“to them, praying or pray to/ask is worship...”
Exactly - I tried to make this point in another post as well- Catholics worship Christ in the highest form in the mass/Orthodox in the Divine liturgy. Therefore we are free to love, pray with and to the saints, etc. because we know we are not worshipping them. Worship takes place in the mass.
As you point out that is exactly the root of this silliness!! No sense going in circles - the root of the problem must be addressed, and that is the true nature of worship.
PS - We can worship Christ outside of the mass, too of course, but the above holds true as to being free to love and have relationships with the saints.
Thanks very much for your reply.
In short, they have lost the Church, or willingly left her.
No idea of worship, no idea of Communion of Saints, no One Lord, one faith, one baptism. No idea of what is an idol, what is an icon, what is idolatry and what is not. Yet oh so willing to proclaim it.
Just individuals without relationship to orthodox faith, teaching, worship.
No knowledge or appreciation of history, ignorance of the basic concepts, judging the one holy and apostolic Church from individual prejudices, old resentments and ignorance.
Anytime we probe further into these surface-deep doctrines and beliefs, the fail on their own weight or reveal their absurdity.
Just individual with no coherence, no shared beliefs except what they oppose: anything that threatens their independence and perceived right to determine everything on their own authority. Chasing their own tails and call it following Christ.
I have sympathy for this, it is a sad a lonely thing to be alone in one’s own church.
But I don’t see any reason to take their opinions seriously or give any credence when ignorance has been so thoroughly exposed.