It is not uncommon to see displays or hear things similar in vulgarity as spitting. I used to do it myself. Jokes galore with the Blessed Virgin as the punchline. Nothing was off limits, even when it reached the level of outright blasphemy. Hatred of the Church is personified in hatred of Mary.
You would not believe the words I’ve, in the past, uttered against Mary. The hatred for Mary that ate at me. It was part and parcel of my Protestant identity. I really didn’t want to hear about Mary and the reason is because any real research on Mary, in the context of the times and how there were relics of Saints, etc, would lead to the realization of the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary. The Assumption of Mary would only make sense in the context of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Pretty soon, you have to just accept Roman Catholicism. But the Protestant heart, if somewhat educated, knows the Catholic Church holds truth which is not available to anyone outside of the Church, which Protestants are. They don’t like that. They’re rebellious and divisible by their nature. However, I’ve never seen a church divide with the more traditional half breaking off. It’s always the ones wanting to move things “forward” in some manner. But they will never hearken back to tradition, and certainly not to the Catholic Church. Pretty soon it’s loosely based on Scripture but more so on the way that scripture makes them feel or how they can philosophically stroke their own egos in an attempt to manufacture a god of their choosing. They choose to circumvent the Church entirely in their explanation of doctrine. It’s quite literally the same style of rejection which Jews have used to reject the fulfillment of their entire religion in Christ. So much so, that the most radical of Protestant sects are fixated on Jewish feast days. While they may have some sort of significance, I’d say the feast days have more significance for the remaining Jewish people who have yet to accept Messiah.
If anything, the entire problem goes back not to sola scriptura, nor even Luther, for he actually believed in Marian doctrine entirely, but to the fact that most of Protestant Christianity is nothing more than a farce. It is essentially modern Gnosticism and various other levels of heresy which have already been dealt with. It’s crept in and no one gets it because there is no formal, tried and true process for clergy. Nor are there any real tests of doctrinal knowledge for other personnel which have large roles in their congregation. It’s very much a cult of personality with a facade of Christ. It’s literally become men in their mid-twenties who get up and ramble on about nothing actually doctrinal, often employing things such as rap music analogies, and other pop culture. If Mary were to be mentioned in such a style of modern sermons, it would be to provide an unexplored analogy of an unwed, expectant mother and how Jesus would love the person no matter their sin. Or something of the equally saccharine sort, a theological mess.
They don’t even get a good dose of “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God” stuff anymore. That’s depressing man. Mary, when one removes from her the honor of contributing to the crushing of the serpent’s head, no longer has any real place in doctrine outside of being a mere vessel. I often wonder if the Blessed Virgin would get any air time at all in Protestant pulpits if it were not for Christmas and her inconvenient place in the whole matter. For those never daring to espouse one single word on Hell, yet calling themselves followers of Christ, who spoke more on Hell than anything else, why would such an important figure be mentioned?
For the more traditional Protestant denominations, it is often just glossed over. The virginity aspect prior to Christ being begotten is obviously not usually in question. Nor, really, is the question finding need of an answer in most Protestant doctrine dealing with Christology.
It is with a decreasingly heavy heart that I pray the Hail Mary.
Slowly, I am coming to love Mary, or rather, allowing myself to feel the love she has always provided.
But don’t be fooled by seemingly true praise of Mary by these people. There is simply no way they can face the truth of Mary without facing the falsity of their own beliefs about the Church.
If one truly hates the Catholic Church, it will be manifest in displays of hatred for Mary.
Edit to add:
Don’t base your defense against what I’ve said entirely on traditionally Protestant denominations, i.e. Lutherans, etc.
While those original rebels may have a cornered market on denominational names, they simply do not have the active numbers. They have a great appearance of presence, but, no real presence at all. What areas are truly active are generally the more liberal, open, and accepting type. By accepting, I don’t mean truly loving. If anything, their refusal to admonish sinners of sin is disdainful and totally NOT charitable. The numbers are mainly with the mega-church, and varied non-denominational. The average start up non-denominational church, generally associated with some non-authoritative conference, Bible school, or Bible camp, have the numbers. The smaller ones easily outnumber more established Catholic parishes in regard to attendance. Some of these may or may not identify with Baptists, depending on the geographical region. The old guard Baptist church is really dying and being replaced by the new style.
No St Michael, Gabriel etc? Where did they all go?
Does nothing but direct the problem to elsewhere. The issue is “intercession”.