I have to disagree with you on this as a Protestant, too. Praying to the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary and all the other Saints, or even the souls in Purgatory and Heaven, are all valid and Christian. Including using icons. Praying to something isn't worshiping it. We are only to worship God, yes, but Mother Mary and all the Saints are also intercessors for you like Jesus is for God. You have a whole team of amazing, hand picked chosen souls by God who fight for you. This means Saint John Chrysostom, who said "it is the duty of every Christian to hate the jews" can hear your prayers and will support you against the jew on behalf of God. It's no different than asking others around you like me to pray for you. This means yes, Hitler, Goebbels and even Mussolini can hear your prayers and also intercede on behalf of God for you just like Jesus. Isn't that awesome??? Remember, this is what all of Christian Europe believed and practiced for the thousands of years as we were expelling and killing jews until Napoleon ended it by destroying the Christian Nobility and emancipating the jew. I know it's difficult to see it this way after being raised as a Protestant (I was, anyway), but as I began to study more and more about what the jew did to Christianity, I found a lot of these practices to be completely sound. [This](https://www.catholic.com/qa/why-pray-to-mary-saints-if-you-can-pray-to-omnipresent-jesus) is a good read on the topic. Remember, praying to someone is not worshiping them. You're only glorifying God through them, doing as He commanded us to do
Do you ever ask others to pray for you? It's not that God needs them, it's that you do, and He provides them for you to uplift us all together in His name. They're not competing with Jesus, they're collaborating with Him for you.
> *"Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.*" - 2 Corinthians 1:11
I know it seems really foreign at first and that's okay. I was against it for 30 years of my life too. But the more I thought and studied it after learning the jew, the more it just makes total sense
It's hard enough to get Christians on board with the concept of the Holy Trinity. Once you begin adding a long list of other saints to pray to then it starts to become polytheistic and you alienate even more people from the religion I think.
Also I am not the best Christian scholar so I am just being honest about my own beliefs and not trying to change anyone's religion.
He didn't say No one comes to the Father but through My Mother.
Stop praying to Virgin Mary. She was a mere mortal. She is not God.
I usually go directly to God. God is infinite and not limited. He doesn't need intermediaries or secretaries micro managing His work for him.
> *"Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.*" - 2 Corinthians 1:11
I know it seems really foreign at first and that's okay. I was against it for 30 years of my life too. But the more I thought and studied it after learning the jew, the more it just makes total sense
Also I am not the best Christian scholar so I am just being honest about my own beliefs and not trying to change anyone's religion.