"m II" wrote in message
news:J4F9e.40240$yV3.28691@clgrps12...

Some people may pray to Mary as means of trying to get an inside track to
the
Almighty with a petition for individual favours or something. I can safely
write
that attempt off as human arrogance.

Are you familiar with the Catholic tradition of the novena? For those not
familiar with Catholic traditions, it's nine-day prayerful plea, done in
front of a statute of Mary, in order to gain some
favor/cure/blessing/whatever from God. Is this idolatry? The New Catholic
Encyclopedia defines idolatry as, " Idolatry etymologically denotes Divine
worship given to an image, but its signification has been extended to all
Divine worship given to anyone or anything but the true God." (see
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07636a.htm). Pardon me if I am dense on this
particular matter, but couldn't a statute that one prays in front of be
considered an "image"?

Jackie