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Franklin,
Based on your questions, you appear to be asking:
- Is anyone adoring Mary, as if she were God when they have these celebrations, as the Israelites did the golden calf?
The Catholic Church makes a clear distinction between the worship/adoration offered to God (latria) and the veneration we give the saints (dulia, hyperdulia, or protodulia). Hopefully, no one is worshipping Mary; I know I don't, and I don't know anyone who does.
God looks at the heart, not at externals (1 Samuel 16:7). Two people may do similar external actions but intend different things by them. The Pharisee and the Publican were both praying in the temple (Luke 18:9-14). Someone looking at them might think they were doing the same thing, but only one came away justified.
We honor Mary because she is the Queen sitting at the right hand of the Messiah (Psalm 45:9). We celebrate her (Psalm 45:17; cf. Luke 1:48). She is crowned with stars (Revelation 12:1; Jeremiah 13:18). We are her children (Revelation 12:17; Psalm 116:16).
Statues of Mary are not idols because we do not worship and adore them. We honor Mary as the Mother of God the Son; the statue is merely a reminder of her, we are not worshipping the statue, we are venerating the person. I am not sure why you ask,
- "Why did our Catholic Church remove this from the 10 Commandments given by The Almighty?"
This is sort of a "when did you stop beating your wife" question, because it rests on a false assumption. If you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the official teaching handbook of the Roman Catholic Church, this commandment is listed and discussed in detail in paragraphs CCC 2129-2141. You can read it for yourself here. We haven't removed anything, and we are not hiding anything.
The reason we have always used images in our devotions is rooted in the Incarnation. Prior to Jesus, God had no visible form, thus it was wrong to impose a visible form on him. Now God has taken visible form as Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, inaugurating an economy of images.
I haven't completely read your other questions, but based on them, I suspect you are listening to Protestants who hate the Catholic Church and are misleading you.
- "Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned." (Romans 16:17)
- "[Paul's] letters contain some things which are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:16)
- "Hold fast to the traditions which you received, whether by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
- "Earnestly contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3).
The Church, not the Bible, is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). I encourage you to stop your ears from listening what the Protestants are telling you, and I think this particular issue will be easier to understand once you're more thoroughly steeped in Catholic thought and have distanced yourself from Protestant influence.
I recommend a book by Don Johnson:
I can recommend a lot of other books as well.
Eric Ewanco
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