You know, I begin to wonder if much of the root of Protestant difficulty with Mary is found in the origins of Protestantism itself. After all, many of the earliest Protestants were very anti-authority. . . anticlericial, anti monarchical. . .and some were positively MILITANT about bringing EVERYBODY to a totally ‘equal’ status (think of the Puritan ROUNDHEADS, or even the Quakers, who would ‘bow to NOBODY’ as being in any WAY superior and insisted that no one dress, or speak, or do anything to be THOUGHT ‘above’ anyone else).
In the U.S. in the East the first ‘wave’ of settlers had a LARGE number of very, very ‘anti-authority’, anti-clerical, and ‘egalitarian’ people. Even when the ‘majority’ (mainly Episcopal) came. . .they themselves were the product of Protestant rebellion against the Pope and clergy as well, plus they had had their own civil war and REGICIDE in the 17th century.
So with these attitudes, they would find it nearly COMPULSORY to ‘bring Mary down’ into ‘just another person’. And they would over time if they remained ‘fervent’ try to use any means they could to bring down ANYTHING in Scripture or practice that hinted of anybody being ‘more’ than they were. Saints? Can’t have them be ‘special’ so we’ll have them be DEAD and OBLIVIOUS. The apostles? We’ll lip service a ‘regard’ for them but if people actually start to praise them we’ll go to great lengths to point out how SINFUL St. Peter was, or to cast doubts on St. Paul’s ‘diversity’ and carp at how he ‘dissed women’ , etc. etc.
Because quite frankly, if they ever stopped their MAN MADE forcing of people into some mold of ‘equality’ simply because we’ve been inculcated into thinking that ‘equality’ means that no person should have ‘more’ than any other person, and that acknowledging a person as being a good follower of Christ is somehow 'falsely elevating them to the status of Christ" (it isn’t) and, worse yet, hurting their self esteem because somebody ELSE is being ‘honored’ instead of THEM. . .and recognized that Christ HIMSELF was trying to teach them to LOVE EACH OTHER, which means recognizing OTHER PEOPLE’S GOOD instead of falsely trying to turn EVERYBODY into SPIRITUAL NOTHINGS. . .they’d have to start acknowledging that Catholics are RIGHT.
