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If Catholics would stop their heretical Mary worship, then I would consider calling them Christians.

Since Catholics DO NOT WORSHIP MARY there is nothing to stop and you are free to call us Christians.

I have seen statues of Mary in Churches, on people's front lawns, etc. So statues of Mary are kept.

They pray to Mary to intercede for them with "her son".

This violates the first and second commandments.

Roman Catholic congregants are mislead by false teachers and false doctrine. That's why many leave the Roman Catholic church. Because of the loss of good members, the Roman Catholic church and some zealous Roman Catholics rather aggressively denigrate Protestant denominations that point out various unscriptural aspects to RC doctrine, while they do not so much do this towards Protestant denominations that have their own gross false teachings but refrain from pointing out Roman Catholic false doctrine. Mostly, if you notice, on FR, rather "assertive" RC posters will focus entirely on Reformed Protestants, referring to them collectively as "Calvinists". That's the only group that I've personally seen "assertive" RC posters target. On the other hand, the "assertive" Calvinists, while they certainly jump in and take part in the "fray", they will also frequently assert false teachings by various other denominational categories, i.e., Mormons, various Evangelicals, Charismatics, etc.

Much of RC doctrine relies on the concept in marketing called "brand loyalty", i.e., "we are the original"; this, of course, is a very powerful tool in controlling people's minds, hence it is so often used in marketing of products.

There is also the unscriptural concept that is pressed into the mind of the congregant that their priest is literallly their gatekeeper to heaven for them. Again, this transferrance from Christ alone as mediator (Scriptural), to an earthly man, a priest, as mediator between congregant and Christ, is a very powerful controlling device in the mind of the congregant. The congregant is lead down the path of believing "any help I can avail myself of in "convincing" Christ to hear my prayers, I ought to make use of it" obviously plays on superstition and is completely contrary to what the New Testament plainly teaches.

Which brings me to another point, superstition. The use of imagery, the carrying of medals, the use of "holy" relics - it's all geared towards controlling the minds of congregants that would fall prey to being superstitious. It never ceases to amaze me how Roman Catholics take physical tokens to be "holy".

More "knowledgeable" Roman Catholics I have asked or heard respond to this topic invariably mince words, as does the Vatican, and get into some wordplay where they are showing reverence to these objects they are not practicing idolatry. Well the test is very simple: can one take one's physical "object" and toss it in the garbage ? If one recoils at the notion - one is then evidencing that one has indeed ascribed some holy (i.e., "set apart for the Lord") character to the object. If one venerates, or reverences, or in any way thinks of it as somehow "special" in terms of a religious context, that's the very definition of idolatry.

I anxiously and yet patiently and confidently await the eventual correction of these errors, however the Lord may bring that about as throughout history Christ's Kingdom is victorious.

Psalm 110:1 "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."

Reformed denominations remain gladly accepting those who truly seek the truth of the Word of God that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:3 "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."

Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

You don’t know what Catholics believe. Your words are plain ignorance.

Since Catholics DO NOT WORSHIP MARY there is nothing to stop and you are free to call us Christians.

Catholics will say whatever is necessary to get believers to stop "pestering" them. I am an ex-Catholic and know, because I used to do the same thing. Catholics worship Mary big time, no matter how much some deny it.