client from the charge of genocide? Just refrain from calling it that, and refer to it as something acceptable, regardless that it fits the description of murder.
Lets see, if someone in Scripture prostrated themselves before a created being in profuse elaborate praise and adoration, such is never given by a believer to anyone but God, and beseeches the invisible entity it represents for supernatural aid such is never given asked a believer to anyone but God, and attributes to such powers and privileges which uniquely belong to God, then they will rightfully called an idolator. But if done towards Mary it is not even called worship.