1. the whole idea of praying to “saints” instead of to God directly.
2. the just flat out creepy way they are obsessed with Mary
3. the apparent primacy of church tradition over biblical teachings.
4. the apparent disdain for the intelligence of their congregation to discern truth on their own through a study of the scriptures.
Add to that, a vow of celibacy and a vow of poverty being in direct conflict with “be fruitful and multiply”.
here are my complaints about your comaplints:
“1. the whole idea of praying to “saints” instead of to God directly.”
There’s no “instead”. We pray to God. We also ask the saints to pray to God for us.
“2. the just flat out creepy way they are obsessed with Mary”
Your complaint is flat out creepy and nonsensical.
“3. the apparent primacy of church tradition over biblical teachings.”
You apparently have no clue about how scripture IS tradition in written form or how tradition and scripture work together. There is no primacy of Church tradition over Biblical teachings.
“4. the apparent disdain for the intelligence of their congregation to discern truth on their own through a study of the scriptures.”
There is no such disdain and there are plenty of opportunities for scripture study in the Catholic Church.
I think you should learn more before you complain again.
We VENERATE Mary and the saints. We ADORE God.
Prayer is a way of communication with God or the saints. As least that is the Catholic definition. What some people may THINK Catholics are doing is a different story. Look it up; that is what prayer is: communication with God and the saints.
I pray to my patron saint, St. Anne, and I pray to Mary to ask them to intercede for me, us, whomever. It's simple COMMUNICATION, nothing more. Sometimes I THANK them too.
Mary has NEVER, ever turned me down for what I have asked for. I've only done it a couple of times in my entire life...for something I REALLY, REALLY wanted.
You have pretty much nailed it. Personally I would add the elevation of the Bishop of Rome from first among equals to a Pope with king like temporal powers, but that is a small quibble.
I can’t point to any one moment and shout THERE! THERE IS WHEN THE GREAT APOSTASY OCCURED! but that doesn’t stop me from agreeing that by the time of Luther the Catholic Church had strayed pretty far and was in dire need of reforming.
It’s just a shame that the Catholic hierarchy refused to work with Luther and Melancthon and the rest, and did not get started on their own reforms until after the schism had become permanent.
That’s a short list, there’s far more.
Paying to shorten your stay in purgatory is another, when purgatory doesn’t even exist.
List is long, and there are so many anti biblical teachings in Catholicism, I just wish more people would read and see.
Jesus does say the way is narrow.